Boris Johnson Wins Cheers From Tories Amid Private-Life Turmoil
Published Date: 6/23/2019
Source: news.yahoo.com
(Bloomberg) -- Follow @Brexit on Twitter, join our Facebook group and sign up to our Brexit Bulletin.Boris Johnson pitched his bid for U.K. prime minister to Conservative Party members and drew cheers when he dodged questions about a spat with his partner that brought the police to his London home.Front-runner Johnson and his opponent Jeremy Hunt made their opening appeals to grass-roots Tories on Saturday at a hustings, or political roadshow, that focused attention on Johnson’s character. The two candidates will crisscross Britain seeking to become party leader before a membership ballot in July that’ll point the way to Prime Minister Theresa May’s replacement.Johnson’s first appearance came a day after officers were called to the home he shares with Carrie Symonds early Friday, about six hours since his confirmation as front-runner in the race to succeed May, who is also Tory party leader.On Saturday, he arrived to whoops and cheers from supporters in the hall at Birmingham. The host, journalist Iain Dale, soon asked him about the incident. When Johnson dodged and then said he wouldn’t discuss the matter, some Tory activists in the audience booed the host and shouted for him to move on.Johnson, who opened the event saying he’s “the right man to unleash” on European Union negotiators, sought to steer the discussion back to the U.K.’s exit from the bloc.“People are entitled to ask about me and my determination, my character and what I want to do for the country,” he said. “Let me just tell you that when I make a promise in politics, about what I’m going to do, I keep that promise and I deliver.”Hunt, the U.K. foreign secretary, presented himself as a safer choice to negotiate Brexit.“If we send the wrong person, catastrophe awaits,” he told the audience, in a jibe at the more mercurial Johnson. “If we send the wrong person, there will be no negotiation, no trust, possibly no deal and maybe no Brexit if Parliament stops it.”No-Deal OptionHaving campaigned to stay in the EU during the 2016 referendum campaign, Hunt was forced to prove his commitment to delivering Brexit to an audience of Conservatives who are more determined to leave the EU than the general population.Talks are “not going to be easy” but “it’s not impossible either,” because a deal is in both sides’ interests, Hunt said. He swiped at Johnson, saying “a responsible prime minister should aim for a deal.”Johnson argued that “with the right energy and the right commitment, common sense will prevail.” At the same time, “we must also be prepared for a no-deal Brexit,” he said. “That is how we will get the deal we want.”Latest polls were mixed for the two candidates. A ComRes survey of 510 Conservative councillors for the Sunday Telegraph newspaper showed 61% intended to vote for Johnson. A separate Mail on Sunday and Survation poll of 1,000 adults -- not only those able to vote in the leadership race -- found Hunt has overtaken his rival. Among those who identified as Conservative supporters, Johnson’s lead had decreased since Thursday.(Updates to add newspaper polls in final paragraph.)\--With assistance from Lucy Meakin.To contact the reporter on this story: Kitty Donaldson in London at [email protected] contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at [email protected], Tony Czuczka, Anil VarmaFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.