Climate debate: Boris Johnson to be replaced with melting ice sculpture after dodging TV clash

Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage will be represented in Thursday’s televised debate on climate change by melting ice sculptures, after both leaders decided not to show up.

Channel 4, which is organising the debate, said the sculptures would represent “the emergency on planet earth”.

The prime minister refused to show up to the discussion, which is being attended by the other party leaders. It comes as he also continues to duck an interview with BBC broadcaster Andrew Neil, who was let loose on Jeremy Corbyn earlier this week.

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The Conservatives say they had offered to send Mr Johnson’s underling Michael Gove to stand in for the PM in the debate, but that the request was refused.

“Michael Gove is not the party leader,” a spokesperson for Channel 4 said. “The invitation remains open.”

Shape Created with Sketch. Photos exposing our planet's problems – from climate change to poverty Show all 14 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Photos exposing our planet's problems – from climate change to poverty 1/14 Jellyfish (Pelagia noctiluca) and plastic, Sicily, Italy, 2018 Oceana: the largest international advocacy organisation dedicated solely to ocean conservation. Oceana is rebuilding abundant and biodiverse oceans by winning science-based policies in countries that control one-third of the world’s wild fish catch. With over 200 victories that stop overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution and killing of threatened species like turtles and sharks, Oceana’s campaigns are delivering results. A restored ocean means that one billion people can enjoy a healthy seafood meal, every day, forever. Together, we can save the oceans and help feed the world. Visit www.eu.oceana.org Oceana/Enrique Talledo 2/14 Panda keeper gives a cub a health check at the Wolong Nature Reserve in China, 2015 Ami Vitale: a photojournalist who has been to more than 100 countries, witnessing not only violence and conflict, but also surreal beauty and the enduring power of the human spirit. She is a five-time recipient of World Press Photo awards, including 1st Prize for her 2018 National Geographic magazine story about a community in Kenya protecting elephants. www.amivitale.com/ Ami Vitale 3/14 PhotoVoice Just because I am a transgender women I am not invisible I am not a threat to others and I am not here to 'make' people homosexual I am not illegal - I have rights I am not judgemental and I don't want to be judged I want to be accepted and find peace with everybody. PhotoVoice: designs and delivers tailor-made participatory photography, digital storytelling, and self-advocacy projects for socially excluded groups. Photography crosses cultural and linguistic barriers and is suitable for all abilities. It's both art form and way to record facts. It can describe realities, communicate perspectives, and raise awareness of social and global issues. photovoice.org/ Ariana/PhotoVoice/International HIV/AIDS Alliance 4/14 Wings of Support Wings of Support is an initiative that aims to achieve a sustainable improvement in the quality of children's lives. Like in this image sports training for children at primary schools around Cape Town in South Africa. The training increases self-awareness and motivation. Jouke van der Meer/Wings of Support 5/14 Oceana Fishing nets entangled in a shipwreck with an edible crab (Cancer pagurus) trapped at Borkum Stones, The Netherlands. North Sea Expedition, August 2017 Oceana/Carlos Minguell 6/14 Amy Vitale Suyian was the first elephant rescued by the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary in Northern Kenya. Reteti is part of the Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy and is the first community-owned and run elephant sanctuary in Africa. The Matthews Range where Namunyak is situated is home to Africa's second-largest elephant population. Community-based wildlife keepers there are working to rehabilitate abandoned and orphaned elephants in order to eventually return them to the nearby wild herds. Amy Vitale 7/14 PhotoVoice It is hard enough to be a Lesbian, Bisexual and Queer (LBQ) woman in Uganda, but to be HIV+ too, we face double discrimination. Many hide their pain in alcohol and drug abuse. Discrimination from the community leads to self-stigmatisation and we struggle to access the services and support we need. Even the LGBTI community see us as a problem, and turn us away so that we become someone else's problem. By understanding our mental health needs and providing effective support, HIV+ LBQ women can lead healthy lives. STOP THE STIGMA Phyl/PhotoVoice/International HIV/AIDS Alliance 8/14 Wings of Support Training for children at primary schools around Cape Town Jouke van der Meer/Wings of Support 9/14 Oceana Deckhand Adolfo de los Ríos collecting a big piece of plastic from the seabed during his free time. Santa Maria Salina, Aeolian Islands, Sicily, Italy, 2018 Oceana/Enrique Talledo 10/14 Amy Vitale Here, an orphaned baby reticulated giraffe embraces wildlife keeper Lekupania. This giraffe will be rehabilitated and return to the wild, as a number of others have done before him. Right now, giraffes are undergoing what has been referred to as a silent extinction. Current estimates are that giraffe populations across Africa have dropped 40 percent in three decades, plummeting from approximately 155,000 in the late 1980s to under 100,000 today. The decline is thought to be caused by to habitat loss and fragmentation and poaching, but because there haven't been long term conservation efforts in the past, it's hard to know exactly what is happening. Reticulated giraffes themselves number fewer than 16,000 individuals. Scientists are now undertaking major studies to better understand why giraffes are disappearing and what can be done to stop it. Ami Vitale 11/14 PhotoVoice The HIV prevalence in people who inject drugs is almost 3 times higher than the general population, but most people who use drugs (PUDs) boycott public HIV and health facilities through fear of arrest, stigma and discrimination. The extension of HIV services to drug hotspots and dens has the power to increase uptake of HIV services across PUD communities in Uganda. Make HIV services affordable and accessible to all - Support don't Punish Malcolm/PhotoVoice/International HIV/AIDS Alliance 12/14 Wings of Support Training for children at primary schools around Cape Town Jouke van der Meer/Wings of Support 13/14 Amy Vitale In 2014, I witnessed a group of Samburu warriors encounters a rhino for the first time in their lives at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. None of the warriors had ever seen a rhino in their life and some had never even seen a photo of a rhino. Their eyes got wide and they became very protective of them. The young warriors from Northern Rangelands Trust community conservancies had been visiting to learn about conservation practices such as sustainable land use, grazing programs, and endangered species conservation. Indigenous communities are the frontlines of the poaching wars. Ami Vitale 14/14 PhotoVoice At the age of 15, Carol got pregnant and contracted HIV after being convinced by her teacher that sex relieves menstrual cramps. Misinformation is harmful. Comprehensive Sexuality Education must be legalized in schools. Naskmariz/PhotoVoice/Frontline AIDS/PITCH 1/14 Jellyfish (Pelagia noctiluca) and plastic, Sicily, Italy, 2018 Oceana: the largest international advocacy organisation dedicated solely to ocean conservation. Oceana is rebuilding abundant and biodiverse oceans by winning science-based policies in countries that control one-third of the world’s wild fish catch. With over 200 victories that stop overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution and killing of threatened species like turtles and sharks, Oceana’s campaigns are delivering results. A restored ocean means that one billion people can enjoy a healthy seafood meal, every day, forever. Together, we can save the oceans and help feed the world. Visit www.eu.oceana.org Oceana/Enrique Talledo 2/14 Panda keeper gives a cub a health check at the Wolong Nature Reserve in China, 2015 Ami Vitale: a photojournalist who has been to more than 100 countries, witnessing not only violence and conflict, but also surreal beauty and the enduring power of the human spirit. She is a five-time recipient of World Press Photo awards, including 1st Prize for her 2018 National Geographic magazine story about a community in Kenya protecting elephants. www.amivitale.com/ Ami Vitale 3/14 PhotoVoice Just because I am a transgender women I am not invisible I am not a threat to others and I am not here to 'make' people homosexual I am not illegal - I have rights I am not judgemental and I don't want to be judged I want to be accepted and find peace with everybody. PhotoVoice: designs and delivers tailor-made participatory photography, digital storytelling, and self-advocacy projects for socially excluded groups. Photography crosses cultural and linguistic barriers and is suitable for all abilities. It's both art form and way to record facts. It can describe realities, communicate perspectives, and raise awareness of social and global issues. photovoice.org/ Ariana/PhotoVoice/International HIV/AIDS Alliance 4/14 Wings of Support Wings of Support is an initiative that aims to achieve a sustainable improvement in the quality of children's lives. Like in this image sports training for children at primary schools around Cape Town in South Africa. The training increases self-awareness and motivation. Jouke van der Meer/Wings of Support 5/14 Oceana Fishing nets entangled in a shipwreck with an edible crab (Cancer pagurus) trapped at Borkum Stones, The Netherlands. North Sea Expedition, August 2017 Oceana/Carlos Minguell 6/14 Amy Vitale Suyian was the first elephant rescued by the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary in Northern Kenya. Reteti is part of the Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy and is the first community-owned and run elephant sanctuary in Africa. The Matthews Range where Namunyak is situated is home to Africa's second-largest elephant population. Community-based wildlife keepers there are working to rehabilitate abandoned and orphaned elephants in order to eventually return them to the nearby wild herds. Amy Vitale 7/14 PhotoVoice It is hard enough to be a Lesbian, Bisexual and Queer (LBQ) woman in Uganda, but to be HIV+ too, we face double discrimination. Many hide their pain in alcohol and drug abuse. Discrimination from the community leads to self-stigmatisation and we struggle to access the services and support we need. Even the LGBTI community see us as a problem, and turn us away so that we become someone else's problem. By understanding our mental health needs and providing effective support, HIV+ LBQ women can lead healthy lives. STOP THE STIGMA Phyl/PhotoVoice/International HIV/AIDS Alliance 8/14 Wings of Support Training for children at primary schools around Cape Town Jouke van der Meer/Wings of Support 9/14 Oceana Deckhand Adolfo de los Ríos collecting a big piece of plastic from the seabed during his free time. Santa Maria Salina, Aeolian Islands, Sicily, Italy, 2018 Oceana/Enrique Talledo 10/14 Amy Vitale Here, an orphaned baby reticulated giraffe embraces wildlife keeper Lekupania. This giraffe will be rehabilitated and return to the wild, as a number of others have done before him. Right now, giraffes are undergoing what has been referred to as a silent extinction. Current estimates are that giraffe populations across Africa have dropped 40 percent in three decades, plummeting from approximately 155,000 in the late 1980s to under 100,000 today. The decline is thought to be caused by to habitat loss and fragmentation and poaching, but because there haven't been long term conservation efforts in the past, it's hard to know exactly what is happening. Reticulated giraffes themselves number fewer than 16,000 individuals. Scientists are now undertaking major studies to better understand why giraffes are disappearing and what can be done to stop it. Ami Vitale 11/14 PhotoVoice The HIV prevalence in people who inject drugs is almost 3 times higher than the general population, but most people who use drugs (PUDs) boycott public HIV and health facilities through fear of arrest, stigma and discrimination. The extension of HIV services to drug hotspots and dens has the power to increase uptake of HIV services across PUD communities in Uganda. Make HIV services affordable and accessible to all - Support don't Punish Malcolm/PhotoVoice/International HIV/AIDS Alliance 12/14 Wings of Support Training for children at primary schools around Cape Town Jouke van der Meer/Wings of Support 13/14 Amy Vitale In 2014, I witnessed a group of Samburu warriors encounters a rhino for the first time in their lives at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. None of the warriors had ever seen a rhino in their life and some had never even seen a photo of a rhino. Their eyes got wide and they became very protective of them. The young warriors from Northern Rangelands Trust community conservancies had been visiting to learn about conservation practices such as sustainable land use, grazing programs, and endangered species conservation. Indigenous communities are the frontlines of the poaching wars. Ami Vitale 14/14 PhotoVoice At the age of 15, Carol got pregnant and contracted HIV after being convinced by her teacher that sex relieves menstrual cramps. Misinformation is harmful. Comprehensive Sexuality Education must be legalized in schools. Naskmariz/PhotoVoice/Frontline AIDS/PITCH

Ben de Pear, editor of Channel 4 News, said: “These two ice sculptures represent the emergency on planet earth, not in any human form but are a visual metaphor for the Conservative and Brexit parties after their leaders declined our repeated invitations to attend tonight’s vital climate debate.”

The Climate Debate will be hosted by Krishnan Guru-Murthy, who will quiz the leaders on their policies to fight climate change. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson, Green leader Sian Berry, SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, and Plaid Cymru Adam Price will attend.

The debate is thought to be the world’s first focusing solely on the environment and climate crisis and comes after a year in which the issue has shot up the political agenda with protests, social movements, and a percieved uptick in extreme weather events.

Asked about his dodging of scrutiny on Thursday Mr Johnson insisted that “many, many interviews over the course of the next few days and I’m sure that people are having all sorts of conversations right now about who I’m going to be talking to, when and where, and I look forward to it very much”.

Speaking to The Independent, a spokesperson for Channel 4 added: “The clock is ticking. The ice caps are melting. Our invitation to the prime minister remains open until 7pm tonight.”