Why I got behind Boris for PM
■ Ashbourne politician Simon Spencer says he supported Boris Johnson in the race to be Prime Minister because he is the ‘right man for the job’
AN Ashbourne politician says he supported the UK’S new prime minister Boris Johnson because he is the “right man for the job”.
Simon Spencer, former town mayor, Ashbourne businessman and deputy leader of Derbyshire County Council spoke exclusively to the News Telegraph as news of Mr Johnson’s election was breaking to explain why he supported the former Foreign Secretary.
He says he chose to support Mr Johnson after watching him spar with leadership rival Jeremy Hunt at a political debate, and says he was best placed to help rebuild the Conservative party.
He said: “After listening to both of them do a presentation at a hustings I attended in Bournemouth, I decided to support Boris. I think he’s the right person for the job at this present time.
“The fact is it is not purely about being necessarily the right person for the job, it’s more about the circumstances we face at this moment in time.
“What we want to do is resolve the Brexit issue, then we need to bring the party back together. I think Boris has the skills to do that.
“The country had a vote, whether you supported it or not, the people spoke and instructed our politicians to leave the European Union. If we do not leave the EU we will be failing democracy and failing the public.
“The decision has been made. So it’s my belief that we have a responsibility to deliver that mandate.
“Jeremy Hunt is a decent guy and he did a very good presentation but I just think Boris is the right person for the job at this moment in history.”
Mr Johnson’s success in the leadership battle – by 92,153 to 46, 656 in a poll of party members – raise questions over a return to government by Ashbourne’s MP Sir Patrick Mcloughlin.
As Mr Johnson takes over No 10, one of his first tasks will be to select his Cabinet, with his arrival in post preceded by a series of resignations from former colleagues.
But Sir Patrick was chairman of the campaign of Mr Johnson’s chief rival in the race for No 10, Foreign Secretary Mr Hunt. He thus seems very unlikely to be back in the Cabinet when Mr Johnson selects his top team.
Sir Patrick had maintained throughout the campaign that Mr Hunt had shown stronger credentials.
And he was openly critical of Mr Johnson’s low profile during the early part of the campaign, before the 13 candidates had been whittled down to two, saying: “If Boris’s team won’t let him out to debate five pretty friendly colleagues, how will he get on with 27 countries?”, alluding to tough talks with the EU over Brexit.
He had also tweeted: “We as Conservatives have got to offer the country something better than a choice between no deal or a general election.
“In business and politics, Mr Hunt’s record speaks for itself .... he is the only candidate who can unite the party and deliver Brexit.” Sir Patrick was commenting as Mr Johnson claimed in leadership hustings that the UK would definitely be leaving the EU on October 31 – Halloween – “Do or Die”.
Mr Johnson won the majority backing of an estimated 160,000 grassroots Tory Party members – although there were just over 130,000 votes cast.
Sir Patrick has been a firm advocate of Brexit - though not without a deal and had been a staunch supporter of Theresa May and her Withdrawal Agreement.
A no-deal Brexit would see Britain leave the EU with no agreement on anything at 11pm on October 31.