Rishi Sunak was persuaded not to quit as chancellor over his Partygate fine for breaking lockdown laws by executives working for Rupert Murdoch, it has been claimed.
Boris Johnson is said to have told people that Mr Murdoch had intervened to persuade Mr Sunak not to quit, with the former prime minister upset at the alleged influence of the media mogul.
The apparent attempt to discredit Mr Sunak is set to spark another ferocious round of Tory infighting ahead of the Conservative Party conference – reigniting a blame game over Mr Johnson’s downfall and fresh agonising over the likelihood of a general election wipeout.
The claim about the influence of Mr Murdoch’s team is detailed in a new book written by The Daily Telegraph’s political editor and published by the newspaper.
Mr Sunak is said to have been on the verge of stepping down after he and Mr Johnson were fined for attending the then PM’s birthday party in No 10 in June 2020.
He is said to have shared a draft resignation statement with allies in April 2022 – including some who worked for Mr Murdoch, such as Times columnists William Hague and Daniel Finkelstein.
Mr Sunak’s potential exit was also discussed with Mas Siddiqui, an old friend of the then chancellor and a director at Mr Murdoch’s News Corp.
Mr Johnson has told people that Mr Murdoch intervened to persuade Mr Sunak not to quit, it is claimed. But there is no evidence of direct contact, and No 10 said Mr Sunak did not speak to Mr Murdoch.
A spokesperson for News UK declined to comment, while a spokesperson for Mr Johnson said he did not recognise that version of events. A No 10 source said that Mr Sunak did not speak to Mr Murdoch at any time about leaving his role as chancellor.
Murdoch executives persuaded Rishi Sunak to stay, it has been claimed— (PA Wire)
The former prime minister is said to have been made aware of Mr Sunak’s leadership ambitions in early 2022, and to have been unsettled by the information.
He is said to have “begged” the Australian political strategist Lynton Crosby not to work with Mr Sunak, after The Independent revealed that Mr Sunak’s team had prepared a leadership website and marketing campaign in January.
Mr Sunak came under pressure on the question of standing down after the fixed-penalty notice was issued by the Metropolitan Police in April 2022. He reportedly spent hours agonising over whether to resign, but ultimately decided to stay in Downing Street along with Mr Johnson.
He would quit as chancellor only months later, with his resignation helping to spark a mass ministerial walkout that eventually forced Mr Johnson from Downing Street. His dramatic exit in July sparked a series of further government resignations, leading to Mr Johnson’s summer exit from No 10.
Sunak and Johnson have been at odds since the leadership turmoil last year— (Getty/AP)
Mr Sunak has always insisted he quit in July over differences on economic policy. But the then chancellor asked fellow Tory MPs in the Treasury in February 2022 to back him in a future leadership contest, it is claimed in Ben Riley-Smith’s book The Right to Rule.
When Mr Sunak did finally resign in July, after months of tensions between No 10 and No 11, Mr Johnson reportedly said: “He’s trying to f*** me! Who the f*** does he think he is?”
In the frenetic 24 hours before Mr Johnson was forced to resign, one desperate adviser is said to have suggested getting Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to issue a message of support.
And one Johnson loyalist was said to have proposed – apparently serious – that the No 10 front door should be locked to stop cabinet ministers arriving to give their views on why his time was up.
Mr Sunak has said that last year’s Tory rebellion was “not my doing” and claimed that he left because of “fundamental differences about economic policy” rather than a desire to replace Mr Johnson.
His resignation letter – which came amid deep frustration over Partygate – said that the public deserved higher standards, and that government should be conducted “properly, competently and seriously”. Mr Sunak did not speak to Mr Johnson to inform him he was intending to resign as chancellor.
The book, citing several sources, claims that Carrie Johnson would sometimes send text messages for the then-PM’s phone on his behalf. Her spokeswoman said was “totally untrue” and “100 per cent rubbish”.
The fresh row comes ahead of the publication of a book written by the staunch Johnson loyalist Nadine Dorries, which promises to reveal the “corruption of democracy” that saw her old boss ousted. Originally set to be released during the October conference season, it has been delayed until November as a result of legal issues.
Mr Johnson took a swipe at Mr Sunak earlier this week – accusing the prime minister and others of “dragging their feet” over the supply of weapons to Ukraine. “Why are we always so slow?” he asked.
Mr Johnson and his allies have been at odds with Mr Sunak’s government since the former prime minister was kicked out of No 10 by his own party last summer.
The former PM clashed with ministers over the release of his WhatsApp messages to the Covid inquiry, and he was said to be furious at the denial of a peerage for Dorries in his resignation honours list.
