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Boris Johnson’s biggest problem isn’t the Tory leadership race – it’s how to emerge unscathed from Brexit

The maze before him is the kind even the canniest of political operators would find near impossible to navigate

John Rentoul
Tuesday 11 June 2019 09:22 BST
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Tory leadership race: Boris Johnson in profile

They can’t hide Boris away forever,” one MP who supports a rival candidate said to me. Most of the MPs I speak to in Westminster launch into a similar conversation without prompting, whichever candidate they support, and that includes MPs of other parties.

They all know that Boris Johnson’s handlers are trying to keep him out of the public eye as much as possible. As the favourite, he has most to lose from scrutiny. His campaign so far has been orderly, disciplined and effective.

A campaign video, of edited snatches of Johnson canvassing on the streets of Peterborough, showed the candidate talking quietly and naturally to voters, who responded well to his advances.

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