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| Boris Johnson tells Tory hustings he is not trying to avoid scrutiny | Boris Johnson tells Tory hustings he is not trying to avoid scrutiny |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Boris Johnson has insisted he is not trying to avoid scrutiny as he campaigns to become prime minister, saying he is able to unite the Conservative party despite MPs warning they could bring down his government to avoid a no-deal Brexit. | |
| At a hustings event for Tory members in Exeter on Friday, Johnson and Jeremy Hunt both appeared but were again questioned separately and did not debate with each other directly. | |
| One audience member asked Johnson if his refusal to go head to head with Hunt beyond taking part in two TV debates – one already gone and another due next month after many members will have already voted by post – meant he was running scared. | One audience member asked Johnson if his refusal to go head to head with Hunt beyond taking part in two TV debates – one already gone and another due next month after many members will have already voted by post – meant he was running scared. |
| Johnson rejected this, saying a gladiatorial contest between himself and Hunt could do harm. “One of the important things as Conservatives is not to spend too much time tearing great lumps out of each other in advance of the end of the contest. My policies and so on have received a huge amount of scrutiny,” he said. | Johnson rejected this, saying a gladiatorial contest between himself and Hunt could do harm. “One of the important things as Conservatives is not to spend too much time tearing great lumps out of each other in advance of the end of the contest. My policies and so on have received a huge amount of scrutiny,” he said. |
| “I’m doing at least two head-to-head debates, which I think is probably more then enough to glut the appetite of the electorate. I’ve done loads of debate in my time, loads and loads.” | “I’m doing at least two head-to-head debates, which I think is probably more then enough to glut the appetite of the electorate. I’ve done loads of debate in my time, loads and loads.” |
| Hunt said that while he was keen to avoid an overly brutal battle, he stood by his decision to term Johnson a “coward” for avoiding head-to-head events. | Hunt said that while he was keen to avoid an overly brutal battle, he stood by his decision to term Johnson a “coward” for avoiding head-to-head events. |
| “I have been asked about 1,000 times this week to make comments about Boris’s personal life and I have rejected every single one. But we do need to have a debate on very important issues,” he said. | “I have been asked about 1,000 times this week to make comments about Boris’s personal life and I have rejected every single one. But we do need to have a debate on very important issues,” he said. |
| “I do think we should have head-to-head debates and have these issues out, and I think we should have these debates before people cast their votes.” | “I do think we should have head-to-head debates and have these issues out, and I think we should have these debates before people cast their votes.” |
| Hunt stressed he would not challenge Johnson on personal issues in his life. “When we are in a constitutional crisis, frankly the biggest constitutional crisis of my lifetime, it demeans that competition if we start having huge discussions about people’s private lives. I think we should stick to the issue facing the country,” he said. | |
| As he did at a hustings the previous evening in Bournemouth, Johnson refused to rule out proroguing the House of Commons to stop MPs potentially blocking a no-deal Brexit, but said he was “certainly not attracted” to the idea. | As he did at a hustings the previous evening in Bournemouth, Johnson refused to rule out proroguing the House of Commons to stop MPs potentially blocking a no-deal Brexit, but said he was “certainly not attracted” to the idea. |
| Prorogation is the official term that marks the end of a parliamentary session. After being advised to do so by the prime minister, the Queen formally prorogues Parliament. This takes the form of an announcement in the House of Lords on the Queen's behalf. It is a speech, written by the government, which usually describes the bills which have been passed during that session, and summarises what has been achieved. | Prorogation is the official term that marks the end of a parliamentary session. After being advised to do so by the prime minister, the Queen formally prorogues Parliament. This takes the form of an announcement in the House of Lords on the Queen's behalf. It is a speech, written by the government, which usually describes the bills which have been passed during that session, and summarises what has been achieved. |
| It means that all work on existing legislation stops, and MPs and Lords stop sitting. Prorogation also automatically kills any bills, early day motions or questions to ministers going through parliament. | It means that all work on existing legislation stops, and MPs and Lords stop sitting. Prorogation also automatically kills any bills, early day motions or questions to ministers going through parliament. |
| Parliament can then be reopened a few days later with a fresh slate of legislation intentions, set out in a new Queen's Speech at the formal State Opening of Parliament. | Parliament can then be reopened a few days later with a fresh slate of legislation intentions, set out in a new Queen's Speech at the formal State Opening of Parliament. |
| “There are all sorts of things that remain on the table, but it’s a very big and capacious table,” Johnson said. | “There are all sorts of things that remain on the table, but it’s a very big and capacious table,” Johnson said. |
| He was asked how he could unify the party when a number of Conservative MPs had promised to consider backing a formal no-confidence vote in his government if it pursued a no-deal Brexit, among them the junior culture and digital minister, Margot James. | He was asked how he could unify the party when a number of Conservative MPs had promised to consider backing a formal no-confidence vote in his government if it pursued a no-deal Brexit, among them the junior culture and digital minister, Margot James. |
| Johnson said that in the first series of leadership votes, among Tory MPs, he had attracted, “much to the surprise of the pundits, the support of more than half of the parliamentary party”. | Johnson said that in the first series of leadership votes, among Tory MPs, he had attracted, “much to the surprise of the pundits, the support of more than half of the parliamentary party”. |
| He added: “Our team now has the backing of powerful, strong remain campaigners, as well as leavers. Dozens on either side. And they’re coming together because they want to get this thing done and they want to help deliver that modern, Conservative, progressive agenda.” | He added: “Our team now has the backing of powerful, strong remain campaigners, as well as leavers. Dozens on either side. And they’re coming together because they want to get this thing done and they want to help deliver that modern, Conservative, progressive agenda.” |
| In another part of the hustings, Johnson dismissed reports he had referred to the French as “turds”, saying: “I have no recollection of this comment. It’s not very well sourced, this story, but anyway.” | |
| In a controlled, cautious performance, Johnson gave away very little that was new. Asked by the host, Iain Dale, to reveal something about himself people did not know, Johnson said he weighed 15 and a half stone (98.5kg). | |
| Polling indicates that while Johnson remains notably more popular than Hunt among Conservative voters, he has fallen behind with the wider electorate. | |
| YouGov found voters overall prefer Hunt to Johnson by 41% to 29%. Among self-declared Tory voters, Johnson still leads by 48% to Hunt’s 39%. | |
| Hunt’s net approval rating among all voters – the balance of those who believe he would do a good job in No 10 against those who think he would not – is -14, up from -24 a fortnight ago. For Johnson, the figure is -33, down from -18. | |
| Anthony Wells, YouGov’s head of political research, said: “If the Conservatives are looking towards Boris Johnson as a magic election winner, the evidence is simply no longer there.” | Anthony Wells, YouGov’s head of political research, said: “If the Conservatives are looking towards Boris Johnson as a magic election winner, the evidence is simply no longer there.” |
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