Cabinet minister slams Boris Johnson 'end of pier show' as Tory splits deepen
2 min read
Boris Johnson offered nothing more than an “end of the pier show” in his speech to the Conservative conference, a senior minister has said.
In a scathing attack on his former frontbench colleague, Cabinet Office minister David Lidington hit out Mr Johnson for his “predictable” performance.
Mr Johnson urged the Prime Minister to dump her Chequers plan for Brexit and laid out his alternative vision for the country in what was widely viewed as a leadership pitch.
Addressing a packed 1,500-strong hall of supporters, he said Mrs May's blueprint was a “cheat” which would not deliver on the result of the EU referendum and should be ditched in favour of a Canada-style free trade agreement.
But Mr Lidington, Mrs May's de facto deputy, dismissed the speech, telling the BBC: “He’s always entertaining – it was the end of the pier show.”
He added: “He’s a very talented journalist who always crafts good lines. I don’t actually think there’s anything particularly new politically in what he was saying yesterday.
“And I think there’s still some big unanswered questions about his proposed alternatives.”
Mr Lidington said Mr Johnson should explain how he would deal with new good checks under a Candian trade model and how they would keep the Northern Irish border open.
He added: “People do express views at fringe meetings – they always have done in the 30 plus years I’ve been going to Conservative party conferences.
"But I think what we will see this afternoon is the membership rallying behind the Prime Minster because they know that in her they have got a leader who is putting the country first - who is motivated only by a sense of patriotic duty to get the best deal for every part of the UK.”
Mr Lidington's comments come after Scottish Secretary David Mundell told a conference fringe event that Mr Johnson was “not an asset” to the Tories.
He said: "Unfortunately Mr Johnson seems to behave in a way that suggests he is only focused on his own self interest and not on the interests of our country, and I find that very disappointing.”
The Prime Minister said she was "cross" about the former Foreign Secretary's rejection of her Chequers agreement, which she said would “tear up” the United Kingdom.
But Mr Johnson won backing from pro-Brexit Tories, with Scottish MP Ross Thompson branding critics of the ex-Cabinet minister “arseholes”.
Mrs May will address the conference at midday today for her own keynote speech to close the event.
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