Boris Johnson defended his right to "speak out" over articles he wrote as a journalist which compared veiled Muslim women to "letterboxes" and referred to "watermelon smiles", "flag-waving piccaninnies" and "tank-topped bum boys".
The Prime Minister was forced to defend his past work during the leader's special on BBC Question Time on Friday evening. However he refused to apologise.
An audience member asked him: "Racist rhetoric is completely rife in this country, will you admit that you have personally contributed to this, and say the words, I'm sorry."
Mr Johnson replied: “I have written many millions of words in my life as a journalist and I have… genuinely never intended to cause hurt or pain to anybody and that is my intention.
“What I will say because I think you are referring to a particular article of a year or so ago.”
Host Fiona Bruce stepped in to say: “To be fair, there’s a few articles. So there’s the Muslims going around looking like letterboxes, which was last year, you referred to tribal warriors with watermelon smiles and flag-waving pickaninnies and then just to get another demographic in, tank-topped bum boys.”
The Prime Minister replied: “If you go through all my articles with a fine-tooth comb and take out individual phrases there is no doubt that you can find things that can be made to seem offensive and of course I understand that.”
Ms Bruce persisted: "Do you not think bum boys is offensive?"
Mr Johnson answered: "I defend my right to speak out, and I do defend my right, and if you actually read the piece, which I don't think people have, what I was really doing, I suggest you read any of them, or indeed all of them.
"What I was really doing was mounting a strong liberal defence of the right of women in this country to wear what they choose,and I think most people, and not to be oppressed into wearing something they don't want to wear.
"And I think most people in this country would agree with that."
