The truth about Boris Johnson by a colleague, not ‘shambolic’ but ‘ruthless’
A senior Tory MP William Wragg has made allegations of possible blackmail in respect of efforts by Boris Johnson and his team to persuade Tory MPs not to send letters of no confidence in him to a Party Committee (the way the Tories have of dealing with leadership challenges and elections). This relates it is reported to threats to withhold investment from the Constituencies of Tory MPs who don’t support Johnson.
The allegations are potentially serious and may be referred to the Met Police who would no doubt carry out their usual thorough investigation….
Whether true or not it does raise the point about who the real Boris Johnson is.
Sonia Purnell a former colleague of Johnson who has written in my view the best biography of him-Just Boris- has a clear view.
She writes in the book of an occasion in 1992 when Johnson’s future and now ex-wife Marina Wheeler asked her for her opinion of Johnson. She notes that she responded ‘I think he is the most ruthless, ambitious person I have ever met’. Purnell notes that Wheeler seemed surprised as the view of Johnson 30 years ago was that he was a ‘charming if shambolic hack’.
She argues that Johnson has learnt how to hide his ruthlessness by using ‘bumbling, self-deprecation or humour’.
Sometimes though the masks slips
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