London: Civil war erupted in the Tory Party last night after Boris Johnson accused George Osborne of lying about urging him to make a Commons comeback.
Supporters of the London Mayor claimed the Chancellor’s camp was engaging in a “dirty tricks plot” to wreck his hopes of becoming Conservative leader — and boost Osborne’s own ambitions for the job
The simmering “Boris versus George” leadership feud burst into the open over reports that Osborne had “delivered personally” a message to Johnson that David Cameron wants him to stand as a parliamentary candidate at the next Election.
The aim was said to be to force Johnson to prove his loyalty by “pinning his political fate to that of the Prime Minister”. But it sparked a fierce backlash from Johnson.
A well-placed source says that, when he was told Osborne had approached him about the matter, the Mayor exclaimed: “Bull****! There has been no such conversation. They are trying to tie me in.”
Johnson believes the manoeuvre is a ploy to ensure he gets equal blame if the Tories lose power, and make it easier for Osborne to beat him in a subsequent race to succeed Cameron.
There is a growing rift between the two men, now seen as the main candidates in the race to succeed Cameron in the event of a Tory flop at the next Election.
And the row is set to intensify as Johnson will address Conservative Election candidates at a reception in the Commons tomorrow.
Johnson has made no secret of his desire to return to the Commons, but the timing of his return is seen as a crucial factor in determining whether he can win the Tory crown.
The Mayor fears that if he stands at the next Election — or even before by contesting a by-election — and the Conservatives lose, he will be “tainted”, along with all others involved in the campaign.
Instead, he intended to wait until after the Election and make a quick Commons return in a by-election — in time to throw his hat into the ring if Cameron steps down.
Until recently, Johnson was seen as frontrunner in the Conservative leadership stakes. But Osborne’s success with the economy has changed that and he is now seen as a serious contender.
Tory MPs say arch political tactician Osborne has built up a formidable covert leadership team, including potential leadership running mate Michael Gove, the education secretary.
He could rely on support from close friend Cameron, who has always regarded fellow Old Etonian Johnson with suspicion.
Johnson’s allies say high-flying Business Minister Matthew Hancock, a protege of Osborne, is a key figure in behind-the-scenes plotting — but he denies it.
An ally of the Mayor said: “This is nothing to do with party loyalty and everything to do with Osborne and Cameron trying to destabilise Boris.
“He saw it coming a mile off. They want to make sure that if the Tories lose, Boris gets as much flak as they do and can’t stand as leader as a ‘break with the failed Cameron-Osborne regime’.
“Boris can play a full part in the Election campaign regardless of whether he stands in the General Election. This is a clumsy attempt to con him into doing it, with inevitable claims that he can’t wait for Cameron to fail, or falsely accuse him of disloyalty if he doesn’t stand.”
One of Boris’s admirers said: “If the Conservatives lose the Election, the Tory faithful will be begging Boris to come back as their saviour and he will be unbeatable. That is what worries Osborne.”
Another MP close to Johnson claimed the Osborne-Gove camp were trying to trick Johnson into leading the Tory campaign against UKIP’s Nigel Farage “because they know it would lose Boris votes in any Tory leadership contest...Boris isn’t daft”.
Allies of Osborne denied the Chancellor was plotting against Johnson. “There is nothing in this,” said one. “The Prime Minister has already said he wants Boris to be an MP. Someone is making mischief.”
Johnson’s friends say he has yet to decide when he will return to the Commons. His term as London Mayor runs until 2016 but, theoretically, there is nothing to stop him serving as Mayor and an MP simultaneously, as his Labour predecessor Ken Livingstone did for part of his two terms as Mayor.
There is no doubt that the Boris charm offensive has already started.
At tomorrow night’s Parliamentary Candidates Evening he will have a chance to win over many of those set to become MPs after the 2015 Election. But one of those invited said: “It’s a bit confusing for us, because we see him as a potential rival for some of the best seats.”
The growing rivalry between Johnson and Osborne has led to the creation of two gangs of rival Tory MPs, the Friends of Boris (FOBS) and the Friends of George (FOGS), including Deputy Chief Whip Greg Hands and Tory MPs Harriett Baldwin and Nadhim Zahawi.
FOGS make risque jokes about Johnson’s bumbling image and messy private life; FOBS counter by gossiping about why the Chancellor has adopted a new haircut — and whether the colour is natural.
One FOB sarcastically complained: “Osborne is trying to make sure the proceeds of growth go straight into his leadership account”.
The Osborne-Johnson rivalry spilled over last autumn when both men travelled to China at the same time, and Boris’s team accused Osborne of trying to cut him out of key events.
Nadine Dorries, one of the few Tory MPs to publicly back Boris, has likened him to a famous beer advert, saying, “Boris is our Heineken. He reaches parts of the electorate other politicians fail to reach.”
She added that any leadership contest would be “inconceivable” without Johnson.
