Downing Street cancels televised press briefings after spending £2.6m on new studio
Boris Johnson has moved to cancel plans to start White House style televised press briefings, after spending £2.6m on a new studio in Number 9 Downing Street.
The Times is reporting that Allegra Stratton, previously hired as press secretary to run the press conferences, would become the Prime Minister’s spokesperson for the COP26 climate conference.
The briefing room in Number 9 will now instead be used by the Prime Minister, officials and ministers for Covid health updates, according to The Times.
Stratton, formerly Rishi Sunak’s head of media and before that a prominent broadcast journalist, was hired by Johnson last October specifically to take televised press briefings.
The idea was based on the White House’s daily televised press briefings, which are currently led by Jen Psaki for Joe Biden.