Boris aide’s in-law: PM is still ill... he’ll quit in six months
BORIS JOHNSON last night dismissed extraordinary claims from his chief adviser Dominic Cummings’ father-inlaw that the British prime minister plans to quit within six months.
Humphry Wakefield is reported to have told a holidaymaker the British prime minister is still struggling with the effects of coronavirus and will stand down early next year.
He told the visitor to his Chillingham Castle home in Northumberland that Mr Johnson was like an injured horse, suggesting he was ‘gone in the fetlock’. He added: ‘If you put a horse back to work when it’s injured it will never recover.’
Mr Wakefield, 84, is the father of Mary Wakefield, who is married to Mr Cummings, a controversial figure.
Downing Street yesterday rubbished the claim. And Mr Johnson tried to laugh off the suggestion, saying he felt better than ever after going on a post-Covid diet.
Speaking to local reporters during a trip to a dockyard in Devon, he said: ‘It’s absolute nonsense. I am feeling, if anything, far better as I’ve lost some weight.’
Mr Johnson has admitted to friends that he returned to Downing Street too soon after being hospitalised. But allies insist he has fully recovered; in recent public appearances he has seemed fit. During an interview in June, he dropped to the floor to perform a press-up to demonstrate he was ‘as fit as a butcher’s dog’. One government source noted Mr Cummings once told colleagues he would quit No. 10 after getting Britain out of the EU, adding: ‘I’m not sure the Cummings family is the most reliable source when it comes to retirement dates. The PM isn’t going anywhere.’ Mr Wakefield’s comments will fuel concerns that Mr Johnson has yet to fully recover his mojo. One Tory MP said: ‘He is a lot better than he was... But he is not back to his best.