Johnson urges Tory MPS to ‘get behind’ PM
Boris Johnson has appeared to call on Conservative MPS to “get behind” Theresa May, amid claims he is in a “permanent leadership campaign”.
A Whatsapp message sent by the Foreign Secretary to Commons colleagues also suggested they “calm down” following the general election.
Mr Johnson’s eight-point message added Tory MPS must “stop the narrative” that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn “somehow won this thing”, noting he “barely did better” than Gordon Brown in 2010.
The timing of the message, and the subsequent public release of it, will do little to quash speculation Mr Johnson is setting the scene for a potential leadership bid.
In the messages, Mr John- son wrote: “Folks we need to calm down and get behind the Prime Minister. She won more votes than anyone since Margaret Thatcher. I can’t remember us having anything like 43 per cent of the vote.”
He also said the public “do not want another election” and labelled Mrs May a “woman of extraordinary qualities”.