Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives at Gatwick Airport in London
(Picture: PA)Boris Johnson would be a “guaranteed disaster”, Northern Ireland minister, Steve Baker has said.
Speaking on Sunday, Mr Baker - who is backing Rishi Sunak - said the upcoming inquiry by the Commons Privileges Committee, would make it incredibly difficult for Mr Johnson to return as Prime Minister.
Mr Johnson is set to appear before the committee to give oral evidence on whether he misled MPs over Partygate.
The investigation will also examine documents released by Downing Street and could recommend suspending Mr Johnson from the House of Commons if he is found to have misled MPs.
Speaking to Sky’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday, Mr Baker said: “I’m afraid the trouble is because of the Commons Privileges Committee vote, Boris would be a guaranteed disaster.
Conservative MP Steve Baker believes that if Boris Johnson became prime minister again it would be a "guaranteed disaster".#Ridge: https://t.co/ZoMhCnb2l3
— Sophy Ridge on Sunday & The Take (@RidgeOnSunday) October 23, 2022
📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/taYNb2npl2
“There’s going to be a vote before the House of Commons on this issue of privileges, whether he will deliberately misled the house.
“In that vote it’s guaranteed there’ll be a large number of Conservatives who will refuse, as they see it, to lay down their integrity to save him, and at that moment his premiership will collapse.”
He added: “It’s a guaranteed nailed-on failure and we cannot allow it to happen.”
Mr Baker did say, however, that Mr Johnson would make a good chairman of the party.
Adding: “I think it would be for the best if Boris did something big and statesmanlike.
"I mean If he wants to come back as Prime Minister, he would need to do it after this privileges issue is settled.
"I think he’d make an amazing chairman of the party but what we can’t do is have him as Prime Minister in circumstances where he’s bound to implode, taking down the whole Government within and we just can’t do that again."
Only Penny Mordaunt has declared her intent to run in the leadership contest. Despite doing so, Ms Mordaunt had under 30 MPs who have publicly supported her at the time of writing.
Mr Sunak, however, has already passed the 100 MP threshold needed for Monday’s deadline but is yet to declare.
Supporters of Mr Johnson claim he too has enough backers to proceed - although 100 MPs have not publicly pledged their support for the former Prime Minister.
