Johnson will not launch 'guerilla warfare' against Sunak, allies say

Boris Johnson will not launch ‘guerilla warfare’ against Rishi Sunak in the wake of his exit from politics, allies say

• Mr Johnson would have been hit with a 90-day suspension if he didn’t resign
• He has dismissed the report as the ‘tripe’ conclusions of a ‘kangaroo court’

Boris Johnson will not launch a ‘jihad’ against Rishi Sunak in the wake of his explosive exit from politics, because he wants the Tories to win the next Election, allies of the former Prime Minister said last night.

Amid a concerted de-escalation of tensions between the two Tory big beasts, members of the Johnson camp said it was time to ‘band together’ ahead of tomorrow’s Commons vote on the findings of the Privileges Committee, which concluded that Mr Johnson had deliberately misled Parliament over lockdown parties in Downing Street, amounting to an ‘attack on our democratic institutions’. 

Johnson would have been hit with a 90-day suspension as punishment had he not resigned as an MP.

Mr Johnson has dismissed the report as the ‘tripe’ conclusions of a ‘kangaroo court’, but told his supporters not to vote against the motion, arguing that it is ‘an irrelevance’ with ‘no practical effect’.

A Boris ally said: ‘There will be no jihad against No 10, no guerrilla warfare. It is all calming down now – Boris wants the Tories to win.’

Boris Johnson will not launch a ‘jihad’ against Rishi Sunak in the wake of his explosive exit from politics

Johnson would have been hit with a 90-day suspension as punishment had he not resigned as an MP

Conservative whips have told MPs there will be a one-line whip, meaning no sanction for missing the vote. Most Tory MPs are expected to abstain.

Downing Street declined to say whether Mr Sunak would attend, but he is expected to use the excuse of a meeting with his Swedish counterpart to dodge the vote.

As Mr Johnson has already quit, the proposed 90-day suspension cannot take effect. However, the committee has called for Mr Johnson to be banned from holding the Parliamentary pass usually granted to ex-MPs.

Tory MP Sir James Duddridge told Sky News: ‘Boris’s view has changed. I spoke to him and he said the vote is not going to make any difference and it’s time to come together and move on. 

We want to turn down the temperature and calm down. I don’t think there’s going to be a vote. Very few people are going to turn up because it’s only a one-line whip.’

Ex-Cabinet Minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg called the committee ‘foolish’, saying: ‘My biggest objection to this whole report is that it looks like it was not impartial.’ He called the proposed 90-day ban ‘obviously vindictive’.

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