A row has erupted between Boris Johnson and Tucker Carlson over claims the former prime minister requested one million US dollars to be interviewed by the controversial journalist.
The former Fox News host claimed Mr Johnson wanted a $1m fee (around £793,000) to talk to him. However, Mr Johnson’s team said he accepted this offer on the basis the money would go to Ukrainian charities.
Mr Carlson made the claim in an extended attack during an appearance on right-wing news channel Blaze TV.
The US presenter said he had been “annoyed” after Mr Johnson denounced him as a Kremlin stooge following his interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Image: Vladimir Putin, right, during an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. Pic: Sputnik
He claimed he asked the former Tory MP for a talk and a member of Mr Johnson’s team said “it’s going to cost you one million dollars” and “then he will explain his position on Ukraine”.
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Mr Carlson denied supporting Mr Putin’s regime, but added: “I’m not defending Putin, but Putin didn’t ask for one million dollars… This whole thing is a freaking shakedown.”
He said: “If you’re making money, money off a war, you know, you can deal with God on that, because that’s really immoral.”
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A spokesman for Mr Johnson said: “This account is untrue.”
The former prime minister’s team said Mr Carlson, an influential voice in right-wing US media known for having launched scathing attacks against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, had offered one million dollars for an interview on his channel.
Image: Boris Johnson. Pic: PA
Mr Johnson initially accepted, providing the money went solely to Ukrainian veteran charities, but decided not to go ahead with it after the death of Mr Navalny, which has been widely blamed on the Kremlin, they said.
It is the latest flare-up in a row between the pair after Mr Johnson used his Daily Mail column to brand Mr Carlson “a traitor to journalism” for his interview with the Russian president.
The 54-year-old was the first Western journalist to interview the authoritarian leader since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly two years ago.
Mr Johnson said the presenter had betrayed “viewers and listeners around the world” for not taking Mr Putin to task for “the torture, the rapes, the blowing up of kindergartens” in Ukraine.
The interview had seen the Moscow leader insist Mr Johnson helped scupper a deal aimed at ending the war – a claim that has been denied by the former MP and rubbished by senior Ukrainian figures.
Two people who died following a fire at a caravan site near Skegness have been named by police.
Lincolnshire Police said 48-year-old Lee Baker and his 10-year-old daughter Esme Baker, both from the Nottingham area, were killed in the blaze.
However, formal identification is still yet to take place and “could take some time”, the force said.
Emergency services were alerted to a fire at Golden Beach Holiday Park, in the village of Ingoldmells, at 3.53am on Saturday.
In a statement issued through police, a member of the Baker family said: “Lee and Esme were excited to be spending the first weekend of the holidays together.
“We are all utterly devastated at what’s happened.
“This loss is incomprehensible at the moment, and we ask for people to give us space to process this utterly heartbreaking loss.”
A GoFundMe page set up for the victims’ family described the father and daughter as “two peas in a pod” who were “both happy-go-lucky people who loved life”. It has so far raised more than £3,000.
The police force, together with Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue, are continuing to investigate the cause of the blaze.
Detective Inspector Lee Nixon said: “We believe we might be close to arriving at a working hypothesis.
“We are working hard to validate the facts available to us to be able to provide answers for the family and loved ones of those who were very tragically taken by this fire.
“Yet the evident intensity of the fire has made this task incredibly challenging.”
Dan Moss, from Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue, said: “Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the family at this time.
“Our Fire Investigation Team is working with colleagues from Lincolnshire Police, and a full investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.
“Once investigations are complete, local fire crews and our community fire safety team will be on hand to talk to people in the area and address any fire safety concerns they may have, at what will be an upsetting time.”
A man has been arrested by police investigating a “significant” wildfire that triggered a major incident in Northern Ireland.
More than 100 firefighters and 15 fire appliances were deployed on Saturday to Sandbank Road, Hilltown, to tackle the blaze which is believed to have been caused deliberately, fire chiefs said.
Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said the fire had a front of approximately two miles “including a large area of forestry close to property”.
It was extinguished at 2.53am on Sunday and the major incident status lifted, the NIFRS said.
“The cause of this fire is believed to have been deliberate,” chief fire and rescue officer Aidan Jennings said.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland said on Sunday that a 25-year-old man had been arrested “on suspicion of arson being reckless as to whether life would be endangered, and non-related driving offences”.
“He remains in custody at this time as enquiries continue into the circumstances surrounding the fire,” the force added.
Image: The wildfire on Sandbank Road, Hilltown. Pic: Sky Watch NI
Image: More than 100 firefighters were at the scene of the fire. Pic: Sky Watch NI
On Saturday, helicopters were deployed to tackle Scotland’s fourth wildfire this week, with police saying a blaze “which started in the Newton Stewart area has spread northwards and is expected to reach the Loch Doon area of East Ayrshire around 12am on Sunday”.
Police Scotland added: “As a precautionary measure members of the public are asked to avoid the Loch Doon area and anyone who may be camping in the area is advised to leave.”
Image: Moors Valley Country Park blackened by fires this week
Elsewhere in England, Devon and Cornwall Police said they were assisting the fire service with temporary road closures on the A30 in the Bolventor area as they tackle “a number of fires” on moorland.
In Dorset, Moors Valley Country Park was forced to close after multiple wildfires broke out there on Wednesday.
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Wildfires spread across nature reserve
Separate incidents were then reported at Upton Heath in Poole on Wednesday, and nearby Canford Heath in the early hours of Thursday.
Friday was officially the warmest day of the year so far – with temperatures in the south of England reaching 23C (73.4F) – the highest since 21 September last year, according to the Met Office.
Police are investigating after a man was shot dead in County Durham.
Officers were called to an address in Elm Street, Stanley, at about 5.20pm on Saturday after reports of a “disturbance”, Durham Constabulary said.
A man in his 50s was found to have been shot and despite the efforts of paramedics he was pronounced dead at the scene.
His family have been told and are being supported by specially trained officers.
Specialist crime scene investigators are at the scene, and officers are carrying out house-to-house enquiries.
A cordon is in place and is expected to stay there for some time.
Detective Superintendent Neil Fuller said: “This is a truly shocking incident in which a man has been shot and has sadly died.”
He added: “Residents may see an increased police presence in the area. I would like to thank them for their support while we carry out this investigation.
“Our thoughts are with the man’s family at this time.”