Former chancellor George Osborne takes swipe at Boris Johnson following his warnings over Brexit deal for Northern Ireland
- Former chancellor accused Boris Johnson of trying to ‘bring down Rishi Sunak’
- Mr Osborne has claimed that Johnson is ‘interested in becoming Prime Minister’
Former chancellor George Osborne renewed his attacks on Boris Johnson last night, accusing him of trying to ‘bring down Rishi Sunak’ so he can become prime minister again.
Mr Osborne was forced out of No 11 when the Brexit campaign, led by Mr Johnson, triumphed in 2016. Last night he said Mr Sunak should ‘be applauded for trying to solve this mess he’s inherited’, following Mr Johnson’s intervention on Brexit this weekend.
Speaking on Channel 4’s Andrew Neil Show, he said: ‘Boris Johnson is interested in becoming prime minister again. He wants to bring down Rishi Sunak and he will use any instrument to do it, and if the Northern Ireland negotiations are that instrument, he will pick it up and hit Mr Sunak over the head with it.’
But several MPs backed Mr Johnson, including former levelling up secretary Simon Clarke. He said: ‘We shouldn’t agree anything that keeps Northern Ireland subject to EU law or in the single market. Ultimately the protocol legislation remains a clean solution to ensure all parts of our country are treated equally.’
And MP Sir Robert Goodwill said: ‘I think the bill is a little bit like the nuclear button. It’s something that if we had to press it, we would.
‘So I think probably at this moment, let’s not press that nuclear button. But it’s always there if necessary.’
Last night he said Mr Sunak should ‘be applauded for trying to solve this mess he’s inherited’, following Mr Johnson’s intervention on Brexit this weekend.
The comments are symbolic of a wider rift within the Tory party between Mr Johnson’s supporters and Mr Sunak.
The former are still reeling from what they see as the latter man’s betrayal after helping to bring down Mr Johnson’s government last summer.
Allies of Mr Johnson also believe that Mr Sunak, stung by recent attention-grabbing interventions, is cheering on the probe into alleged parties in Downing Street during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Harriet Harman, the former Labour Deputy Leader who is heading the MPs’ probe into Mr Johnson’s conduct by the Privileges Committee, was yesterday likened in the Mail on Sunday to ‘Miss Marple’ by supporters of Mr Johnson, who believe she is trying to kill off his career.
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