ALL AT SEA
» BREXIT: Chaos as Tories vow to jump ship when Johnson is PM » IRAN: Navy is unable to keep UK tankers safe, admits minister
HAPLESS Boris Johnson is tomorrow expected to take the helm of the floundering Tories as Britain faces almighty storms.
If he becomes PM, a host of Cabinet colleagues are to quit over his vow to steer towards a damaging no-deal Brexit.
And as the Iran crisis deepens, Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood admitted the Royal Navy is “too small” to protect British ships.
But Johnson can celebrate amid the turmoil – he is set for a huge windfall after getting an offer on his £3.75million former marital home.
Their own Chancellor believes he would be a danger to the economy
JOHN McDONNELL ON THE PROSPECT OF JOHNSON AS PM
BORIS Johnson is expected to make 10 Downing Street his new home this week having banked a huge windfall from the sale of his £3.75million former marital home.
The ex-Foreign Secretary is tipped to become Prime Minister in a landslide triumph when the result of the Tory leadership race is announced tomorrow.
But it is set to trigger an exodus of moderate ministers and create the most divisive government since the days of Margaret Thatcher.
As the Tory war rages on, Mr Johnson may be laughing all the way to the bank.
We can reveal he and estranged wife Marina Wheeler have received an offer “very close to the asking price” on the home they shared. The pair, who are in the process of divorcing, bought the fivestorey property for £2.3million in 2009.
It could mean £700,000 each if the expected profits on the Grade-II listed home in Islington, North London, were split equally.
Mr Johnson, 55, and new lover Carrie Symonds, 31, are said to have bought a £1.3million house in Camberwell, South London.
If he wins the race to become PM and the pair move into No10, they could rent out their three-storey, Victorian property, potentially netting tens of thousands of pounds a year.
The home is a mile from her flat where last month they had a blazing row which led to neighbours calling the police.
Mr Johnson was slammed last year for refusing to leave the Foreign Secretary’s £20million grace-and-favour home in Central London, despite quitting the Cabinet.
He squatted in the property for two weeks.
As he prepares to move into his next Government-owned home, he faces the prospect of longserving ministers resigning rather than be in his Cabinet as he steers a course towards a hard Brexit.
Two of the Tories – Chancellor Philip Hammond and Justice Secretary David Gauke – confirmed yesterday they would voluntarily walk
the plank. Some predict the Tories could split permanently.
Mr Johnson has said he intends to press on with pulling the UK out of the EU by the October 31 deadline, with or without a deal.
He is expected to draft loyalists into the Cabinet who are hard right and anti-EU as the Tories lurch even further from the centre ground.
Theresa May will quit No10 on Wednesday and hand the keys to her successor, Mr Johnson or Jeremy Hunt.
Asked on the BBC if he thought he would be sacked, Mr Hammond said: “No, I’m sure I’m not going to be sacked because I’m going to resign before we get to that point.
“Assuming that Boris Johnson becomes the next Prime Minister, I understand that his conditions for serving in his government would include accepting a no-deal exit on October 31, and it’s not something that I could ever sign up to... I intend to resign to Theresa May before she goes to the Palace to tender her own resignation on Wednesday.”
Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said this “extraordinary revelation underlines the twin threats posed to the UK economy of a no-deal Brexit and Boris Johnson becoming PM”.
He added “The Conservatives have bungled the Brexit negotiations, dragged down the economy and put jobs at risk.
“They are now on the brink of appointing a Prime Minister that their own Chancellor believes would be a danger to the economy and the wellbeing of everyone in the UK.”
The SNP’s Ian Blackford said: “The threat of a no-deal Brexit is very real but what’s now clear is senior figures in the Tory Party could join others in stopping it.”
Independent MP Nick Boles, who quit the Tories because the party was “incapable of compromise” on Brexit, said: “Philip Hammond has discovered his irreducible core, the point past which he cannot be pushed. If only others had the same commitment to their principles.” Mr Gauke said he would not serve under Mr Johnson if he pursues a no-deal Brexit.
He added: “Given that I’ve been in the Cabinet since Theresa May came to power, I think the appropriate thing is for me to resign to her.”
Tory peer Baroness Ros Altmann said: “The prospect of a Boris Johnsonled government trying to drag the country out of the EU and into a disastrous no-deal scenario is growing.
“It’s encouraging to see more pragmatic, patriotic Conservatives like Philip Hammond and David Gauke standing up and saying they will not allow this to happen on their watch.”
International Development Secretary Rory Stewart has also said he would leave the Cabinet if Mr Johnson becomes PM. Business Secretary Greg Clark is expected to resign too.