Boris and Keir get a bashing in tell-all book

As Boris Johnson and Keir starmer are finding, it’s lonely at the top. Ambitious Cabinet and shadow ministers hankering for promotion, personal approval ratings stuttering — and now the leaders must brace for more.

step forward obscure ex-junior minister Gavin Barwell, who served as chief of staff to Theresa May (remember her?) for two years of her ill-fated premiership.

Barwell has penned a tell-all account of Mrs May’s blighted negotiations with Brussels as she tried, and failed, to deliver Brexit.

And i am told that neither Johnson nor starmer can look forward to a glowing report.

My mole alleges that Boris, Foreign secretary under Mrs May, is painted as disloyal and scheming, his carefully timed resignation in 2018 (having waited for then-Brexit secretary David Davis to exit) helping to torpedo her premiership.

Chief of staff: Notes From Downing street is also said to dish out plenty of dirt on the Labour leader. rather than working in the interests of the country — which, during those tortuous times, was desperate for clarity —the party’s then-shadow Brexit secretary sir Keir is said to have done everything he could to sabotage all efforts at cross-party consensus.

That’s the two current leaders dealt with. But now we must turn to the author.

What chances, i wonder, did Mrs May have of achieving Brexit given her own chief of staff was such an arch-remoaner? After his Croydon Central constituency voted to remain in 2016, Barwell — who many say never got over the Brexit result — tweeted: ‘Proud that my home town and the great city of which it is part rejected the politics of hate and division yesterday.’

Following her tearful resignation on the steps of No. 10, May gave Barwell a peerage for his loyalty. No wonder he seems so keen to blame others for her failure.