To the Carlton Club, that Palladian monument to power. Last night it hosted the unveiling of Boris Johnson’s new portrait, at a lavish dinner featuring the former premier as a guest of honour. The Carlton hasn’t always been the happiest of places for Johnson: it was here last summer that ‘Pinchergate’ began, resulting in the downfall of the government he led. But it was all smiles when Johnson took to his feet, to deliver his speech of thanks, with one guest quipping to Mr S: ‘At least we didn’t have to pay him £250,000 for the privilege.’
The Old Etonian has made his political interventions carefully since leaving Downing Street, amid much excited talk to ‘Bring back Boris.’ So it was perhaps not so much what Johnson said as what he didn’t actually say. He called on Tories to unite behind ‘the government’ to win the next election – but conspicuously, er, didn’t mention Rishi Sunak. His other comments were not exactly helpful for No. 10 either: telling supporters that they must make the case for a low tax global Britain’ and fight the next election on a pledge to cut taxes.
Johnson also urged ministers to press ahead with a new law to override the Northern Ireland Protocol – a warning shot ahead of a potential intervention in the Commons. And alongside replaying his greatest hits about ‘Sir Crasheroonie Snoozefest’, mystic Bozza also looked into his crystal ball to predict the future. He forecast that ‘inflation will come down dramatically’, that ‘China will get through Covid’, ‘Putin will lose in Ukraine’ and that ‘Conservative party will recover.’
The question is: will that be under Rishi? Or Boris?
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