Rupert Murdoch 'increasingly unhappy' with Boris Johnson after exams chaos
22 August 2020, 15:50
Rupert Murdoch 'increasingly unhappy' with Boris Johnson
A former colleague of Rupert Murdoch has said the media tycoon is growing "increasingly unhappy" with Boris Johnson after he was discovered on holiday amid the A-Level crisis.
Although the Prime Minister still enjoys support from Mr Murdoch, the former editor of the News of the World newspaper Neil Wallis believes the right-wing media is beginning to show hostility.
Citing articles in the Murdoch-owned Times newspaper, LBC host Maajid Nawaz questioned whether the media tycoon was changing his mind about the Conservative Party leadership.
Mr Wallis said: "No I don't believe that, but I think he's very unhappy - increasingly unhappy - with the disappearance of Boris Johnson.
"I think his lack of apparent grip is upsetting a large part of the so-called right-wing media.
"You have a look at the Daily Mail today - for the last two or three days they have stuck hobnail boots into Boris Johnson.
"Yes it has been focussed on the situation with the exam results but it's not just about that."
The powerful media tycoon and his newspapers are seen as a having significant influence over the outcome of election results, with most of his platforms known for backing the Conservatives and frequently attacking opposition parties.
One of his papers - the Sunday Times - backed Brexit and supported Boris Johnson's leadership bid, but since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic it has written damning feature-length pieces about his perceived incompetency during the crisis.
Mr Wallis said: "Everything is portrayed as a singular lack of faith and confidence in the Boris Johnson administration.
"Incidentally it is not a feeling that's replicated in opinion polls but the media play it as they want to."
