Sources close to London Mayor Boris Johnson have complained that parts of a BBC interview with Jeremy Paxman were allegedly cut, The Sun and others have reported.
The nine-minute broadcast encounter between the pair included some knock-about stuff anyway.
When Paxman appeared to scoff at the fact that Conservative leader David Cameron had been a ‘PR man’, Johnson said: ‘You chose to be a journalist. Why don’t you get yourself a proper job? Instead of sitting around telling politicians what to do the whole time.
”It’s outrageous you’re paid staggering sums by the tax payer. You are paid this elephantine sum by the taxpayer.’
Paxman replied: ‘If only that were true.”
Paxman has not commented on reports that he is paid £1m a year by the BBC.
According to press reports today, the BBC did not broadcast Johnson asking Paxman five or six times what he was paid and also about his own university days. Paxman had challenged Johnson about his membership of Oxford University’s Bullingdon drinking club.
The BBC said in a statement: ‘Anyone watching the programme, rather than simply a report about it, will have seen a robust and lengthy interview that featured a light-hearted exchange where Jeremy was questioned about his salary.
‘It was a pre-recorded interview that was edited to fit the programme and fairly reflected all the issues covered.”
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