Osborne still carries a sting
THAT George Osborne hasn’t gone away, you know.
The former austerity Chancellor is now carving a living doing odd jobs, six of them, including being the open-necked editor of the Evening Standard, the Queen’s local paper, which he uses as a bully pulpit to have a go at Theresa May.
The edited highlights of his own career, which he presented in a speech to journalists in Westminster yesterday, make him sound like Saint George. We know differently.
But regardless of his record, the former Tory axeman is a pro, casting the current crop of cabinet ministers into his shade. Waspish, strategic and witty, Osborne easily batted away scores of awkward questions to put his message across – that the Tory party ignore the 48 per cent who voted against Brexit at their peril.
“It’s so nice to be back,” joked Osborne, as he topped his “Theresa in a freezer” gag.
He recalled years ago going to Texas to meet with a governor practising “compassionate Conservatism”, to see what could be learned.
It was George W Bush – and riding shotgun with Osborne were two enthusiastic young journalists, Michael Gove and Boris Johnson. Picture the scene as, halfway through the meeting, Governor Bush, who went on to be president, noticed Telegraph journalist Johnson was wearing a Che Guevara-emblazoned watch.
“What’s your name again?” Bush asked. “Boris sounds Russian to me.”
Taking full responsibility, as usual, Johnson spluttered that the watch wasn’t his. It was his sister’s.
“In Texas we execute people who wear Che Guevara watches,” drawled Bush.
Osborne said wistfully: “Unfortunately, that’s another one of these broken promises.”