No-show Boris still 'an asset' to campaign

BORIS Johnson is "clearly an asset" to the Tory General Election campaign, even though he has not appeared in person, a Cabinet minister has declared.

- Martyn Brown

Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride's remarks came as it emerged Mr Johnson was no longer expected to appear on the campaign trail.

Explaining his absence, Mr Stride said former the PM was making promotional videos for individual candidates from afar.

He said Mr Johnson was supporting the Conservatives in a "modern way" through the videos, which urge people to vote for the party.

Mr Stride said: "That's probably quite an effective way of getting a message across.

"I mean, Boris is clearly an asset to the campaign, he has clearly chosen to get involved and he's clearly urging people to vote Conservative." Mr Johnson, who turned 60 yesterday, has endorsed 50 Tory candidates and put his name to tens of thousands of letters to voters, in a bid to counter the threat posed by Nigel Farage's Reform UK party.

It is understood the former Tory leader will be taking a holiday in the coming days, planned long before PM Rishi Sunak called the surprise July 4 election.

He is due back in the UK on July 3, the day before the nation goes to the polls.