Boris Johnson gets bogged down by bananas as he butts heads with Holly Willoughby on Brexit
Leave campaigner gets grilling on This Morning as host accuses him of ‘changing his mind a lot’ on the EU
BORIS Johnson got into a heated debate on BANANAS as he butted heads with Holly Willoughby on the EU referendum.
The pro-Brexit campaigner got a grilling on This Morning with the host accuses him of ‘changing his mind a lot’ on the crucial vote on June 23.
Co-host Rylan Clark, began by asking him if his plan was to be Prime Minister, said he was concerned at the “scaremongering” on both sides of the debate.
Holly also probed his views on immigration reform and whether his relationship with David Cameron will survive the campaign, but the conversation began with a chilly exchange on bananas.
The rules on the fruit have long been used as shorthand for the ludicrous bureaucracy of Brussels, with Boris quick to try and explain why.
He said: “On bananas, which I’ve been attacked about - they sent a gorilla to monster me.
“How many directives do you think there are on bananas? Do we need them?
“There are four. They give you three options for the companies that sell them.”
But Holly was not willing to be taken in, testily responding: “But they don’t say that, do they?”
She corrected the former London Mayor, saying: “They give you three options, but they don’t actually say you can’t sell them at all…”
The 35-year-old also took the Tory MP on over his alleged flip-flopping on whether he wants Britain to stay in or leave the European Union.
She accused him of once using a newspaper column to claim the UK should Remain, before eventually coming out as a Brexiteer in February.
And when BoJo tried to wriggle out she said: “You did say that.”
The fractious atmosphere continued when the conversation shifted onto immigration, after Mr Johnson insisted he is “pro-immigration”, before adding he wants to see reform take place.
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“I believe in immigration,” he explained.
“But I feel people think it would be better if there was an Australian-style points based system so we could actually get a good system.”
After he tried to praise her question, which was actually submitted by a viewer, she said dryly: “You do change your mind a lot.”
Moving on to his relationship with David Cameron, and whether the pair will remain friends despite being on different sides of the argument.
He tried to bat it away by telling the hosts: “People are profoundly uninterested.”
Holly instantly replied: “I am!”, while co-host Rylan added: “We love a gossip!”
Boris admitted it was a “perfectly legitimate line of enquiry”, but avoided answering, instead saying the PM was the “ideal guy” to stay on and enact changes to the UK after a Brexit.
Mr Cameron himself is expected on the ITV show next week to make the opposing case for Remain.