Boris Johnson’s ex-girlfriend Petronella Wyatt has said he is in a “mess of his own making” after a rebellion from almost half of his MPs.
The journalist, who once had an affair with the prime minsiter while he was editor of The Spectator, appeared on the ITV Good Morning Britain with Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley.
“He’s very much a people pleaser, which leads to all sorts of problems in government, because he makes promises he can’t keep, he makes enemies of MPs,” Ms Wyatt said.
“While you can do that in your personal life, it catches up with you in politics.”
Ms Wyatt hesitated at the question of whether Mr Johnson is liar, saying he “doesn’t intend to,” adding “he lies to get out of difficult situations at work.” She also admitted that he was in the “wrong job.”
Petronella Wyatt is a former colleague of Boris Johnson
“He hates confrontation. He hates rows. He doesn’t like telling people anything unpleasant. In politics you have to be more grown up about it and you have to grit your teeth in the way Margaret Thatcher did, in the way John Major, [Tony] Blair and even Theresa May,” she said.
“His qualities are very endearing but they’re not necessarily the qualities of a great prime minister.”
She added: “I actually did predict it wouldn’t end well. The qualities that made him a very good journalist are not the qualities you need in a prime minister, because it’s a hard slog and he never liked detail.
“The other thing is I wouldn’t say he was lazy, but being PM does involve a 14 hour day, which isn’t really him. He gets bored with things quite quickly.”
When asked if Mr Johnson could win the next election, Ms Wyatt replied: “Absolutely not,” adding that she feels sorry for him and that he’s in a “horrible position” and “on the ropes.” Without divulging much of their previous personal relationship, she added that the prime minister has a “soft core” and would be “upset” about the criticism angled towards him.
Ms Wyatt said the prime minister is sensitive to criticism
She said: “He’s a bit of an enigma. He’s surprisingly vulnerable. It’s very hard not to be fond of him, because his instincts are basically decent, but he’s very much his own worst enemy.”
It comes as Mr Johnson faces pressure from disgruntled backbench MPs who voted no-confidence in him in Monday’s vote. His own strategist is concerned the prime minister doesn’t have “enough fight in him” for the next general election, Westminster insiders have told The Independent.
David Canzini, deputy chief of staff at No 10, has privately expressed concerns about Mr Johnson’s ability and dedication to fighting a nationwide campaign in the next two years. Sources told The Independent that he is worried Mr Johnson has not understood the scale of the battle on his hands and is too complacent about his prospects of winning a fresh mandate.
