Leadership challenge may be on the way for Prime Minister – MP

PRIME Minister Boris Johnson needs to “get himself together” and “start delivering” or he may yet face a challenge for the leadership of the Conservative Party and the country.

That’s the message from Sir Geoffrey Clifton-brown, the Cotswolds MP and senior member of the influential backbench group the 1922 Committee.

As the attention of politics fans over the weekend was drawn to a contretemps between Tory MP Steve Baker and Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries in the Conservative Whatsapp group, Clean Global Brexit, Sir Geoffrey had some interesting points to make in the group chat.

He wrote that Lord Frost’s resignation was a “hammer-blow to the PM “and that he “desperately needs a really strong advisor at No 10 who he can trust”.

His last words were: “A leadership challenge is not the answer at the moment because all the same underlying problems will still be there.” Last week Sir Geoffrey told TV that a leadership challenge could be “on the cards”.

Invited to expand on what he thought those underlying problems were, Sir Geoffrey said: “I think we’ve got to reset, either under the current leadership or with somebody else, from these self-inflicted problems. “We need to start sorting out the important problems and issues facing the country, like the NHS, like social care, like paying off the debt.” Asked if he thought the PM’S current difficulties, with questions asked about parties and gatherings at Downing Street during lockdown and about how the PM’S flat’s redecoration was paid for, were a distraction, Sir Geoffrey said: “Of course it is.

“If people are trying to deal with parties and wallpaper, they’re not thinking about the important things. “The move at the weekend to take responsibility for EU policy from No 10

The important thing is we have to start delivering for the country. We must get on top of Covid and start delivering

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-brown

and to the Foreign Office will allow more focus on it.”

The long-serving MP thinks the Christmas break could be crucial: “We can all come back afterwards and I hope it’ll be calmer and we can think more clearly.

“If the Prime Minister can get himself together, and get back to the important issues, and I hope he can, then we can carry on.

“But it’s up to him. If there are more things, and things we don’t yet know about, which are a distraction, then we might have to think again.

“The important thing is we have to start delivering for the country. We must get on top of Covid and start delivering.”