Boris Johnson appears to break protocol (again) by divulging election conversation with Queen

Joe Gamp
·Contributor, Yahoo News UK
Updated
Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaking in London's Downing Street after an audience with Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, which marked the formal start of the General Election.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson launched the Conservative Party's official General Election campaign on Wednesday (GETTY)

Boris Johnson has appeared to break convention by revealing details of his private discussion with the Queen as he officially fired the December General Election starting gun.

The Prime Minister made the revelation in an election campaign video filmed on his way to meet the head of state on Wednesday, saying “she always asks the best questions.”

It signalled the start of the General Election as Mr Johnson launched the Conservative Party's official campaign.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson walks to leave 10 Downing Street on route to Buckingham Palace ahead of an audience with Queen Elizabeth II and the formal start of the General Election, in London, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (Stefan Rousseau/Pool Photo via AP)
Mr Johnson leaves Number 10 ahead of an audience with Queen Elizabeth II and the formal start of the General Election (AP)

It is not the first time the PM has appeared to break the rules, after revealing details of his conversation with the Queen when he was elected in July.

In the footage posted to his own Twitter account, the Tory leader can be seen speaking from the back seat of his car as he heads to Buckingham Palace.

In the video, Mr Johnson says: “I’m just off to see Her Majesty the Queen, which is always a very tough interview because she always asks the best questions and the question today is: why are we having this election?”

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II meets The Mayor of London Boris Johnson during a reception for G20 leaders at Buckingham Palace in London, Wednesday, April 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, Pool)
It is not the first time that Mr Johnson has broken protocol by sharing details of his discussion with the monarch (AP)

Buckingham Palace declined to comment on Mr Johnson’s supposed breach of protocol.

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Conversations between the Prime Minister and the monarch are supposed to remain private as she is supposed to remain above party politics - with Mr Johnson breaking protocol following his first official meeting as head of state.

In July, when Mr Johnson accepted the Queen’s invitation to form the next government and become Prime Minister, he commented about their conversation when he returned to Downing Street.

At the time, a tweet by Vincent McAviney, a UK correspondent for Euronews NBC, made the claim: “‘I don’t know why anyone would want the job’ – what Johnson says HM the Queen told him during his audience!

"The PM revealed it during a tour in Number 10 before being told off by staff not to repeat those things so loudly.”

Ex-Prime Minister and Tory leader David Cameron had to apologise to the Queen after he revealed to former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg that she had “purred down the line” when he informed the monarch Scotland had voted against independence.