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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Politics
Dave Burke

Retiring Tory MP says Boris Johnson will get his old Commons seat 'over my dead body'

Boris Johnson has been banned from making a "chicken run" back to his old safe Tory seat - with the town's outgoing MP saying it would happen "over my dead body".

Shamed ex-PM Mr Johnson, who quit last year after Tories finally turned on him following a string of scandals, was tipped to return to the safe seat of Henley.

But the town's MP John Howell said this won't be happening.

Instead Mr Johnson will have to contest Labour target seat Uxbridge and South Ruislip - and face the humiliation of being turfed out if rival Danny Beales is successful.

Speaking to ITV, Mr Howell - who has announced he is standing down at the next election - said the former PM has been ordered to stay put and fight for his place in the Commons.

Asked if he had reached a deal with Mr Johnson, he said: “I can absolutely deny that.

“I do not do deals with Boris Johnson and I have not done a deal with Boris Johnson.

“He has been told by the Conservative Party that he has to stand in his current seat.”

Pressed further over whether Mr Johnson could return to Henley - where he served as MP between 2001 and 2008 - Mr Howell replied: “Over my dead body.”

Mr Johnson stood down from representing Henley when he became Mayor of London.

Labour candidate Danny Beales has vowed to be a "full time MP" (Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)

Mr Johnson is defending a 7,210 majority, but this is looking vulnerable with Tories expecting to shed seats when the country goes to the polls.

He has been criticised over the amount of attention he gives his constituency, with Mr Beales previously telling The Mirror he wants to give the area a “full-time MP”.

The Labour challenger said that under Mr Johnson, people in Uxbridge and South Ruislip "feel like they don’t have an MP” and are struggling to get surgery advice appointments.

Earlier this month The Mirror reported that Mr Johnson paid £3.8million in cash for his grand new manor house in the Cotswolds.

The ex-PM personally negotiated £200,000 off the asking price for the nine-bed country pile – a new home for him, wife Carrie and their two young children.

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