When Boris lost his bounce

DELEGATES may have swooned over Boris Johnson for his barnstorming speech, but his colleagues had the knives out.

For example, while on a panel of Scottish Tory MPs discussing how the party can connect better with younger voters, Scottish Secretary David Mundell was asked if Johnson is the answer.

He replied: ‘I do recall that Boris Johnson once stood as Rector of Edinburgh University. You can look at the results.’

In fact, the poll students and staff in 2006, to appoint someone to chair meetings of the university’s governing body, left Johnson humiliated.

He came a poor third of behind the winner, a balding Green politician who is now director of strategy at the health charity Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland. During the campaign, mischievous anti- Johnson students distributed pamphlets which said: ‘ Practice safe X. Don’t wake up with a dumb blond.’