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Tories condemn Boris Johnson for Brexit 'suicide vest' remarks Tories in civil war after Boris Johnson Brexit 'suicide vest' remarks
(about 5 hours later)
Senior Tories have heavily criticised Boris Johnson for describing the government’s Brexit strategy as putting the UK constitution in a “suicide vest”. The Conservative party has erupted into open civil war after forceful criticism of Boris Johnson over his description of Theresa May’s Brexit plan as a “suicide vest” prompted counter-accusations of a “project smear” by Downing Street.
The home secretary, Sajid Javid, said his former cabinet colleague should think carefully about his language. Other Tory MPs were more vehement. Alan Duncan, until July a Foreign Office colleague of Johnson, vowed to ensure the comments marked “the political end” of the former foreign secretary. The furious exchanges, in which a leading Tory backbencher said she would probably quit the party if Johnson became leader, herald a turbulent run-up to the party’s conference this month, which is likely to be dominated by intertwined rows over Brexit and the successor to Theresa May.
Johnson used the phrase in an article for the Mail on Sunday in which he accused Theresa May of repeatedly caving in over Brexit terms to the EU and its chief negotiator, Michel Barnier. Following days of detailed reports about Johnson’s convoluted personal life after he and his wife of 25 years, Marina Wheeler, announced they were divorcing, the new row was prompted by his renewed criticism of May’s Chequers plan.
It came on a day when many Sunday papers were filled with new allegations about Johnson’s private life after the announcement that he and his wife of 25 years, Marina Wheeler, are divorcing. There was speculation that he was seeking to change the narrative. Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Johnson accused May of repeatedly caving in over Brexit terms to the EU and its chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, saying that “in the talks so far, Brussels gets what Brussels wants”.
“At every stage in the talks so far, Brussels gets what Brussels wants,” Johnson wrote. “We have agreed to the EU’s timetable; we have agreed to hand over £39bn, for nothing in return. He wrote: “Under the Chequers proposal we are set to agree to accept their rules forever with no say on the making of those rules. It is a humiliation. We look like a seven-stone weakling being comically bent out of shape by a 500lb gorilla.”
“Under the Chequers proposal we are set to agree to accept their rules forever with no say on the making of those rules. It is a humiliation. We look like a seven-stone weakling being comically bent out of shape by a 500lb gorilla.” In the most contentious passage, Johnson castigated the so-called backstop plan to ensure no hard Irish border, which would see Northern Ireland effectively remain part of the single market if no other workable solution is found.
Johnson, who quit as foreign secretary in July in protest at May’s Chequers proposals for Brexit, castigated the EU’s so-called backstop plan to ensure no hard Irish border, which would see Northern Ireland effectively remain part of the single market if no other workable solution is found.
Johnson wrote: “We have opened ourselves to perpetual political blackmail. We have wrapped a suicide vest around the British constitution – and handed the detonator to Michel Barnier.”Johnson wrote: “We have opened ourselves to perpetual political blackmail. We have wrapped a suicide vest around the British constitution – and handed the detonator to Michel Barnier.”
Asked about the phrasing on BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show, Javid said: “I think there are much better ways to articulate your differences. It’s a reminder for all of us in public policy, whichever political party we represent, to use measured language, because I think that’s what the public want to see.” The analogy brought vehement condemnation from a string of senior Conservatives, including two foreign ministers who worked under Johnson before he resigned as foreign secretary in June in protest at the Chequers plan.
Javid sought to play down the broader criticism of the Chequers plan. “It’s not news that he has a difference of opinion with the prime minister. That’s why he’s left the government,” he said. Alan Duncan tweeted:
Asked about an earlier contentious use of language by Johnson in which he compared women wearing niqabs to “letter boxes” Javid said it was “not language I would use” but he did not believe Johnson was Islamophobic. Javid said: “No, absolutely not. Not in the slightest.” For Boris to say that the PM’s view is like that of a suicide bomber is too much. This marks one of the most disgusting moments in modern British politics. I’m sorry, but this is the political end of Boris Johnson. If it isn’t now, I will make sure it is later. #neverfittogovern https://t.co/rdI0FWQhbi
The housing secretary, James Brokenshire, told Sky News’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday he thought Johnson had used the wrong tone in the article. Alistair Burt said:
“I think he is wrong on this, I think the tone that he has used isn’t right,” he said. “I think that we just need to be very focused on actually moving forward with the Chequers plan.” I’m stunned at the nature of this attack. There is no justification for such an outrageous, inappropriate and hurtful analogy. If we don’t stop this extraordinary use of language over Brexit, our country might never heal. Again, I say, enough. https://t.co/DWVuWQgzZy
Other senior Tories were more condemnatory. Duncan, a junior Foreign Office minister, tweeted: “For Boris to say that the PM’s view is like that of a suicide bomber is too much. This marks one of the most disgusting moments in modern British politics. I’m sorry but this is the political end of Boris Johnson. If it isn’t now, I will make sure it is later.” Tom Tugendhat, the Tory MP and former soldier who chairs the Commons foreign affairs committee, tweeted:
Another Foreign Office minister, Alistair Burt, said the analogy was “outrageous, inappropriate and hurtful”. A suicide bomber murdered many in the courtyard of my office in Helmand. The carnage was disgusting, limbs and flesh hanging from trees and bushes. Brave men who stopped him killing me and others died In horrific pain. Some need to grow up. Comparing the PM to that isn’t funny. https://t.co/IeRWhmhgS9
The Tory MP Tom Tugendhat, a former soldier who chairs the Commons foreign affairs committee, tweeted: “A suicide bomber murdered many in the courtyard of my office in Helmand. The carnage was disgusting, limbs and flesh hanging from trees and bushes. Brave men who stopped him killing me and others died in horrific pain. Some need to grow up. Comparing the PM to that isn’t funny.” Another senior backbencher, Sarah Wollaston, said she would most likely leave the party if Johnson took over. “Personally I hope that won’t happen. I don’t think he is fit to lead the country,” she told BBC Radio 4’s The World This Weekend.
Hinting that she believed the wide-ranging criticism had been orchestrated, the Brexit-supporting Tory MP Nadine Dorries said: “Don’t underestimate the vitriol that’ll be directed towards Boris today. He delivered the leave vote, remainers and wannabe future PMs hate him.” Similar pledges have been made in recent weeks by two colleagues opposing a hard Brexit, Dominic Grieve and Heidi Allen. Grieve said Johnson’s phrasing in the Mail on Sunday article was “entirely in character: crude but, for some, entertaining populist polemic.”
Johnson has set his opposition to Brexit at the heart of what most assume to be an imminent attempt to wrest the Conservative leadership from May and impose an as yet not fully described alternative Brexit strategy. He said there was a lack of coherent thought in the article. “He can highlight flaws in the Chequers plan but his alternatives are worse,” he said. “Every option on Brexit is worse than our staying in the EU and he bears a substantial measure of responsibility as to how we got into this mess.”
In his Mail article, Johnson said the backstop and the Chequers plan would both mean “agreeing to take EU rules, with no say on those rules”, leaving the UK a “vassal state”. The scale of the response, alongside reports about the resurfacing of a dossier chronicling Johnson’s personal life, drawn up by May’s aides during the 2016 Tory leadership campaign, brought accusations that No 10 was instigating a campaign to undermine him.
He said: “We have managed to reduce the great British Brexit to two appalling options: either we must divide the union, or the whole country must accept EU law forever.” It is understood that several Eurosceptic Tory MPs who back Johnson’s Brexit ideas believe this is the case, and that the seeming aim is to deter the parliamentary party from allowing Johnson to reach the final two of a succession contest, in which he would be the favourite to win a vote of grassroots members.
Johnson said there were “far better technical solutions” to the Irish border issue. A Downing Street source vigorously denied this, insisting current staff had never seen the 2016 dossier and played no part in it being leaked.
Meanwhile, Johnson faces questions about allegations of multiple affairs amid his marriage breakup, with several reports on Sunday detailing new claims. Andrew Bridgen, the Eurosceptic Tory MP for North West Leicestershire, said: “It’s clear that No 10 have released their attack poodles. It’s unrelenting. It’s Project Smear Boris. Most of the stuff we’ve read in the press in the last 48 hours has been out there for a very long time. You have to ask yourself: why now, and in whose interests would it be? And then you come to a conclusion.”
The Sunday Times reported that May's aides had drawn up a dossier on Johnson at the time of the 2016 leadership contest. It was not used after his campaign failed to get off the launchpad, but the newspaper reported the 4,000-word “war book” was circulating in Westminster last week amid claims “black ops” attacks were being planned against him. The official cabinet-level response to Johnson’s “suicide vest” comment was, by contrast, relatively muted. The home secretary, Sajid Javid, said there were “much better ways to articulate your differences”, telling BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show that politicians should “use measured language”.
Officials at Downing Street and Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) denied circulating the document. The housing secretary, James Brokenshire, told Sky News’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday: “I think he is wrong on this. I think the tone that he has used isn’t right.”
With Johnson and his allies intent on using the party conference to comprehensively derail the Chequers plan, also thus dealing a significant blow to May, the battle lines are set to become further entrenched in the coming weeks.
At the same time he faces renewed questions about his personal conduct, notably reports of multiple affairs, with several reports on Sunday detailing new claims.
Among some moderate Tory MPs, the latest row has brought mainly frustration. “Yes, it’s fair to say we’re getting a bit tired of the Boris show,” one well-connected backbencher said. “It seems to be happening because he can see his window is closing fast. He might well end up getting rid of the PM, but not for a Boris premiership. I don’t think that has occurred to him.”
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