'He was never the answer and just wanted to say "I told you so"': Boris' ex-adviser launches blistering attack
24 October 2022, 08:14 | Updated: 24 October 2022, 08:18
Will Walden: Boris was never the answer and he won't be back
Boris Johnson only wanted the job as Prime Minister to say 'I told you so' and he never had the support from enough his fellow MPs, his former adviser has told LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast.
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Will Walden, former Director of Communications and official spokesman for Boris Johnson when he was Mayor of London, said it was the "right thing" for Mr Johnson to withdraw from the Tory leadership contest before launching a scathing attack on his former boss.
"I think his decision is the right thing for the country and I'm frankly relieved that this soap opera is over," he said.
"I said last week to you that he'd only run if he could win and that ultimately it's all about him, and he never had the support - that's quite clear.
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"And he shouldn't have even encouraged the thought that he'd run with others.
"I don't even believe he really wanted to job back for anything other than being able to say 'look, I told you so'."
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He said there was "no evidence" that Mr Johnson had changed in the six weeks since formally resigning as Prime Minister, and said he had "no plan" for the country.
He then doubled down and said he "displayed a startling lack of awareness even by Boris' standards" by thinking he would be welcomed back.
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"I think that was hubristic in the extreme," he said.
"He wasn't the answer then, he isn't now, and he won't be in the future."
He then said he did not believe Mr Johnson would ever be Prime Minister again.
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He also said Mr Johnson had "let down" his colleagues who supported him - particularly Nadhim Zahawi, who published an article in the Telegraph supporting the former PM at the same as he announced he was withdrawing,
"The only people he's let down this time are the 50 or so colleagues who went public and went over the top for him, and extraordinary some like Cabinet ministers Nadhim Zahawi and James Cleverly went over the top at the very moment he was pulling out of this contest," he said.
"They were publishing opinion pieces in newspapers saying that he was the man to lead the country.
"And a lot of them clearly are angry at what they now see as meaningless promises."
Read more: Who's backing who in the race to be Tory leader and PM - live tracker
There are two remaining candidates in the race to be Britain's next Prime Minister - Rishi Sunak, who finished second in the last contest, and Penny Mordaunt.
Mr Sunak has already secured the 100 votes needed.
If Ms Mordaunt does not reach the threshold by this afternoon, Mr Sunak will automatically become Prime Minister.
But if she secures support from enough MPs, it will go to a vote for part members later in the week.
