Johnson’s refusal to back his boss on student immigration will surely lead to recriminations
Is Johnson on manoeuvres? His refusal to back PM on immigration data looks interesting https://t.co/AAoXqydrmv
— Mike Smithson (@MSmithsonPB) August 25, 2017
Get ready for an intense 6 weeks of politicking
We are nearly at the end of August and only weeks away from the conferences of the main parties. The most interesting one will be the Tories in Manchester which could just might be the prelude to a leadership challenge and contest.
Mrs. May called the election three year early and appeared to squander poll leads of 20% with prominent CON peer and polling specialist, Lord Hayward, saying the CON brand was trashed just like Ratners a few year back.
Boris Johnson, the former 30% favourite to succeed TMay, was pressed hard on Radio 4 this morning but managed to avoid backing what has become a signature TMay policy – including students from overseas in the immigration totals. According to tonight’s George Osborne edited Standard TMay stood alone in insisting that overseas students be included in immigration totals.
That’s why this is such a big issue – TMay is on the line over this one.
Johnson’s reluctance to back his boss suggests that he is on manoeuvres ahead of the conference which, whether the party likes it or not, will be dominated by leadership speculation. It is not surprising then that he’s taking the stance he is on what is a point of real vulnerability for the PM.
The big question is whether the woman who turned a small CON majority into no majority at all will face a leadership challenge. I’ve said here before that I think she probably won’t but she might. But I’ve just had a small Betfair bet at 11 that Boris will be her successor.