John McDonnell today told the BBC "you're being played!" after chicken Boris Johnson ducked appearing in a key TV interview.
The Shadow Chancellor voiced his fury after the Tory leader refused to confirm he'd be grilled by Andrew Neil - who has already torn into Jeremy Corbyn .
He accused the Prime Minister of deliberately stalling the BBC's Mr Neil until most postal votes have been sent back already.
He told Radio 4's Today programme: "You are being played as the BBC and you should be as angry as we are."
It comes after the cowardly PM also refused to turn up to Channel 4's climate debate for party leaders last night - where he was replaced with a block of ice.
Tory chiefs complained to Ofcom after Michael Gove tried to barge his way onto the Channel 4 show but was told it was for leaders only.
But bullying threats from a "Conservative source" to review Channel 4's public broadcaster status are already unravelling.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson admitted this morning: "We're not going to be reviewing the Channel 4 licence.
"It's up for review in 2024 so any government that's elected will probably at some point be reviewing that licence as part of that process. But that's perfectly standard."
Labour branded Mr Johnson "a coward and a bully" as deputy leader Tom Watson warned: “Boris Johnson has banned the Daily Mirror from its battle bus, ducked the Andrew Neil interview and now attempted to bully Channel 4.”
John McDonnell today accused the Prime Minister of "running scared" and cynically playing the BBC over the Andrew Neil interview.
"I’m so annoyed about this," he said. "All the political parties including the Lib Dems and us understood there would be sequence of interviews with each leader."
He added: "The reason he is doing it is because he thinks like, you know, his Bullingdon Club friends, that they're above the rest of us.
"That they don't need to be held to account. They don't need to treated like the rest of us. And so what he's doing now is he's avoiding, he's running scared.
"Because he knows that Andrew Neil will take him apart. He's running scared.
"But even if he does it now, he's played you because he's pushing it later and later beyond the postal vote returns."
Mr Neil is due to interview Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson and Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage next week. He has already interviewed Mr Corbyn and Nicola Sturgeon.
Meanwhile Mr McDonnell denied reports Labour is changing its campaign strategy to target Leave-voting areas.
It was reported the party would change its focus to these areas, following a YouGov poll on Wednesday which suggested the Tories were on course to win a majority by picking up votes in Labour seats which voted to leave the EU.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme Mr McDonnell said: "There's no change in strategy.
"I don't know where this story has come. People have put two and two together and made five."
Jeremy Corbyn failed to confirm or deny the change in tack when asked by the Mirror yesterday.
