Prime minister makes cut-throat gesture in middle of LBC interview

The prime minister was seen making a menacing cut-throat gesture while being quizzed on social care plans in an interview with LBC.

Boris Johnson responded to caller’s questions on the radio this morning, speaking about the NHS, trade talks with the US and his silence on speaking about his own children.

But some viewers picked up on a moment in the middle of his interview with host Nick Ferrari, when the PM appeared to draw his finger across his throat.

It looked as though the PM was aggressively signalling he wanted to cut the interview and stop taking questions from the public.

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Some speculated whether he forgot the radio broadcast was being filmed and streamed live online.

However, the prime minister claimed he was actually mimicking Mr Ferrari, saying it was the presenter who made the gesture, because a producer was talking to him in his headphones too loudly.

This was later backed up by the host, who tweeted: ‘To clarify the PM’s gesture this morning on LBC, this is sign language between me and my producer to signify he needs to stay quiet in my ear.

‘It’s been in common use for over 10 years. End of.’

Elsewhere in his LBC interview, Mr Johnson spoke about allegations he wanted to ‘sell off’ the NHS to the US in post-Brexit trade talks.

He said he would ‘walk out’ of talks with President Donald Trump if the US demanded the NHS be ‘on the table’ in discussions.

‘I can tell you that were the United States or any other country to insist on that as a condition of talks, we would simply walk out,’ Mr Johnson said.

‘It is perfectly obvious as leader of this country that if any government was to be so mad as to go down that route then they would never be elected.’

The prime minister also used his appearance on LBC to say Britain would leave the European Union by January 31 ‘at the absolute latest’ if his Conservative Party win a majority in the election.

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