Enough of the soap opera – we’ve got a country to rescue

THE one thing no one could ever accuse Boris Johnson of being is dull.

Only hours after he moved a step closer towards his lifetime ambition of securing the keys to No 10, police were called to the flat he shares with girlfriend Carrie Symonds, in a distinctly un-Prime Ministerial corner of South-East London.

The couple’s midnight bust-up naturally generated the type of headlines Mr Johnson’s camp have been desperate to avoid – and handed an unexpected gift to those who argue the former Foreign Secretary is unfit for the highest office in the land.

Although none of us would wish our private rows with those we love to be secretly recorded and put on the front pages, the story inevitably throws an uncomfortable spotlight on some of the less appealing aspects of Mr Johnson’s life and character.

Two divorces, five mistresses, an abortion and a love child – the charge sheet is long.

And reports that Ms Symonds shouted ‘Get off me… get out of my flat’ at the height of the row will repel many voters, particularly women, as our poll today appears to show.

Of course, no one knows exactly what happened behind closed doors.

But there are some curious aspects to the way the incident has been reported by the Leftwing Guardian newspaper.

Not only did it publish the story of the row, it also reported extracts from a mobile phone recording made by neighbours of Ms Symonds.

Allies of Mr Johnson claim the neighbours are ardent Remainers, one of whom has received funding from the EU’s culture fund for her theatre work. According to friends of Mr Johnson, she had a habit of making obscene gestures whenever she saw him.

Was the recording made purely out of concern for the welfare of Ms Symonds? Or was there a political motivation?

None of this, of course, changes the fact that Mr Johnson is running to become Prime Minister and that Prime Ministerial behaviour must be expected of him.

After all, Britain remains at a critical juncture.

Exactly three years ago today, the Brexit vote shocked a complacent Establishment and irrevocably altered our political landscape. Now we face two seriously pressing questions: who is best placed to deliver Brexit? And who is best placed to beat Jeremy Corbyn?

For all the theatre of Mr Johnson’s latest drama, we must not lose sight that we have a contest between two strong candidates for Downing Street. While it is true that Mr Johnson’s supporters saw the unassuming Jeremy Hunt as an easier opponent than Michael Gove, Mr Hunt is a formidable operator who should not be underestimated.

We cannot ignore what happened on Thursday night. The private conduct of those seeking high office should never be above public scrutiny, and yesterday saw the first of 16 hustings that will further put the candidates under the microscope.

It is vital now that Tory Party members – men and women whose good sense is one of the bedrocks of Britain – rise above the soap opera and choose the man best placed to deliver the only two things that really matter. Firstly, delivering us from the purgatory of our inability to leave the EU, which is driving millions into the arms of Nigel Farage.

Secondly, delivering us from the nightmare of seeing a rabid Marxist in No10.