BORIS Johnson will not attend the BBC’s seven-way election debate on Friday and has not yet been pinned down for a half-an-hour grilling by prolific interviewer Andrew Neil, the corporation has revealed.

The broadcaster has announced two further one-on-one interviews in which Jo Swinson and Nigel Farage will take the hot seat alongside Neil, and announced Friday’s debate line-up, with Johnson featuring in neither.

The BBC said they are in “ongoing discussions” with the Prime Minister’s team” but “haven’t yet been able to fix a date”.

The news comes after Corbyn faced a brutal questioning from Neil on anti-Semitism within the Labour Party in which he refused four times to apologise to the Jewish community.

Neither Johnson nor Corbyn will attend the BBC’s seven-way election debate on Friday, the corporation said, with Chief Secretary to the Treasury Rishi Sunak replacing Johnson, and shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey subbing in for Corbyn.

Liberal Democrat leader Swinson will be in the hot seat to face a televised half-an-hour grilling from Neil on Wednesday December 4, with Brexit Party leader Farage taking his turn on Thursday December 5.

These follow the broadcasting giant’s forensic half-hour interviews with Sturgeon and Corbyn earlier this week, with three million people tuning into BBC One on Tuesday night to see the Labour leader being pressed over allegations of anti-Semitism within his party.

Questioned on when Johnson would face dissecting by Neil, the BBC said: “We’re in ongoing discussions with his team but we haven’t yet been able to fix a date.”

Responding to the fact there is no date set for Johnson to be grilled by Neil, Ian Lavery, Labour Party chairman, said: “Boris Johnson backed out of a head-to-head debate with Jeremy Corbyn on Sunday, he is refusing to take part in the party leaders’ climate crisis debate tomorrow and now this.

“He’s running scared because every time he is confronted with the impact of nine years of austerity, the cost of living crisis and over his plans to sell out our NHS, the more he is exposed.”

Johnson is also set to snub the first ever election leaders’ debate focusing on the climate crisis which will be broadcast on Channel 4 on Thursday November 28.

On the issue of whether a Conservative minister could attend the debate instead of Johnson, a spokeswoman for Channel 4 News said: “Channel 4 News is hosting the world’s first leaders’ debate. Michael Gove is not the party leader. The invitation to Boris Johnson remains open.”

Although neither Corbyn or Johnson will feature in the BBC’s seven-way debate on Friday, the leaders of the other two main parties, leader of the Liberal Democrats Jo Swinson and leader of the SNP Nicola Sturgeon, will both appear.

Also due to take part are leader of Plaid Cymru Adam Price, former leader of the Green Party and Green candidate for Brighton Pavilion Caroline Lucas, and Brexit Party chairman Richard Tice.

The debate will take place on BBC One on Friday November 29 at 7.30pm, with Today programme presenter and former BBC political editor Nick Robinson hosting the event.

The BBC said the debate will be broadcast live from Cardiff and the format will see each of the panellists make short opening statements, which will then be followed by questions and debate.

At the end of the debate, all of the representatives will have the opportunity to make short closing statements.

Johnson and Corbyn have already taken part in a head-to-head debate on ITV and a Question Time leaders’ special on the BBC last week.

Some 6.7 million people tuned into the first two-way leaders’ debate on ITV on Tuesday November 19.

A peak audience of 4.6 million watched Johnson, Corbyn, Swinson and Sturgeon battle a barrage of hostile questioning on the BBC’s Question Time special on Friday November 22.