Boris Johnson said TV debates were 'essential' despite shying away from taking part in them (Image: GETTY/EPA) The ex-foreign secretary today agreed to appear in a televised debate between Conservative leadership rivals after he was labelled a “chicken”. Caving into pressure, he said he will appear in the BBC’s debate scheduled for Tuesday - but turned down Channel 4’s Sunday event. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt had taunted Mr Johnson for “hiding away” from a public grilling. Related articles Rory Stewart broke key Westminster 'rule' ahead of first round Boris Johnson outlines his step by step plan to deliver perfect Brexit Earlier today Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd tweeted a clip of a 2018 Sky News interview with Mr Johnson in which he advocated TV debates. He said: “For all politicians the thought of a leadership debate is always a bit daunting because you think ‘I might screw it up and I might say something terrible and it could go wrong for me’. “My feeling is that they are essential and the public does need to see interchange between their potential leaders. “The way for politicians to allay their anxieties about leadership debates is to have as many of them as possible, so you can make a cock-up in one and then say something sensible in the next. That’s the way to do it.” Amber Rudd is backing Jeremy Hunt for Number 10 and said Boris Johnson is 'beatable' (Image: GETTY) Ms Rudd is backing Mr Hunt to replace Theresa May and insisted Mr Johnson is “beatable”. Critics took to Twitter to slam his actions, with one saying: “No future PM should be able to pick and choose the channels/newspapers”. Mr Johnson has snubbed Channel 4’s live TV debate, which the other five remaining candidates have vowed to take part in. On Thursday Mr Johnson emerged victorious from the first round of the contest, winning by a substantial margin after receiving 114 votes. Related articles Can Boris Johnson's 'rare gift' win him the Tory leadership race? Matt Hancock votes: Where could Matt Hancock's 20 votes go? Jeremy Hunt said Boris Johnson was 'hiding away' from a live TV debate (Image: GETTY) Behind him came Mr Hunt on 43 votes, Environment Secretary Michael Gove (37), Dominic Raab (27), Home Secretary Sajid Javid (23), and International Development Secretary Rory Stewart (19). This morning Health Secretary Matt Hancock pulled out of the race after receiving 20 votes from fellow MPs. A further ballot will be held on Tuesday in which at least one contender is expected to be knocked out. One the list has been whittled down to two, Tory party members will have a final say on who becomes the next prime minister. All rights reserved for this news site express.co.uk and under his responsibility