In an emotional recounting of her brother Boris’ tenure as prime minister, Rachel Johnson defended him and praised his “drive, intelligence, and energy” as he set out to fulfil his “childhood ambition” of becoming “world king.”
The LBC host discussed the PM’s admission that he had no other choice after ministers and MPs compelled Mr. Johnson to announce his resignation last Thursday.
However, not everyone was moved by her emotional defence of his performance in Number 10, with one tweeter suggesting that the “delusional” presenter “should stick to doing her sobbing at home.”
After Russia invaded Ukraine, she praised her brother for “setting the west’s course” and “steering the country through the Covid pandemic” while “conveying his own belief of what it is to be British.”
Her emotional response comes this week as the race to succeed Mr. Johnson as Tory leader — and ultimately as prime minister — begins in earnest.
Following the declaration of 11 candidates, including the former chancellor Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid, and Priti Patel’s serious consideration of joining them to make it a twelve, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss joined the battle today.
Mrs. Johnson, 56, recounted the “rise and fall” of her brother who “nearly” fulfilled the goal he had held since he was two years old: to be the “world king.”
She said: ‘I haven’t deliberately been listening to much of the vindictiveness, the dancing on the grave, the spitting on the grave and I’m not listening to those who have made a good listening out of Boris bashing. I’m not here to praise him and I’m not here to bury him – just to say a few simple things from the heart as his sister.
‘Let me tell you a story as Rishi’s slick promotional video started, lets say the rise and fall of Boris in a way that a small child might understand.
‘Once upon a time there was a little boy who dreamt of becoming world king, he first said that when he was two, and actually almost achieved his ambition.
‘He wasn’t rich in wealth, his privilege was in his education, his intelligence, his drive, his energy, and he set about achieving his childhood ambitions, including writing a number one bestseller, which he did with his book: The Churchill Factor: How One Man Made History.
She made reference to Partygate and how Mr. Johnson will celebrate his 56th birthday in June 2020 in the cabinet room with a modest gathering and cake.
The journalist said ‘many of his friends and enemies didn’t think he should have had a birthday cake on his birthday in his own house, which was also his workplace.
‘Many of his frenemies didn’t think he should bid farewell to loyal colleagues in that workplace, that was also his house.’
Speaking on LBC, Mrs Johnson added: ‘He had many children and women, which he loved very much, he won the Tory’s a whopping 80 seat majority and a fourth general election victory.
‘Like it or not, many of those 14 million votes were cast as he was captain of the ship, he was Prime Minister during both COP26 last year in Glasgow and the G7 summit in Cornwall.
‘He steered the country through the pandemic and set the west’s course on the war in Ukraine and he also conveyed his own belief that to be born British or become British as we Johnson’s did in the early part of the last century, was to win first prize in the lottery of life.
‘Many of his frenemies and many others think he shouldn’t have given a bad boy called Chris Pincher a second chance in the whips office or even any chance – and they are entitled to those views as I am to mine.’
After more than 50 members of Parliament, including some of his most devoted Cabinet ministers and the recently appointed Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi, openly demanded that Mr. Johnson go, Mr. Johnson announced his resignation.
The presenter quipped: ‘Who knew we had so many ministers and trade envoys on payroll? What did they all do and how an earth did they get their jobs?’
She added: ‘They thought he was too big for his boots and it was all too much about Boris and again, they are entitled to their view.
‘I began to feel some former press secretaries and former cabinet ministers had Boris derangement syndrome – I don’t blame them, the last few years have all been about one politician.’
‘They weren’t angry about the necessary bankrupting of economy during Covid, money our children and grandchildren will pay for until they die. They weren’t angry about Covid restrictions. But they were angry about the alleged groping of Mr Pincher at a private club in London and the Rwanda asylum policy.
‘But whether that’s a fairytale or not – isn’t that how you’d explain it to your children?’
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