Boris unleashes his final weapon: ‘the jaws of death’

Boris Johnson has granted a killer interview to the Sunday Telegraph, where he has unleashed a full-on strike against government. Such a move is calculated to draw a distinction between Boris and the flailing government. The most notable attack is saved for his arch-rival — the chancellor — and the upcoming battle(s) he would face upon re-election:

‘We’ve saved Crossrail from the jaws of death – aka George Osborne….I don’t mind having a row in Whitehall, I don’t mind how much plaster comes off the ceiling, providing it’s done in a robust and sensible way and London gets the money it needs.’

Boris does not go easy on the rest of the government either. When asked to define his politics, Boris stuck to the old Tory basics: ‘I am, overall, a tax-cutting Conservative,’ highlighting ‘freedom, democracy, taxpayer value and building up the sense of neighbourliness and duty towards each other’ as his chief principles. No mention of the Big Society, gay marriage or the environment, as the Telegraph noted. He also presented his obligatory rejection of a future leadership bid, believing his chances to be similar to ‘being locked in a disused fridge or decapitated by a Frisbee.’ Both events are entirely feasible of course.

So why did Boris go on the attack today? He has little choice but to throw some rocks at Downing Street because this week, we’ve witnessed a mini-revival of Ken. YouGov polling (which was correct when everyone else was wrong in 2008) placed him just 2 points ahead of Ken, well within the margin of error. Although latter polling has pushed him comfortably back ahead, it’s a reminder he’s not entirely immune from the government’s troubles. Therefore, some clear distancing was required to make him appear as independent as possible.

Subversive tactics aside, Boris is at his best when out on the stump with Londoners. I concur with what Tanya Gold said in this week’s podcast:

‘If you go on the campaign trail with both Ken and Boris, you’ll leave thinking it’s absolutely impossible that Boris won’t win. Because the response to him on the street is incredible. It’s like travelling around with a movie star, rather than a politician.’

PS: Ken’s most pressing concern continues to be not from Tories, but his own party. Alan Lord Sugar, Labour peer and once-business tzar to Gordon Brown, has gone on the attack in today’s Sun on Sunday, describing Ken as a ‘crazed egomaniac’ who ‘wants to play Robin Hood’. Combined with Tom Watson’s ‘hold your nose‘ comment earlier in the week, it looks like Labour’s support for Team Ken is slowly disappearing.