Boris Johnson told to get behind Theresa May as Tory backlash against him grows
2 min read
Boris Johnson has been warned to get behind Theresa May as senior Tories expressed their frustration at his apparent manoeuvring for the party leadership.
One Cabinet minister said the Foreign Secretary had angered his fellow Conservative MPs by repeatedly challenging the Prime Minister over Brexit.
They said Mr Johnson's behaviour was "not the strategy I would adopt" and warned that there was no mood among party members for a leadership contest.
"People who aspire to lead the Conservatives always forget who the audience is," said the senior figure. "It’s not the membership, it’s their colleagues in Parliament.
"There is absolutely no appetite for a leadership election now. If you said to backbenchers 'let’s have a leadership election in the autumn' they would be horrified."
Mr Johnson stunned Westminster when he wrote a 4,200-word article for the Daily Telegraph setting out his vision just days before the Prime Minister's speech on Brexit in Florence.
In another controversial move on the eve of the Tory conference in Manchester, the Foreign Secretary - who had an aborted attempt to run for the Tory leadership last year - told The Sun that he had four Brexit "red lines" that must not be crossed.
Graham Brady, chairman of the powerful 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs, said the party must put on a united front for the country.
Asked night specifically about Mr Johnson's behaviour on the BBC's Westminster Hour last night, he said: "I think that all Conservatives, all members of the Government and all backbenchers, we have a common task that we share.
"We need to pull together and make sure that we are delivering for the country. I don’t think there is a demand in the Parliamentary Conservative Party for a debate about the future leadership of the party."
He added: "I think we have a very simple straightforward task at this conference, and it’s to demonstrate that we are a grown up party which cares more about the future of our country than about the particular career prospects of any individual."
Appearing on the Andrew Marr Show yesterday, Theresa May refused to say whether was "unsackable".
But one Cabinet minister said: "Nobody is unsackable."
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