A serving minister has hinted he may not vote for the Conservative Party after Boris Johnson delivered a surprise campaign speech on Tuesday evening.
Huw Merriman, a transport minister, said he had refused to support Johnson “when the wheels of public and parliamentary tolerance finally fell off”.
He went on to suggest that he was unsure how the former prime minister’s speech would affect his vote.
Speaking at a Conservative campaign event on Tuesday, Boris Johnson revealed that his former chancellor, Rishi Sunak, had asked him to address activists.
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“When Rishi asked me to come and help of course I couldn’t say no. We’re all here because we love our country”, he said.
He urged traditional Conservative voters not to back Reform and warned a Labour super-majority would be “pregnant with horrors”.
Johnson said: “If you want uncontrolled immigration and mandatory wokery, and pointless kowtowing to Brussels again, then go right ahead, make my day, vote for Starmer.”
Minutes after the former prime minister’s speech, Merriman wrote on X/Twitter: “Given my refusal to support this man and to then welcome a change from his leadership when the wheels of public and parliamentary tolerance finally fell off, I’m not sure how this pitches for my vote.”
After the prime minister called the election last month, Merriman announced he will be standing down from parliament.
He has served as minister of state for Rail and HS2 since October 2022 and previously chaired the Transport Select Committee.
Speaking on Wednesday morning, Labour’s national campaign co-ordinator Pat McFadden mocked the “show of unity” displayed within the Conservative Party, telling Times Radio: “I’ve had boiled eggs that have lasted longer than this show of unity”.
He added: “Almost before [Johnson] was finished speaking, we had Suella Braverman in The Telegraph saying that it had all been a terrible mess.
“I think maybe that is the Conservatives’ problem, is that it is all quite late for Boris to now be throwing his weight behind a prime minister, when, I think — to borrow a phrase from Northern Ireland — even the dogs in the street know there’s not a lot of love lost there.”
Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper labelled Boris Johnson’s appearance “an insult to everyone who made heartbreaking sacrifices during the pandemic.”
She said: “Rishi Sunak has reached a desperate new low, turning to a man who discredited the office of prime minister and lied to the country time after time.
“It is time to boot out this tired and sleaze-ridden Conservative party, and elect Liberal Democrat MPs who will stand up for their communities.”
Meanwhile, Suella Braverman has urged the Conservative Party to “read the writing on the wall” and “prepare for the reality and frustration of opposition”.
Writing in The Telegraph newspaper, the former home secretary said victory should no longer be the goal for the Conservative Party.
“Thursday’s vote is now all about forming a strong enough opposition”, she said. “One needs to read the writing on the wall: it’s over, and we need to prepare for the reality and frustration of opposition.”
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