Johnson’s leadership hopes ‘fatally damaged’, claim critics
BORIS JOHNSON’S leadership ambitions have been “fatally damaged” by his interventions during the Conservative party conference, his critics have claimed.
Theresa May has been urged by senior Tories to sack Mr Johnson as part of a Cabinet reshuffle to reassert her authority and bring in fresh young talent.
However, sacking Mr Johnson would present a huge risk to the Prime Minister. His supporters believe that the Foreign Secretary is merely speaking up on behalf of millions of Leave voters in a Cabinet dominated by those who campaigned for Britain to stay in the European Union. Several Cabinet ministers have made it clear that Mrs May would have their support if she removed Mr Johnson, who they blame for “destabilising” the party conference.
Mr Johnson has been accused of “disloyalty” over his various interventions on Brexit, and his opponents believe a controversy over an ill-advised joke he made about Libya at the conference has weakened his position.
They have also suggested that the P45 prank during Mrs May’s leader’s speech might not have happened if a comedian had not wanted to exploit the schism in the Cabinet.
With Mrs May’s authority ebbing away with each misfortune she suffers, some of her closest allies have told her she needs to prove that she is still in charge by getting rid of what one minis- ter described as “duds” in the Cabinet. A clearout would also enable Mrs May to build a bridge to ambitious young Tory MPS who could replace her when the time comes, shoring up her support among their generation.
Mr Johnson, who repeatedly set out his own Brexit “red lines” before this week’s conference and delivered a conference speech that went way beyond his brief, now faces criticism even from Brexiteers within the party.
An ally of David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, said: “Boris has got to go – he completely destabilised her at the Conservative Party conference, everyone was talking about it. She’s got to reassert her authority with a reshuffle. She needs to fight out, get rid of some of the old guard and bring some fresh talent in from the new generation of MPS.” Another minister said: “He’s been fatally damaged, he’s lost the support of the party.”
However, a Tory MP who supports Mr Johnson said: “These people are just mad and like to blame rather than believe in something and fight for it. It is a joke. So Boris is responsible for everything that happened yesterday, is he?”
Geoffrey Clifton-brown, treasurer of the 1922 Committee of Tory MPS, said: “Boris has to be very careful. As Foreign Secretary he has the ear of the Prime Minister, he has to be careful about his public announcements. They do not make the job of leader any easier.”
Aside from his Brexit interventions, Mr Johnson faced calls to resign earlier this week over a comment at a fringe event, when he said Sirte in Libya could be the new Dubai and that “all they have to do is clear the dead bodies away”.
One minister told The Daily Telegraph: “I’m sure a reshuffle is coming. It would solve a lot of her problems in one go – she could deal with Boris, she could clear out the dead wood, and she could create vacancies for talented young MPS who are champing at the bit to get into Government.”
Another minister suggested up to five Cabinet ministers or ministers who attend Cabinet could be forced out, with Liz Truss, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Andrea Leadsom, the Leader of the House, and Sir Patrick Mcloughlin, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancastser and party chairman, seen as the most vulnerable.
‘A reshuffle could deal with Boris, clear out the dead wood and create vacancies for young MPS’
Justine Greening, the Education Secretary, and Liam Fox, the International Trade Secretary, are among those who could also be moved from their jobs.
Mrs May will be keen to ensure that she does not reduce the number of women in the Cabinet, so she could choose to demote women but still allow them to attend Cabinet. The size of the Cabinet is limited by statute, meaning Mrs May cannot create extra posts, but she could increase the number of ministers allowed to attend meetings.
Among those tipped for promotion into the Cabinet are the Home Office minister Brandon Lewis and the employment minister Damian Hinds, both of whom already attend Cabinet meetings; the justice minister Dominic Raab and the skills minister Anne Milton.