Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson's claimed "demeaning" experience of "begging people for votes" over the weekend has been detailed by Sir Iain Duncan Smith. In an interview with journalist Andrew Marr on LBC on Monday, the Tory politician claimed Mr Johnson had expected there would be "at least 150 people claiming him", and that he'd had "no plans" and "no team" behind him.
The comments come after Boris's former Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, was declared the new leader of the Conservative party on Monday (October 24) after the only other candidate in the race, Penny Mordaunt, pulled out at the last moment. On Sunday, Boris Johnson said he would not stand after all for the Conservative Party leadership, but in a statement he insisted he had secured the 100 nominations needed to get onto the ballot paper.
The former prime minister said he had “reached out” to his leadership rivals to see if they could work together in the national interest, but it had not proved possible. Mr Johnson said: "In the last few days I have been overwhelmed by the number of people who suggested that I should once again contest the Conservative Party leadership, both among the public and among friends and colleagues in Parliament. You can get more politics news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
He added: "I have been attracted because I led our party into a massive election victory less than three years ago - and I believe I am therefore uniquely placed to avert a general election now. A general election would be a further disastrous distraction just when the government must focus on the economic pressures faced by families across the country.
"I believe I am well placed to deliver a Conservative victory in 2024 - and tonight I can confirm that I have cleared the very high hurdle of 102 nominations, including a proposer and a seconder, and I could put my nomination in tomorrow. There is a very good chance that I would be successful in the election with Conservative Party members - and that I could indeed be back in Downing Street on Friday.
"But in the course of the last days, I have sadly come to the conclusion that this would simply not be the right thing to do. You can’t govern effectively unless you have a united party in parliament. And though I have reached out to both Rishi and Penny - because I hoped that we could come together in the national interest - we have sadly not been able to work out a way of doing this."
On LBC, Sir Iain Duncan Smith told Andrew Marr that he was relieved that Mr Johnson was not returning to No.10 Downing Street and described the future PM, Rishi Sunak, as a "tough-minded man". When asked if he had any evidence to back his description of Mr Sunak, he said: "He is certainly a tough-minded man, I know him. I've kind of half negotiated with him on bits and pieces. But so, I think he is tough. He's always been like that.
"I think the problem when Boris came over was, one, Boris was completely unexpectedly having to do this. He made no plans. He had no team. He kind of expected, I think, when he arrived that there would be at least 150 people claiming him," claimed Mr Duncan Smith.
"And this would grow to the majority that didn't happen, suddenly they find themselves struggling and begging people for votes. That was demeaning, really. And then when Rishi and the other said, no, the only deal we do with you is if you were serving us, not the other way around, and that cost didn't suit him."
When asked how he felt that Johnson was no longer standing in the leadership contest, he said: "Well, in a way relief. I tried to explain to Boris at the time of the two days beforehand, that you get let's just say for a second, I said you get elected, you immediately face this inquiry. It's going to be a drip, drip, drip for two months, maybe more, the party will be reminded completely of where they were before the summer began. And this will destabilise them. So, I just don't see how you get through that."
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