Team Boris plots revenge on Rishi: PM allies warn of ‘consequences’ for Sunak over barbs during his leadership campaign
- Prime Minister’s allies unhappy that Rishi Sunak has cast doubt on his honesty
- One said Sunak worked in same building as parties ‘so he must have known too’
- Another called him the ‘Submarine Chancellor’ for disappearing during crises
When Rishi Sunak used Friday night’s televised leaders debate to distance himself from Boris Johnson, the mood in the Prime Minister’s camp turned sulphurous.
Asked whether Mr Johnson was honest, the former Chancellor said that he had tried to give Mr Johnson ‘the benefit of the doubt for as long as possible but ultimately I reached the conclusion that I couldn’t and that’s why I resigned’.
Mr Johnson is keen to stay out of the contest, but his allies are clear: if Mr Sunak continues to cast doubt on Mr Johnson’s integrity, then there will be consequences.
One ally says: ‘Rishi is being extremely pious in his disapproval about the [lockdown] parties, but he was working in the same building the entire time, so he must have known about them too. And he picked up exactly the same number of fines as Boris.’
Allies of Boris Johnson, who was pictured earlier this week during a visit to RAF Coningsby, are said to have warned Rishi Sunak there would be ‘consequences’ over his barbs against the PM
It is clear that resentment is still boiling over at the manner of Mr Johnson’s eviction from Downing Street, catalysed by Mr Sunak’s resignation.
The PM is understood to have grown increasingly frustrated with Mr Sunak during the past year, complaining to aides that his Chancellor would go missing in a crisis.
One Government source said: ‘Sunak was constantly physically and emotionally absent from the project. He governed in a parallel universe, and would refuse to answer his phone when he was needed most.’
The source said that during the many crises which have dogged Mr Johnson’s time in power, he felt he could not rely on Mr Sunak for constructive advice.
Allies of Boris Johnson have shot back at Rishi Sunak, who was seen out and about on Saturday in Redcar, Teeside, as part of his campaign to become the next Prime Minister
A Johnson ally said: ‘If Rishi was asked about an issue in Cabinet, usually as either the very first or the very last person he turned to, Rishi would just say, “Oh you don’t need to hear from me” – and would often turn his back as he said it, probably unconsciously.
‘And he was conspicuously absent from the media when the s*** hit the fan. He was the submarine Chancellor.’
Despite Mr Johnson’s vow not to interfere in the contest, his closest supporters have been critical of Mr Sunak.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, who called Mr Sunak ‘the Socialist Chancellor’, and Nadine Dorries have both publicly backed Foreign Secretary Liz Truss in the race.
It has also been claimed that Mr Johnson would be open to Ms Mordaunt succeeding him if it meant that Mr Sunak did not win the leadership, with the Prime Minister voicing concerns that Mr Sunak would go soft on Vladimir Putin and ease sanctions on Russia.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, who called Mr Sunak ‘the Socialist Chancellor’, and Nadine Dorries have both publicly backed Foreign Secretary Liz Truss in the race to become Prime Minister
Questions about Mr Johnson are dreaded by Mr Sunak and Ms Truss, having served in his Cabinet: both wriggled noticeably when asked the ‘honesty’ question, while Tom Tugendhat received a loud round of applause and shot to the top of snap polls by answering: ‘No.’
The Government source said: ‘Boris has no intention of becoming involved in the contest. But he is not the sort of person to hear his honesty being called into question and just let it lie.’
It came as Mr Johnson joined the UK’s Top Gun pilots for one of his final sorties before leaving Downing Street.
Pictures released yesterday showed Mr Johnson’s visit last week to RAF Coningsby, the home of two squadrons of combat-ready Typhoon fighters tasked with protecting Britain’s skies, where he was given a demonstration in the backseat of one of the 1,550mph jets.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson was given a Typhoon fighter demonstration at RAF Coningsby
Wearing an olive green flightsuit – incorporating anti G-force trousers that offer protection during the jet’s tremendous acceleration – Mr Johnson strode across the tarmac in a scene reminiscent of the recent sequel to Top Gun, the 1980s Hollywood action film.
Located in rural Lincolnshire, Coningsby is one of two RAF stations that provide the Quick Reaction Alert. Fighter jets are on stand-by to scramble should Russian bombers approach British airspace. The base is home to No 11 Squadron, the world’s oldest fighter unit which was formed in 1915.
A spokesman for No10 said: ‘The PM visited RAF Coningsby on Thursday to thank the Quick Reaction Alert force for their constant and vigilant service.
‘The Prime Minister met a number of personnel involved in keeping our skies safe and went on a Typhoon training flight to see a demonstration of the team’s capabilities.’
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