Boris Johnson hails Tory election win in Clwyd South despite party losing seat

Foreign Secretary was arguing that Labour's numbers were weak

Mr Johnson rebutted rumours he wanted Ms May to resign: 'Get a grip' (PA)

Boris Johnson said he was "delighted" the Tories won the seat of Clwyd South – which the Tories did not win – in an article to prove Jeremy Corbyn lost the election.

The gaffe occurred as the Foreign Secretary told readers of The Sun newspaper that Tory MPs were united behind Theresa May and Labour’s surge in the votes was not enough to challenge their victory.

“But at the risk of stating the obvious, Jeremy Corbyn Did Not Win This Election. He didn’t even come close. Yes, he picked up Kensington – but then he also lost Mansfield,” wrote Mr Johnson.

“I am delighted to see that we Tories have just won Clwyd South – the seat where I was first defeated in the great Blair landslide of 1997.”

Labour’s Susan Elan Jones won the constituency on 8 June, beating Conservative candidate Simon Baynes by more than 4,000 votes.

The paragraph was later deleted from the article.

Mr Johnson’s article continued: “For all his ludicrous boasting, Mr Corbyn does not have the numbers to form a government, even if he could get the Liberals and the Scottish Nationalists to serve under him.

“He has about as many MPs as Gordon Brown when he was defeated in 2010.”

He added: “To those that say the PM should step down, or that we need another election or even - God help us - a second referendum, I say come off it. Get a grip, everyone.”

Last week Labour defied the polls and the pundits and gained 34 seats, leaving the Tories short of an overall majority.

Ms May went quickly to Buckingham Palace to announce a deal with the DUP, the socially conservative Northern Ireland party.

As Tory MPs such as Anna Soubry suggested Ms May should resign, a group Whatsapp conversation between Tory MPs was leaked to the media, which showed they were backing up the Prime Minister.

“Folks we need to calm down and get behind the prime minister,” he wrote, listing eight reasons why, including that Ms May was a “woman of extraordinary qualities”.

The leaked conversation followed another Daily Mail article stating Mr Johnson was planning a bid for Prime Minister.

“Mail on Sunday tripe - I am backing Theresa may. Let's get on with the job,” he responded on Twitter.

Mr Johnson consistently attacked Mr Corbyn during the campaign, including criticising the opposition leader for voting against the same anti-terrorism measures as he had.

During a Radio 4 interview, host Mishal Husain to tell him to “please stop talking” as he had mentioned former shadow home secretary Diane Abbott several times.