Boris Johnson has claimed that the decision to remove him as Conservative leader was a “terrible mistake,” suggesting his party acted irrationally when he was ousted in July 2022.
Reflecting on the series of events that led to his resignation, the former Prime Minister argued that his removal was a result of what he called an “outbreak of irrationality” within the Tories.
He described their decision as the “wrong calculation,” particularly given the party’s current struggle in opposition.
During an interview with GB News, Mr Johnson pointed to the 80-seat majority the Conservatives secured under his leadership in the 2019 general election, contrasting it with the party’s recent difficulties.
He said: “If you really push me to say, was it all a terrible mistake to kick me out?
Boris Johnson speaking to Camilla Tominey (Image: GB News)
“Yes, I think it was and I think it was a goof.”
His departure followed a series of high-profile scandals, including Partygate and the Chris Pincher affair, which triggered mass resignations from his Cabinet.
One of the most significant blows came from Rishi Sunak, now the Tory leader, whose resignation helped spark the chain of events that led to Johnson’s downfall.
In retrospect, Mr Johnson believes these scandals were overblown, particularly the partygate controversy, which involved illegal gatherings in Downing Street during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Boris Johnson was pushed about his feelings towards the Conservative Party (Image: GB News)
In his upcoming book Unleashed, he even retracts the apology he initially made for Partygate, admitting that he now views his response as “pathetic” and “grovelling.”
Mr Johnson says he regrets offering such an apology, especially in the face of what he believes were exaggerated accusations that unfairly targeted officials working under extreme pressure.
He has since argued that his blanket apology only fuelled public anger, which has lingered despite his efforts to explain the situation.
Speaking to ITV News, he defended his position, stating that while he had faced “the full force of people’s anger and indignation” over the last few years, he felt many of the criticisms were unjustified.
Boris Johnson resigned as PM in July, 2022 (Image: GETTY)
Challenged on his change of tone in an ITV News interview on Friday, Mr Johnson said: “What I was trying to say there was, I think that the blanket apology – the sort of apology I issued right at the beginning – I think the trouble with it was that afterwards, all the accusations that then rained down on officials who’d been working very hard in Number 10 and elsewhere were thought to be true.”
He added: “You can’t say that I haven’t been exposed over the last few years to the full force of people’s anger and indignation.”
Despite the controversies, Johnson emphasised his legacy, highlighting key achievements such as the successful vaccine rollout during the pandemic.
He suggests that, had he remained in power, the party might not be in its current challenging position.
Looking back, he insisted the decision to force him out was a misjudgement by the Conservative Party – one for he believes they are now paying the price for as they head into opposition.
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Bridget Phillipson has just displayed such outrageous hypocrisy I’m ready to explode
Express reporter Mieka Smiles is not impressed with Bridget Phillipson (Image: Getty)
Let’s get this out of the way first: I was a comprehensive school kid. My children now attend the same state-funded secondary school as I did – and both are doing well.
But, despite this, I have found myself a fierce defender of private schools as they face being absolutely walloped with a whopping tax bill under Labour.
In fact it’s so vast that their intake of pupils is already starting to plummet as parents fret about rocketing fees that the schools will need to pass on.
The new Labour government reckons that their money grab will mean a better funded state sector. However, as there’s already been an exodus of 10,000 children heading for taxpayer-funded education before it’s even implemented, my prognosis is that it’s a wholly ideological policy, dripping with the politics of envy and nothing more.
Nowhere was this evidenced so clearly than with a statement made by the current Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson, this weekend.
It was so unfitting of a Government minister that I was left reeling. Freebie-loving Phillipson – who is supposed to be looking out for the education of all children in this country – bashed out a tweet that, ironically, made it sound like she was still a student of politics herself.
She shared an article by ‘i’ about private schools which claimed that some may need to start offering a no “frills” option without as many extras such as big ticket sporting facilities and posh stationery.
Her tweet said: “Our state schools need teachers more than private schools need embossed stationery. Our children need mental health support more than private schools need new pools. Our students need careers advice more than private schools need AstroTurf pitches.”
It’s fair to say her post went down as well as her acceptance of her Lord Alli-sponsored 40th birthday “event” or her car crash interview, where she looked like she was going to spontaneously combust when asked about snatching a free Taylor Swift ticket for her and her child.
In my experience lefty zealots like Phillipson have a totally warped view of private schools in their tiny minds. They imagine they’re all a Hogwarts-esque version of Eton, crammed with malevolent posh boys in top hats and tails, with parents who could buy them a little island for Christmas.
But her view is so scarily ignorant – and even more so when it’s coming from the woman now in charge of the Department for Education.
She’s wrong because many parents – including some I know – actually struggle to send their children to private schools. They make sacrifices, take on extra jobs and have their stress levels pushed to the max worrying about mammoth school fees, set to increase even further under her Government.
Others have chosen an independent school as it suits their child with special needs better, hence why the policy faces an upcoming challenge in the courts.
Let’s not also forget that Labour’s ill-thought out policy will also rob talented children from deprived backgrounds of scholarships, as many private schools are forced to drastically reign in spending. This is beyond depressing.
This spirit of generosity from some private schools is also why I have a special gripe with those who take aim at Eton.
When I was deputy mayor of Middlesbrough the world-famous school of excellence wanted to help fund and develop a selective college in our area, which has pockets of some of the worst deprivation in the country.
It was a win-win for everyone as our talented children perform well at GCSE, but not as well at A-Level. Unbelievably the local Labour councillors couldn’t wrap their heads around the concept and simply saw it as an attack on their feeble creeds about class.
But, even putting aside those special cases, if you’ve worked bloody hard and see fit to prioritise your child’s education then, as a free country, that should not be sneered at, but actively encouraged.
It is the right of parents to choose how they want their children to be educated – not up to dogma driven idiots, including the current education secretary Bridget Phillipson, who is proud to be peddling a ‘them vs us’ rhetoric.
Surely Phillipson – who was all too happy to give her own child a leg up by the way of a free Taylor Swift ticket – should understand the natural motivation of parents who want the best for their children perfectly.
Or, perhaps, it’s what seems to be playing out with the rest of this Labour government: one rule for them and another altogether for the rest of us.
