Boris Johnson is in danger of becoming “a liability” to the Conservatives and of being toppled by his own MPs as Margaret Thatcher was, a party grandee has said. Malcolm Rifkind – a cabinet minister during those dramatic events in 1990 – said the Tories are notoriously ruthless when “prime ministers are deemed to have outlived their usefulness”.
The former foreign secretary told The Independent there is a growing mood that Mr Johnson is failing to show proper leadership, after the failed bid to rip up anti-sleaze rules to save Owen Paterson. And he warned: “I was in the cabinet when Margaret Thatcher was required to fall on her sword. And if somebody of the stature of Thatcher can be disposed of pretty quickly and pretty ruthlessly by the parliamentary party, no prime minister can assume that they’re free from that risk.”
The warning comes amid Tory MPs’ anger over the botched attempt to clear Mr. Paterson for breaching lobbying rules, which ended in a humiliating government retreat.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 12, 2021-Ausgabe von The Independent.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 12, 2021-Ausgabe von The Independent.
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