Jeremy Hunt taunts Tory rival Boris Johnson for ‘hiding’ from media: ‘What would Churchill say?’

Jeremy Hunt has taunted leadership rival Boris Johnson for “hiding away” and asked what “Churchill would say” over Mr Johnson’s refusal to face the public.

Pitting himself as the “stop Boris” candidate, Mr Hunt said his support among Tory MPs was “rock solid” and insisted he could offer “different choices” to Mr Johnson, who has nearly three times the support of his nearest challenger.

Mr Hunt, the foreign secretary, challenged his rival to be “a little bit braver” on facing scrutiny and evoked Winston Churchill’s record in his criticism.

It comes as Mr Hunt and five other candidates issued a joint statement, challenging Mr Johnson to face them in upcoming TV debates.

The Brexiteer frontrunner has only taken a handful of questions from journalists in his tightly-controlled campaign.

Mr Hunt told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We can only have that debate if our front-runner in this campaign is a little bit braver in terms of getting out into the media and actually engaging in debates. Engaging in the TV debates.

“This is the 16th time I have done the Today programme in the last year and he has just done it once... If you want to be prime minister of the UK you have to get out there and make your case.

Mr Hunt said he would take part in leadership TV debates, adding: “What would Churchill say if someone who wants to be prime minister of the UK is hiding away from the media, not taking part in these big occasions?

“What people are worried about is that we could be heading for a re-run of the 2016 campaign [when Theresa May was chosen] where we effectively had a coronation without a huge amount of scrutiny.”

Mr Hunt said he hoped to emulate David Cameron’s performance in the race against David Davies in 2005, where “a little known outsider came in and turned the tables”.

Mr Johnson’s opponents have ramped up the pressure by agreeing to appear on televised leadership debates on Sunday and Tuesday. Channel 4, who will broadcast the first clash at the weekend, said he will be represented by an empty chair if he refuses to take part.

Mr Johnson’s spokesman has said his client is “in discussions” with broadcasters.

In a joint statement, Mr Hunt, Michael Gove, Dominic Raab, Sajid Javid, Matt Hancock and Rory Stewart said: “The next Conservative leader, and prime minister, will have the crucial task of uniting Britain behind a new vision – not only to deliver Brexit, but to define what comes next.

“This leadership contest provides an important opportunity to debate, to shape and to define the ideas which will underpin those competing visions.

“That is why we are committed to taking part in the Channel 4 televised debates this Sunday and the BBC programme next Tuesday.”

The row comes after Mr Johnson won a decisive victory in the first round of the Tory leadership contest on Thursday, with 114 votes to Mr Hunt’s 43.

Mr Gove, the environment secretary, secured 37 votes, with Mr Raab, the former Brexit secretary, on 27 and Mr Javid, the home secretary, on 23.

Mr Hancock, the health secretary, is said to be considering whether to pull out of the race after only securing 20 votes in the first ballot.

Esther McVey, Andrea Leadsom and Mark Harper were all eliminated due to lack of support but outsider Rory Stewart surprised his critics by securing 19 votes.

Candidates will have to secure 33 votes to survive the the second ballot of MPs next week.