Boris Johnson targets Rishi Sunak, the ‘silent killer’, who has not spoken to the former chancellor since his dramatic resignation from cabinet
- Boris Johnson hasn’t spoken to Rishi Sunak since he stepped down as chancellor
- The pair did not recognize each other when they passed in the Commons
- It came when No. 10 released photos of Mr Johnson with powerful weapons
Boris Johnson has not spoken Rishi Sunak since the morning of the former chancellor’s dramatic resignation from cabinet, government sources have revealed.
In the most vivid sign yet of the ‘cold war’ estrangement between the two former colleagues, the pair didn’t even acknowledge each other when they stopped by the House of Commons recently.
It came when number 10 released photos of Mr Johnson brandishing powerful weapons as he visits Ukrainian troops training at a British army base in Mr Sunak’s constituency in North Yorkshire.
At the heart of the dispute is whether Mr Sunak notified the Prime Minister of his intention to step down on July 5, triggering the chain of events that led to Mr Johnson being removed from office.
The prime minister donned a camouflage jacket when he took part in a training exercise on Thursday that involved throwing a dummy grenade and manning a machine gun during his journey to base.
Despite claims that Mr Sunak called the prime minister minutes before he resigned, government sources say the last time the two men spoke before Mr Sunak resigned was during that day’s cabinet meeting.
A source close to Mr Sunak said last night that it was true that they had not communicated with each other since then, but only because Mr Johnson had not picked up Mr Sunak’s call before resigning.
The prime minister donned a camouflage jacket when he took part in a training exercise on Thursday that involved throwing a dummy grenade and manning a machine gun during his journey to base.
The symbolism of ‘Boris de bazooka’ showing up in fatigue in Mr Sunak’s constituency was brought to stark relief by the words of one of the prime minister’s loyal MPs, who said: ‘Rishi has not been with these Ukrainians, though in his own backyard.’
Johnson said: ‘This week I visited Ukrainian troops being trained by British forces in North Yorkshire.
Last week, Mr Sunak was accused of rewriting history after taking credit for vetoing a national lockdown during the Omicron Covid variant wave last winter
“The UK is determined to do everything possible to help Ukraine fend off Russian aggression.”
After posting a video of himself in action, Mr Johnson added: ‘I want you to know that the people of the UK support the people of Ukraine and support you in your struggle. And I am absolutely convinced that you can win and you will.’
It comes as allies of rival candidate Liz Truss have questioned Mr Sunak’s claims about the lockdown leave scheme.
In a new wave of so-called blue-on-blue power struggles, they suggested that the former chancellor should not take full credit for the successful rollout of the scheme, which provided workers with a lifeline during the pandemic.
Last week Culture Minister Nadine Dorries questioned Mr Sunak’s report on the plan at a Conservative Party dinner.
A Tory donor recalled Mrs. Dorries suggesting, ‘Sunak is this maestro economist is absolute b******s.’
Ms Dorries told those in attendance that BBC chairman Richard Sharp, Mr Sunak’s boss at investment bank Goldman Sachs, was “probably the one who came on leave” – not Mr Sunak.
Mr Sharp was brought to the Treasury as an advisor in 2020 when Mr Sunak was Chancellor during the pandemic. He was previously a member of the Bank of England’s financial policy committee.
A spokesman for Mr Sunak categorically denied Ms Dorries’ suggestion, saying Mr Sharp was ‘never involved’ in policy making for leave.
Last week, Mr Sunak was accused of rewriting history after taking credit for his veto on a national lockdown during the Omicron Covid variant wave last winter.
He told LBC radio: “What I did in December was fly back from a government trip abroad… to avoid sleepwalking into a national lockdown. We were hours away from a press conference that would lock us up again. I came back and fought the system very hard.”
A Whitehall source said, “He’s rewriting history. It was a huge phone call and it was made by the Prime Minister.”