‘Shut Up And Go Away’: Tory MP Issues Stinging Rebuke To Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson should “shut up and go away” and let Rishi Sunak get on with being prime minister, a Tory MP has said.

Tim Loughton said Johnson and his supporters need to “let the grown ups in government” lead the country rather than trying to undermine the prime minister.

His comments came after Johnson dramatically resigned as an MP claiming Sunak’s administration was “afraid to be a properly Conservative government”.

The former prime minister also claimed he had been the victim of a “witch hunt” after the privileges committee found him guilty of lying to parliament over partygate.

Speaking to Times Radio, Loughton – a Brexiteer like Johnson – said: “My hopes for the future of Boris Johnson is that he will shut up and go away and let us get on with the business of running the country.

“Boris is no longer the prime minister. He hasn’t been prime minister for some time. His sad demise was brought about entirely at his own doing, frankly. And he’s now decided unilaterally to leave parliament before the report on him has actually been published and voted on and now appears to be blaming the prime minister for some sort of plot. 

“I’m a Conservative member of parliament. I’m not a member of the Boris party on which I was elected. And frankly, the mob – the mates of Boris –  need to remember they are Conservative MPs, that we will have a shared endeavour to try and get the Conservative government re-elected.”

Loughton, MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, said Sunak was “constantly having to face this baggage and the legacy left by Boris and others when he needs to be able to get on with the job of running the country in difficult circumstances”.

He added: “If it weren’t for all these noises off he’d be doing an even better job. 

“So, Boris, thank you very much for your service. Now just keep quiet and let the grown ups in government, who want to do government, which our people desperately need them to do government, get on with that job.”

Loughton’s remarks followed energy secretary Grant Shapps saying “the world has moved on” from Johnson.

Johnson has accused Sunak of removing his close allies Nadine Dorries and Nigel Adams nominees from his resignation honours list.

That has been strenuously denied by Downing Street, who say the PM followed convention by signing off the list that had been approved by the House of Lords Appointments Commission (Holac).

Like Johnson, both Dorries and Adams have announced that they are quitting parliament immediately, meaning Sunak faces three crunch by-elections in the weeks ahead.