HANG ON TO YOUR HATS... HERE COMES BORIS!
New PM: ‘I’ll DELIVER Brexit, UNITE the country, DEFEAT Corbyn and ENERGISE Britain’. So, EU bureaucrats and doom-mongers be warned... Boris to appoint Cabinet showcasing ‘all the talents’ He vows to work ‘flat out’ and unleash ‘spirit of can-do’
BORIS Johnson will take over as Prime Minister today, vowing to work “flat out” to get the UK out of the EU this autumn.
He pledged to unleash “a new spirit of can-do” to make Britain great.
Last night the winner of the Tory leadership campaign was choosing a “Cabinet of all the talents” after being elected by two-thirds of the votes cast by party members.
In a speech after the result was announced yesterday, he declared: “We are going to get Brexit done on October 31.
“We are going to take advantage of all the opportunities that it will bring in a new spirit of can-do.And we are once again going to believe in ourselves and what we can achieve.” The
committed Brexiteer will be invited to form a Government by the Queen this afternoon.
His new Cabinet will replace Theresa May’s ministerial team with one that is committed to leaving the EU on time.
Its members will be announced today and he is expected to promote a record number of MPs from ethnic minorities and the number of women around the table in Downing Street.
Former international development secretary Priti Patel is set for a return to the Cabinet while Employment MinisterAlok Sharma is set for promotion to the top ranks.
Tory rising stars Rishi Sunak, Oliver Dowden,Tracey Crouch and Robert Jenrick are also understood to be offered key roles.
A source close to the new Tory leader said: “Boris will build a Cabinet showcasing all the talents within the party that truly reflect modern Britain.”
Triumph
Mr Johnson told the audience after his victory was announced that his campaign slogan had been “deliver Brexit, unite the country and defeat Jeremy Corbyn”
He joked: “I know that some wag has already pointed out that deliver, unite and defeat was not the perfect acronym for an election campaign, since unfortunately it spells dud. But they forgot the final ‘e’ my friends, ‘e’ for energise.
“And I say to all the doubters, dude, we are going to energise the country.”
In the first appointment yesterday, Tory MP Mark Spencer was given the key post of Chief Whip, responsible for party discipline.
Mr Johnson’s triumph over rival Jeremy Hunt in the leadership race was announced in front of hundreds of party members at the QEII Conference Centre in Westminster. He won 92,153 votes compared to 46,656 for his opponent. His allies declared the 66 per cent vote victory gave him a “decisive mandate” to stamp his authority on the party and deliver his Brexit plans.
The result was seen as sending a clear message to EU bureaucrats that they face a much tougher negotiating opponent than before.
Mr Johnson bounded onto the stage after the result was announced to declare that his mission was to “deliver Brexit,
unite the country and defeat Jeremy Corbyn”.
He likened Britain to a “slumbering giant” ready to “ping off the guy ropes of selfdoubt and negativity”.
“We are going to unite this amazing country and we are
going to take it forward,” he said.
“I will work flat out from now on with my team that I will build. I hope in the next few days to repay your confidence. But in the meantime the campaign is over and the work begins.” Mr Johnson promised to “reconcile” the “deep desire of friendship and free trade and
mutual support in security and defence between Britain and our European partners” with the “simultaneous desire, equally deep and heartfelt, for democratic selfgovernment in this country.” He dismissed suggestions he faced the most “daunting set of circumstances” on taking charge.
He told his audience: “Well, I look at you this morning and I ask myself, do you look daunted? Do you feel daunted? I don’t think you look remotely daunted to me. And I think that we know we can do it and that the people of this country
are trusting in us to do it and we know that we will do it.”
Mr Johnson praised his leadership rival Jeremy Hunt as “an absolutely formidable campaigner and a great leader and a great politician”.
The new Tory leader also praised his predecessor Theresa May.
In the audience for his speech were his father Stanley Johnson, his journalist sister Rachel Johnson and his Tory MP brother Jo Johnson, who is a transport minister.
His 31-year-old girlfriend Carrie
Symonds was not present, however. Aides are expected to reveal over the coming days whether she will move in to Downing Street.
Mr Johnson was later given a triumphant welcome on arriving to address Tory MPs for the first time as their leader last night.
Loud cheers applause and a 30-second standing ovation welcomed him at a packed meeting of the 1922 Committee.
After the meeting, one Tory MP said: “He’s brought us some positive energy at last. I think
the clouds could be lifting.” Former Brexit minister Steve Baker said Mr Johnson was cheered by most MPs in the room when he insisted the UK will quit the EU on October 31.
“I’m confident it will happen because I am confident Boris Johnson is going to be a great prime minister,” he said.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said of the cheers and applause: “It was the sound of the Conservative Party reuniting. He left everybody feeling good, and positive and cheerful.”
Chancellor Philip Hammond, a frequent critic of Mr Johnson, said in a tweet yesterday: “Congratulations Boris”. But he is expected to quit today.
Health minister Anne Milton yesterday resigned ahead of Mr Johnson’s move into Downing Street.
International Development Secretary Rory Stewart, a leadership contender early in the race, confirmed he will also leave the Government.
THIS will be Boris Johnson’s finest hour if he can unite our fractured country and deliver a Brexit that unlocks a new era of opportunity for all. We have a rare chance to reboot our economy so we can thrive at a time of radical change and challenge, and Mr Johnson has a vision of prosperity reaching communities that have missed out on wealth for too long.
There is no doubting the strength of his personal ambition – but he is equally ambitious for Britain.
He took the courageous decision to play a leading role in the 2016 campaign for Brexit and stood apart from the political establishment, refusing to be cowed by the doubters and pessimists who do not believe the UK can prosper beyond the grip of Brussels.
The new Tory leader may have spent his early years charging across the playing fields of Eton, but he will only judge his premiership a success if he wins a brighter tomorrow for children in all neighbourhoods.
At his best, Mr Johnson shows he is rooted in Britain’s finest traditions but is not afraid of innovation or change. He is expected to welcome a record number of ethnic minority MPs to his Cabinet table.
The country is also ready for change. A thumping majority of Conservative members backed him after he pledged to honour the October 31 deadline for getting the UK out of the European Union.
This is an epic challenge, but it is a mistake to think that a leader with a superlative sense of humour is not well-equipped for such a serious task.
Dreary negotiations in Brussels singularly failed to produce a deal that can command the support of Parliament. EU leaders have yet to grasp the passions that powered the vote for Brexit.
They would do well to spend time with a communicative genius who utterly understands why a majority of voters chose to leave.
It would be even better if they escaped the clammy confines of Brussels and – in an act of courtesy and goodwill – crossed the channel to congratulate the new Prime Minister and express a new determination to agree a deal we can all back without reservation.