Boris Johnson will keep ‘throwing rocks’ at Theresa May’s Chequers plan, allies say
2 min read
Boris Johnson will continue to criticise Theresa May’s Chequers plan in the run up to the Conservative party conference, his allies have said.
Speaking to the Guardian, sources close to the former Foreign Secretary also claimed that a potential leadership challenge was currently on hold.
Mr Johnson sparked a backlash from colleagues over the weekend by likening the Prime Minister’s Brexit plan to strapping Britain into a ‘suicide vest’.
And friends told the newspaper he would continue his approach, saying: “He will continue to throw rocks at Chequers because he thinks she should be changing direction.
“He’s not chucking them at the PM. Like all the anti-Chequers voices, he thinks she should go back to the original version of Lancaster House, which was supported by a broader section of the Conservative party.”
But despite growing rumours of an imminent leadership bid backed by the Tories’ influential eurosceptic wing, another source said the timing was not right.
“Is he going to lead the ERG [European Research Group] and depose her now? The answer is no.
“His plan is still to show what he believes are the failings of Chequers and get her to change her mind and revert to Lancaster House.
“Yes, he’s talking to them but he doesn’t want to be fronting any leadership challenge, that’s not what he’s interested in.
“He’s interested in changing the policy, not the prime minister. Everyone knows he eventually wants to try to become leader. But not now.”
This comes as the fallout from Mr Johnson’s ‘suicide vest’ article continues, with allies telling the Times he has privately admitted the language backfired.
Another told the newspaper: “That language is really not very helpful at all”.
This follows a rebuke from Downing Street over the remarks yesterday, with the Prime Minister’s official spokesman saying: “This isn't language the Prime Minister would choose to use. I don't plan on giving this article further oxygen.
"The PM’s fully focused on the Brexit negotiations, which are at a very important and intense stage and on delivering on the verdict of the British people.”
Meanwhile, the Sun reports that under plans for new boundary changes Mr Johnson’s majority could be slashed from over 5,000 to around 500.
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