Former PM Johnson accuses Sunak of being against Tory values of freedom
Boris Johnson has attacked Rishi Sunak’s flagship smoking policy as “nuts” as he criticised the state of the Conservative Party at an event in Canada.
Speaking at a gathering of conservatives in Ottawa, the former prime minister suggested his party lacked the “dynamism” of its Canadian counterparts, who appear on course to win the next election.
It has been rumoured in Westminster that Mr Johnson could return to the campaign trail at the general election this year in an effort to revive the Conservatives’ polling numbers, particularly in the “Red Wall” in the North and Midlands of England.
But his comments to the Canada Strong and Free Networking Conference appeared to make this prospect less likely as he criticised policies that were being carried out “in the name of conservatism”.
His intervention came as another former prime minister, David Cameron, was trying to walk a political tightrope to encourage the Republican party to also back a deal providing more help to the country in its war with Russia.
Mr Johnson took ire with Mr Sunak’s policy of increasing the minimum age for buying tobacco every year in an effort to phase out smoking.
He said: “We are, on the whole, in favour of freedom and it is that single Anglosaxon idea of freedom that I think unites Conservatives, or should unite Conservatives. And when I look at some of the things that we are doing now, or that are being done in the name of Conservatism, I think they are absolutely nuts.
“When the party of Winston Churchill wants to ban cigars, donnez-moi un break as they say in Quebec, it’s just mad.”
Urging the right to support Ukraine, Mr Johnson separately called for the country to be admitted to Nato.
He said: “The resolution to this problem is the security and the stability that comes with certainty about where Ukraine is and what Ukraine is. Ukraine has chosen to be a free, independent European nation oriented towards the west, towards the EU, towards Nato. And Ukraine must join Nato. That is the only logical way through this.”
He said fears such a move would provoke Russian president Vladimir Putin could not prevent action.
“We tried that, and look where that left us, with the worst war in Europe for 80 years,” he said. “Nato is the body that gives certainty and stability and will bring peace. But in the meantime, give those Ukrainians what they need. “The Ukrainians will do the job if we give them the tools. Let’s give them the tools.
“They have shown they are a proud, independent nation and they are going to fight for freedom. What we need to do is keep supporting Ukraine, keep supporting freedom.”
Calling for the UK government to spend more on defence, Mr Johnson said: “Now is the moment for an even more robust posture.
“We all need to recognise the world is more uncertain, more dangerous. We all need frankly to be spending more on defence – that goes for the UK as well as everybody else.”