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When the Prime Minister visited their patch, local journalists were prohibited from photographing or photographing Rishi Sunak, and some were even denied access to the toilets.
Reporters in the East Midlands were subject to “truly worrying” restrictions during Mr Sunak’s visit to Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire.
Nottingham Post’s Agenda editor-in-chief Oliver Pridmore waited for more than an hour to interview the prime minister on a “scorching” day in West Bridgford on Wednesday, when he sat with three other journalists at a football club. He was locked in the locker room for over an hour.
We were then given one question each instead of the 10 minutes total we had been apparently promised, and we were also not allowed to take photos.
Oliver (pictured) wrote in a first-person article about his experience in the Post:
“Being confined to the changing rooms meant we were unable to observe other aspects of the Prime Minister’s visit, and we were also prohibited from taking photographs ourselves, instead being taken by Downing Street’s official photographer. I relied on
The most farcical moment was when the Prime Minister joked that he had been given “a football manager vibe” during a changing room interview and left us. We were told we couldn’t leave the changing rooms for a few minutes and it was as if the Prime Minister was giving us permission to clear the scene completely.
“One reporter was told he could leave ‘immediately’ and was momentarily denied the chance to go to the toilet.
“This bizarre level of stage management was also on display in neighboring Leicestershire, where Mr Sunak was previously in West Bridgford.”
Earlier in the day, the BBC’s East Midlands political editor Tony Law was told that Mr Sunak would only answer questions by microphone, not on camera.
The incident came after Ben Fishwick, editor of Mr Sunak’s local newspaper, the Southern Daily Echo, criticized the Prime Minister for refusing to speak to reporters during a visit to Southampton in May.
Mr Oliver added: “During a visit, a degree of careful planning is always required of the Prime Minister to make him look presentable. Once Boris Johnson visited the Nottingham Post offices, his security guard quickly spotted the clown hat, which the Prime Minister didn’t want to risk popping out in front of our cameras.
“However, reporters were banned from taking photographs, some broadcast journalists were not allowed to photograph the Prime Minister, adult men were forced to ask press secretaries for permission to use the toilets, and Mr Sunak’s Nottinghamshire visit Some of the responses were truly alarming.
“I would hope that next time we are given a slightly less polished version of the prime minister and given a little more space to answer serious questions about important issues.”
HTFP has contacted Downing Street for comment.
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