Boris Johnson hustings: Flustered would-be PM laughs off Tory takedown threat after dodging questions on police incident
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Tory leadership frontrunner Boris Johnson repeatedly refused to answer questions about police being called to his flat as he took part in the first run-off hustings to become the next prime minister.
Police officers were alerted early on Friday to an incident at the home Mr Johnson shares with partner Carrie Symonds, after neighbours said there had been a loud altercation involving screaming, shouting and banging.
Pressed on the incident as he faced an audience of Tory members in Birmingham, Mr Johnson said: “I don’t think they want to hear about that kind of thing.”
When asked by hustings moderator Iain Dale whether a person’s private life has any bearing on someone’s ability to discharge the office of prime minister, the crowd booed and Mr Johnson said: “Don’t boo the great man.”
Mr Johnson added: “I’ve tried to give my answer pretty exhaustively.
“I think what people want to know is whether I have the determination and the courage to deliver on the commitments that I’m making, and it will need a lot of grit right now.
“People are entitled to ask about me and my determination, my character and what I want to do for the country.”
Mr Johnson was taking part in the leadership event with foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt as the two men battle to win the support of 160,000 Tory party members who will choose the next prime minister.
Mr Hunt warned “catastrophe awaits” if the wrong person if sent to Brussels to negotiate Brexit. He said: “If we send the wrong person there’s going to be no negotiation, no trust, no deal, and if Parliament stops that, maybe no Brexit.
“Send the right person and there’s a deal to be done. Send that right person and we can do what we all need to do, which is come back with something positive for our country. And that’s what I want to do.”
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Ahead of his big showdown with Boris Johnson, Jeremy Hunt has popped in for a traditional tandoori mixed grill in Birmingham’s so-called Balti Triangle.
The foreign secretary dropped into Imrans on Sparkbrook’s Ladypool Road, chatting with head chef Usman Afzal Butt and co-owners Irfaan Afzal Butt, Asif Mehmood, and Imran Afzal Butt.
After being shown how to make a lamb achari, Mr Hunt sat down to talk with young party members. Restaurant co-owner Mr Mehmood, a Conservative Party member, remained tight-lipped about whether he would back Mr Hunt or Mr Johnson.
“It’s a big honour for us to have the Foreign Secretary here. Whoever is the leader of the party, I think they would be good for the country. They both have a good view on Brexit and they would both offer good quality leadership.”
Jeremy Hunt even found time to roll his own naan bread ahead of this afternoon’s hustings event.
Jeremy Hunt at Imrans in the Sparkhill area (PA)
Tory MP and Brexit minister James Cleverly has had his say on the Boris Johnson domestic row, suggesting the police should not have been called.
Hustings host Iain Dale has begun speaking, explaining the format and getting ready to introduce Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt.
Tory MP Michael Fabricant has also offered some thoughts, although he appears to have confused Islington with the Camberwell area where Boris Johnson is currently sharing a flat with his partner.
Boris Johnson will speak first, then Jeremy Hunt, then 30 minutes of questions from Iain Dale and Conservative party members. We are promised campaign videos too.
The Boris Johnson campaign video shows him visiting people on the doorstep and promising that “deal or no deal we’ll come out on October 31”. He says he wants to “unite our country”. And here's the man himself...
Boris Johnson starts his speech by saying it’s “dark days for our party”, talking about dire Tory poll numbers, saying the Lib Dems and the Brexit Party are “feeding on the decay of the two main parties”. But, he says, “the hour is darkest before dawn”. He says he can defeat Jeremy Corbyn.
Johnson says he doesn’t welcome a no deal Brexit, but, “we must prepare to come out anyway … and we must prepare to come out on WTO terms.”
He says he can “end the sense of drift and indecision” and deliver Britain’s exit from the EU.
Johnson is now attacking Jeremy Corbyn. “Let’s keep Corbyn out,” he says.
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