Boris Johnson has admitted he did know about a picture of him and Carrie Symonds which emerged yesterday as he conceded his private life is of interest to voters but again refused to discuss the row with his girlfriend which rocked his campaign.
The former foreign secretary tried to get back on track this morning as he embarked on a 'media blitz' with two radio phone-ins in an apparent response to critics who have accused him of hiding away from scrutiny.
But he was left squirming as he was grilled about his love life and refused to answer repeated questioning about when a photograph of him and Ms Symonds was actually taken.
Mr Johnson said: 'Of course things may be of interest, yes of course, I readily accept that and I understand newspapers are of course going to want to print and to speculate what they choose.'
However, he would not divulge any details of last Friday's row which led to the police being called as he said 'the minute you say one thing' about a loved one they would be forced into the public domain and 'that is not fair'.
Meanwhile, Mr Johnson refused to say exactly when a photograph of him and Ms Symonds was taken as he appeared to suggest that he knew of its existence.
Asked directly if he knew the photo was going to be put out, he told LBC's Nick Ferrari: 'Of course I knew that there was a picture like that in existence.'
But he would not say exactly when it was taken: 'It's not a state secret, it just happens to be something that I don't want to get into.'
It was suggested to Mr Johnson that the photo was in fact not recent to which he replied: 'I am not going to comment on the... providence of some photo that newspapers decided to put on their front pages.'
Mr Johnson then said in a separate TalkRadio interview that he did not get angry easily amid reports that the row with Ms Symonds had been heated.
'I'm a pretty even tempered kind of guy,' he said, adding: 'I don't easily get angry.'
He also categorically ruled out delaying Brexit beyond October 31 as he told TalkRadio that Britain will leave the EU 'come what may' and 'do or die'.
The comments are likely to assuage the concerns of Tory Brexiteers who were spooked after Mr Johnson previously failed to guarantee to stick to the deadline when he would only say last week that leaving by Halloween was 'eminently feasible'.
Boris Johnson was put under pressure to answer questions about his private life during his appearance on LBC with Nick Ferrari this morning but he refused
That photo: Mr Johnson and Ms Symonds broke cover in a photo - published exclusively by MailOnline - that showed them looking happy and were holding hands in the Sussex countryside on Sunday
Mr Johnson took to the campaign trail this afternoon as he visited Richmond in south west London. Team Boris has faced criticism for seemingly keeping the former mayor of London away from the public and the press during the race for Number 10
It came as:
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said she personally looked at drug admissions made by the contenders for the Conservative Party leadership but decided there would not be enough evidence to bring charges. The UK’s car industry has warned a No Deal Brexit in October could add billions of pounds in tariffs and cause border disruption, crippling the sector. Mr Hunt is expected to follow in Mr Johnson's footsteps with an interview with BBC Political Editor Laura Kuennsberg broadcast tonight at 10pm. Mr Johnson dismissed claims that Steve Bannon, Donald Trump's former strategist, is involved in his campaign as 'codswallop'. Theresa May has been warned he plan to extend paternity leave is too expensive and she is under pressure to ban high-earning fathers from the policy. The new Tory leader will be announced on July 23, the party has confirmed. Mr Johnson's odds of victory shortened from 1/6 to 1/5 while Mr Hunt's went the other way, from 4/1 to 7/2.The bruising radio encounters came as Mr Johnson battled to get his campaign back on track after facing calls from his rivals and Tory donors to explain the argument with Ms Symonds.
The Tory leadership frontrunner has categorically ruled out extending Article 50 again as he said the UK will leave the EU on October 31 - 'do or die'.
Speaking to TalkRadio Mr Johnson said his 'Plan A' would be to renegotiate a better deal with the EU but that he also had a 'Plan B, C and D'.
He said: 'We will of course be putting our plan into action so we are ready to come out on October 31. Come what may. Do or die.'
He continued: 'Plan B and C and D. We get the deal we want of the type I have described. Plan B is to get a standstill agreement, a GATT 24 paragraph 5b, type agreement.
'If the EU won't do that and you have to come out on WTO terms then Plan C would be to get ready for that outcome and obviously we are going to do that and it is very, very important that we do.'
Mr Johnson was asked if he meant there would be no further Brexit delay and he said: 'No.'
His decision to skip a proposed Sky News debate which had been due to take place this evening prompted sources close to Jeremy Hunt, his opponent for the top job, to label him a 'bottler'.
Mr Hunt today labelled Mr Johnson 'BoJoNoShow' over his decision to skip the debate amid claims the latter has been poorly advised to keep a low profile during the campaign so far - against his normally outgoing nature.
Amber Rudd, a leading supporter of Mr Hunt, criticised the so-called 'submarine' tactic and said it was a 'mistake'.
The leading supporter of Mr Hunt said of Mr Johnson: 'He is a great communicator, that is one of the things that people appreciate about Boris, so let's see more of him so we can understand what his plan is.'
Team Johnson will have hoped that his first broadcast television interview with the BBC last night would have squashed scrutiny of his love life.
But he risked infuriating his supporters, MPs and Tory members as he told the BBC he would never discuss his 'loved ones' because it was 'not fair' to drag them into politics.
Jeremy Hunt (pictured today leaving Cabinet) has described Mr Johnson as a 'coward' for ducking a proposed leadership debate on Sky News
Boris Johnson has rejected claims that Steve Bannon, a controversial former strategist to Donald Trump, has been helping him in his Tory leadership campaign.
Mr Johnson said the claims were the 'biggest load of codswallop I have ever heard'.
Mr Johnson said he had met Mr Bannon once before at the White House when the former was still foreign secretary.
He confirmed to LBC that it was 'perfectly true' Mr Bannon had messaged him last year when Mr Trump came for his first visit to see about meeting up.
But Mr Johnson replied and said a meeting was 'not possible' because he was 'otherwise occupied'.
Mr Johnson is due to travel to the south east of England for a series of events this afternoon as he looks to counter jibes from critics that he has been hiding in a bunker since making the final two in the Tory leadership race.
His itinerary for the day reportedly includes a visit to a horticultural society, an afternoon tea and an address to Tory members.
Team Johnson want to shift the focus of the campaign away from his personal life and back onto Brexit which they view as his strong suit.
One Tory MP who backed Mr Johnson in the leadership ballot told The Telegraph that the campaign so far had been like 'watching a car crash'.
'He is getting bad advice,' they said.
Accusations of hiding away from scrutiny were only likely to increase today after it was claimed members of Mr Johnson's team had raised concerns about media access to a series of 16 hustings events taking place over the next month.
Jeremy Hunt called Boris Johnson a 'coward' after his leadership rival decided to snub a Sky News debate which had been due to take place this evening.
Meanwhile, sources close to Mr Hunt labelled Mr Johnson a 'bottler'.
But Mr Johnson would not rise to the insults during his appearance on LBC this morning.
Asked if he was a 'coward', the former foreign secretary replied: 'I have a maxim in life and in politics which is, I think, nicked from Ronald Reagan, the famous 11th commandment, never speak ill of a fellow Conservative.
'There is no provocation that any opponent can level at me that will lead me to respond, to dignify that kind of [remark].'
Brandon Lewis, the chairman of the Conservative Party, reportedly insisted the events in front of Tory members had to be live streamed but members of Mr Johnson's inner circle allegedly opposed the plan.
Mr Johnson's team has rejected the suggestion, according to The Guardian.
Asked about the row with Miss Symonds last night, Mr Johnson said: 'I would love to tell you about all sorts of things but I've made it a rule over many, many years... I do not talk about stuff involving my family, my loved ones.
'And there's a very good reason for that. That is that, if you do, you drag them into things that, really, is... not fair on them.'
Asked whether his bid for power meant he had a duty to accept greater scrutiny, he replied: 'I totally get that. But my key point though is that the minute you start talking about your family or your loved ones, you involve them in a debate that is simply unfair on them.'
The former foreign secretary said he believed he could persuade the EU to remove the backstop protocol from any deal between the bloc and Britain because of his threat to see through a No Deal divorce and to withhold the £39billion Brexit bill.
He told LBC there were other solutions which could be used instead of the backstop which is designed to stop the return of a hard border if the two sides cannot agree a deal.
'The most important thing is to sort out the problem that so many MPs spotted in the Withdrawal Agreement… the proposals for the Northern Irish backstop,' he said.
'Number one, you do not have any kind of hard border, the United Kingdom will not impose checks in Northern Ireland, absolutely not.
'A brilliant report yesterday, Greg Hands and Nicky Morgan and others, there are other techniques you can use to check for rules of origin to counteract smuggling and contraband.'
Mr Johnson also told the BBC he would use 'creative ambiguity about when and how' the £39billion Brexit bill would be paid in order to secure a better deal from the EU.
Ms Rudd, the Work and Pensions Secretary, said Mr Johnson needed to bring more to the table than just 'enthusiasm' as she urged him to set out in detail his renegotiation plans.
The Work and Pensions Secretary told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'Boris needs to go further with explaining how he would do it. What happens on October 31 if despite his great powers of persuasion he has not managed to break this deadlock?
'We need to understand what the facts are underneath this.'
She added: 'Enthusiasm and optimism is not sufficient.'
Mr Johnson's campaign to succeed Mrs May was rocked on Friday when it emerged neighbours had called the police after hearing 31-year-old Miss Symonds scream 'get off me' and 'get out of my flat' during a midnight row.
Police left, saying there were 'no offences or concerns'. But neighbours, who admit they are politically opposed to the Mr Johnson and Brexit, released a recording of the row to The Guardian newspaper.
Jeremy Hunt and Boris Johnson face four weeks of campaign events where they will set out their stall to the 160,000 Conservative members who will decide who enters No10.
The party has organised 16 hustings events across the country – with the first having taken place in Birmingham over the weekend.
There are also a series of head-to-head TV debates mooted. Mr Johnson has refused to sign up to a Sky News show tomorrow, but is expected to take part in an ITV special on July 9. A new leader will be announced on the week of July 22.
June 26: Digital Hustings
June 27: South (Central)
June 28:
