When Rishi Sunak used the leaders’ televised debate on Friday evening to distance themselves from Boris Johnsonthe mood in the prime minister’s camp grew sulphurous.
When asked if Mr Johnson was honest, the former Chancellor said he had tried to give Mr Johnson “the benefit of the doubt for as long as possible, but in the end I came to the conclusion that I couldn’t and so I resigned.” taken’.
Johnson is eager to stay out of the game, but his allies are clear: If Mr. Sunak continues to question Mr. Johnson’s integrity, there will be consequences.
An ally says: ‘Rishi is extremely pious in his disapproval of the [lockdown] parties, but he was working in the same building all the time, so he must have known about it too. And he got exactly the same number of fines as Boris.’
Allies of Boris Johnson, who was photographed during a visit to RAF Coningsby earlier this week, are said to have warned Rishi Sunak that there would be ‘consequences’ for his barbs against the prime minister
It is clear that resentment still boils over the way Mr Johnson was evicted from Downing Street, fueled by Mr Sunak’s resignation.
The prime minister has reportedly grown increasingly frustrated with Mr Sunak in the past year, complaining to aides that his chancellor would go missing in a crisis.
A government source said: “Sunak was constantly physically and emotionally absent from the project. He ruled in a parallel universe and refused to answer his phone when he was most needed.’
The source said that during the many crises that have dogged Mr Johnson’s time in power, he felt he could not rely on Mr Sunak for constructive advice.
Boris Johnson’s allies have fired back at Rishi Sunak, who was seen Saturday in Redcar, Teeside, as part of his campaign to become the next prime minister
A Johnson ally said: “When Rishi was asked about an issue in cabinet, usually as the very first or the very last person he turned to, Rishi would simply say, ‘Oh, you don’t need to hear from me’ — and would often turning his back when he said it, probably unconsciously.
And he was noticeably absent from the media when the shit hit the fan. He was the submarine’s chancellor.’
Despite Johnson’s vow not to interfere in the game, his closest supporters have criticized Sunak.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, who called Mr Sunak “the Socialist Chancellor,” and Nadine Dorries have both publicly supported Secretary of State Liz Truss in the race.
It has also been claimed that Mr Johnson would be open to Ms Mordaunt succeeding him if it meant Mr Sunak would not win leadership, with the Prime Minister expressing concern that Mr Sunak would go soft on Vladimir Putin and the to relax sanctions against Russia.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, who called Mr Sunak ‘the Socialist Chancellor’, and Nadine Dorries have both publicly supported Secretary of State Liz Truss in the race to become Prime Minister
Questions about Mr Johnson are feared by Mr Sunak and Ms Truss, who have served in his cabinet: Both squirmed noticeably when asked the ‘honesty’ question, while Tom Tugendhat received a loud round of applause and climbed to the top of quick polls shot by answering, “No.”
The government source said: “Boris has no intention of getting involved in the competition. But he’s not the kind of person to hear his honesty questioned and let it lie.’
It came as Mr Johnson joined the UK’s Top Gun pilots for one of his last flights before leaving Downing Street.
Photos released yesterday showed Mr Johnson’s visit last week to RAF Coningsby, home to two squadrons of combat-ready Typhoon fighters tasked with protecting Britain’s skies, where he got a demonstration in the back seat of one of 1,550 mph jets.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson Got a Typhoon Combat Demonstration at RAF Coningsby
In an olive green flight suit – with anti-G-force trousers to protect you during the plane’s enormous acceleration – Mr Johnson strode across the tarmac in a scene reminiscent of the recent sequel to Top Gun, the Hollywood action movie of the years 80.
Located in rural Lincolnshire, Coningsby is one of two RAF stations to provide the Quick Reaction Alert. Fighter planes are on standby to fight as Russian bombers approach British airspace. The base is home to No 11 Squadron, the world’s oldest combat unit founded in 1915.
A No10 spokesperson said: ‘The Prime Minister visited RAF Coningsby on Thursday to thank the Quick Reaction Alert force for their constant and vigilant service.
“The Prime Minister met with a number of personnel involved in keeping our airspace safe and went on a Typhoon training flight to see a demonstration of the team’s capabilities.”