Stirring words... now the real work begins

HAVING finally secured the job he craved so desperately for so long, Boris Johnson’s acceptance speech yesterday was a typically bravura performance. Overflowing with optimism and bonhomie, he bathed the Tory faithful in balmy sunshine.

This was Boris with his tail up. The scale of his victory in the party leadership election had been emphatic. He was brimming with confidence and patriotic feeling.

He pledged to deliver Brexit, unite and energise the nation and defeat Jeremy Corbyn. We are a ‘can-do’ country, he said, and he was the man to take us to new heights.

‘We are once again going to believe in ourselves and in what we can achieve. Like some slumbering giant, we are going to rise and ping off the guy ropes of self-doubt,’ he added.

It was feelgood stuff and exactly what the party needed to hear after three years of dreary stasis.

But in the end, he will be judged not by words but by deeds. As he himself said, the campaigning is now over. The hard work starts here.

His task could hardly be more mountainous. He has little or no Commons majority to work with and powerful opposition forces are ranged against him on all sides. So can Mr Johnson pull off the miracle that eluded his predecessor?

A string of ministerial resignations over his refusal to take No Deal off the negotiating table was hardly an optimal start. But all the dissidents were about to be fired anyway, so their gesture looks more like a fit of pique than saintly martyrdom.

Then there is Labour’s claim that Mr Johnson can’t be a legitimate prime minister because he was elected by Tory members, rather than the country at large.

This really is hypocritical nonsense. The UK runs a parliamentary system, not a presidential one. The leader of the governing party automatically becomes prime minister.

Gordon Brown took over in 2007 without an election, as did James Callaghan in the mid-70s when he succeeded Harold Wilson. Where were the Labour howls of outrage then?

And what of negotiations with Brussels? Could there be a new spirit of compromise?

Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement was scuppered in the Commons over the Irish backstop impasse. But if that boulder can be removed from the road, progress is not impossible.

The Irish government is deeply worried about the prospect of No Deal, and seems ready to listen.

Indeed even EU negotiator Michel Barnier has conceded that customs checks could take place away from the border, which would remove the need for a hard frontier between North and South.

However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. No one should underestimate the scale of the difficulties ahead.

Today, Mr Johnson becomes Prime Minister. Whether he succeeds will depend to a great extent on the people he chooses to be around him.

The leadership race showed that there is a depth of talent on all sides of the party and it is to be hoped he will construct a unity Cabinet.

Surely Jeremy Hunt has shown his worth through the hustings. Sajid Javid would be a compelling choice as Chancellor. And the impressive Amber Rudd must also be given serious consideration for a senior role.

Mr Johnson emphasised that delivering Brexit, crucial as that is, is not the only imperative. He mentioned school funding, police numbers, better infrastructure and the rolling out of full-fibre broadband.

He must also recognise the pressing need to place new emphasis on strengthening our precious Union, and of putting Scottish concerns right at the heart of Government.

To tackle these issues properly, Mr Johnson will need to call on every ounce of talent at his disposal.

But back to Brexit, which remains key to everything else. He has said he will deliver it by October 31, ‘do or die’.

Many say he doesn’t have the maturity, the diplomatic skills, or the command of detail to pull off such a coup. There may be some truth in that, but he does have charm and, as yesterday showed, a touch of stardust.

More than any other politician, he generates excitement, something that has been sorely lacking from our political discourse in recent times.

So who’s to say that with the right support, he can’t grow into the top job, as did his great hero Winston Churchill.

In the first act of Henry V, the Archbishop of Canterbury marvels at the metamorphosis of the shallow, feckless Prince Hal into a wise and judicious king. Amazed by Henry’s newfound political dexterity, he says: ‘Turn him to any cause of policy, the Gordian knot of it he will unloose.’

If Mr Johnson can unloose the Gordian knot of Brexit, his own transformation from court jester to statesman will be complete. If he can’t, he could be the shortest serving prime minister in modern history.