Sack Boris and he will refuse to go, May warned
BORIS JOHNSON will “just say no” if Theresa May tries to demote him, his allies have said as they warned that sacking the Foreign Secretary would undermine Brexit and destabilise the Government.
The Prime Minister is instead being urged by members of her Cabinet to remove Philip Hammond, the Chancellor, for “making Brexit hard” and being “miserable”.
Mrs May indicated yesterday that Mr Johnson could be moved into another Cabinet role in a reshuffle at the end of the month, saying that she would not “hide from a challenge”.
Her comments prompted a furious response from Mr Johnson’s supporters, with one minister saying there was a “stench of death” emanating from Downing Street.
They warned that the Prime Minister lacked the authority to demote Mr Johnson in the wake of her disastrous general election performance and chaotic party conference speech.
One ally of Mr Johnson said that removing him as Foreign Secretary would go down “like a bucket of cold sick” with Brexit voters amid concerns that key Cabinet roles are dominated by Remain campaigners.
Even a minister who is critical of Mr Johnson’s recent interventions on Europe told The Daily Telegraph that removing him would “undermine public confidence in Brexit”.
Eurosceptic Tory MPS turned on Mr Hammond yesterday, saying that he should be demoted for “deliberately trying to make Brexit negotiations difficult”.
They were backed by a Cabinet minister, who said: “He has completely failed. He has not given her any domestic announcements that she can sell. He is miserable, he talks people down, he is making Brexit hard. He just saps everyone’s self-confidence.”
An ally of Mr Hammond said: “The Chancellor has made very clear that we’re leaving the customs union and single market when we leave the EU in March 2019. He is not trying to frustrate the process at all.”
The Prime Minister is attempting to re-assert her authority after Downing Street saw off a coup by around 30 Tory MPS who wanted her out by Christmas. She will this week attempt to get her Government back on track as Parliament returns by telling MPS that she will “prove the doomsayers wrong” over Brexit. She will tell Brussels that “the ball is in their [the EU’S] court” to break the deadlock in negotiations.
Mrs May will tomorrow launch an audit highlighting racial inequalities across society as she seeks to address the “burning injustices” in modern Britain.
It follows a calamitous speech at the Conservative party conference in which she was handed a P45 by a prankster, suffered a coughing fit and the set behind her began to fall apart.
She is now considering a reshuffle to ensure that she has “the best people in my Cabinet”. Asked about Mr Johnson’s future, the Prime
SIR – Your report (October 8) that Theresa May is preparing for “no deal” in the Brexit negotiations is the best piece of news I have heard since the referendum result was announced.
This is the strongest hand Britain has to play – and Mrs May must show that she has the resolve to play it. If Cabinet members cannot fully support this, they must be asked to resign. Paul Harrison
Terling, Essex
SIR – Mrs May has promised “calm leadership”. However, what the nation needs is strong leadership, which she cannot provide.
Mrs May has given in to the EU regarding a divorce payment, and she has given in to those who want a transitional period. David Thorn
Seaford, East Sussex
SIR – It is time to stop disparaging the Prime Minister.
She is doing her best for this country, but she is not getting the support she needs from her party – and, with a few notable exceptions, her ministers are not pulling their weight.
This is the main reason the Tory party lost ground to Jeremy Corbyn at the last election, and it will continue to lose ground if it doesn’t quickly get a grip of the situation.
Mrs May cannot rescue the party on her own, but if she doesn’t get the support she deserves we may not get the Brexit we had all hoped for. Robert Jackson
Lymington, Hampshire
SIR – In Boris Johnson, Theresa May has the best “attack dog” in the Conservative Party.
He has charisma by the bucketful, he is highly intelligent and articulate, and possesses enormous energy. He speaks his mind, which is what voters want.
Mrs May should give him an enhanced role in the Government. Anthony Fernau
Bexhill-on-sea, East Sussex SIR – You report (October 7) that Michel Barnier has held talks with Jeremy Corbyn and Sir Keir Starmer.
This is part of the EU’S plan to stonewall the official negotiations and further frustrate and humiliate our elected Government.
I think the Prime Minister would immediately restore her authority if she cancelled all outstanding talks and simply told the EU that it could sue us for any money it thinks we owe. We could then start to make free-trade deals without fear of souring the so-called negotiations with Mr Barnier. The methods of the EU are reprehensible. Jeremy M J Havard
London SW3
SIR – As a very senior European official laughingly told me, way back in 1973: “You British are so funny – once rules are made you think you have to abide by them. You play cricket; we play rugby! Everything is negotiable.”
While in Florence, Mrs May offered a €20billion budget contribution. Michel Barnier, Guy Verhofstadt and Jean-claude Juncker should be told tomorrow that the figure has now been reduced to €19billion; and, if the deal isn’t sorted by Nov 30, it will drop to €18billion. They will understand that, and start to negotiate for real. Keith Beaumont
Leicester
SIR – Charles Moore (Comment, October 7) says Philip Hammond “embodies defeatism”.
Isn’t Mr Moore being equally defeatist in his suggestion that the EU Commission’s love of power will make it impossible to achieve an honourable post-brexit trade deal? Does proud Britannia really have to back off and refuse to negotiate with those beastly Europeans?
More strength to the Chancellor’s elbow in seeking to give the thousands of businesses that trade with Europe a smooth transition, and to secure a strong post-brexit economy to trade with the rest of the world. Andrew Collier
Garstang, Lancashire