The Conservative party has confirmed that its leader, David Cameron, has been boycotting Channel 4 News and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
The move follows an interview on the programme last year during which Cameron was questioned about cocaine use.
A spokeswoman for Cameron told Press Gazette: "During the leadership election there was a live interview during Channel 4 News which overstepped the mark completely. David felt that the line of questioning went completely over the top.
"Fair enough, ask the question, but after the way in which they went about it we took the decision that they are not going to have a live interview again for some time."
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According to a Channel 4 source, following the interview, which was pre-recorded and not live, Cameron's press officers contacted the programme and demanded sections of the interview be pulled.
During the interview, which took place in October last year, following the election of the Conservative party leader, interviewer Alex Thomson said to Cameron: "You say you want to listen.
So if or when a constituency says to you ‘David Cameron, have you ever taken class A drugs as an MP?' would you answer that question?"
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Cameron responded: "I've always said law makers can't be law breakers. All I've said about my past though is what's private in the past should remain private."
Thomson went on: "Well, if I asked you if you snorted cocaine as an MP you'd therefore say no, wouldn't you?"
Cameron said: "That's right, but please, I think we've dealt with this."
He continued: "I've absolutely answered your question." Thomson said: "So, say ‘No'." Cameron answered: "I've just said ‘No'."
Up until this interview, Cameron, whose camp described Thomson's tactics as "obnoxious and cheap", had never answered questions over whether or not he had used cocaine while an MP.
According to a Channel 4 source: "Cameron's machine then got on to Channel 4 News and said pull the interview, it's outrageous. We don't mind you running the second half of the interview, where he went on to talk about policies, but pull that interview, we don't want that on television."
The source said: "What kind of political party would ever get on to a news organisation telling them to pull a story?
"It's guaranteed to make them do it because it will be a huge scoop."
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