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Boris Johnson has sugegsted that Rishi Sunak should cut taxes to “get the economy growing again” – even though the prime minister has repeatedly said his priority is bringing down inflation and the UK’s debt.
In a surprising intervention, the former prime minister, who last year was forced to quit after a series of scandals, said he had “no doubt” his successor would reduce the burden of taxes, suggesting doing so would win the Tory party the next election.
Mr Johnson said: “The fiscal position was pretty robust when I left office – we had scope to do all sorts of things and we were going to do them and I have no doubt that, when the time comes, the government will make sure that they start to reduce the tax burden and get the economy growing again. That is what needs to happen.
“We need to be on the front foot out there talking about the benefits of Brexit, not being shy about it, not being bashful, and getting some growth back into the economy.”
In a televised interview with die-hard ally Nadine Dorries, he predicted inflation would come down and the economy would improve before the next election.
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And he claimed the Conservatives could “certainly” win the next election against “human bollard” Keir Starmer – even though the Tories are at least 20 points behind in the polls.
“We’ve got almost two years to go before there has to be an election,” the former PM said – in a hint that he wanted to return to lead his party.
Mr Johnson slated the Labour leader as a “crasheroony-snoozefest” leading a party that “would be gravitationaly sucked back towards the EU”.
Hitting out at the Labour front bench, Mr Johnson said the UK had been indispensible to Ukraine and questioned whether that support would continue under Labour.
But offered the chance to support his successor Rishi Sunak, he swerved the question.
In the recorded interview on TalkTV with, he recalled Tony Blair’s popularity in the 1997 election, saying it was possible to feel voters wanting Mr Blair, but that wasn’t happening with Mr Starmer.
“Sir Crasheroony-Snoozefest the human bollard – Keir Starmer, that is – he thinks that he’s going to get people to vote Labour just by standing there and doing nothing. It’s not going to happen,” he said.
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Mr Johnson also accused anyone who suspected he deliberately covered up Covid lockdown parties in No 10 of being “out of their mind”, saying the claim was “strictly for the birds”.
He claimed that he and his staff all thought what they were doing was within the rules.
The Commons Privileges Committee is investigating him for allegedly lying to parliament over lockdown breaches.
Ms Dorries has previously urged the Tories to “bring back Boris or die”, describing him as “our political rock star”, and Mr Johnson is believed to have recommended her for a peerage.
Mr Johnson also used the interview to make a plea to the West to send more arms to Ukraine.
He said on a recent visit to the country, he saw the continuing barbarism of what “merciless” Vladimir Putin was doing, with residential flats obliterated by Russia “as an act of terrorism”.
“It wouldn’t be a bad thing if we gave more tanks ourselves,” he said. Ukraine needed longer-range artillery, armoured vehicles and high-speed planes.
“Heroic” Ukrainians fighting for their homes and land had more “moral energy” than conscripted Russians, he said, ruling out the prospect that President Putin would win.
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His use of a nuclear weapon was “vanishingly unlikely”, Mr Johnson said.
He has used his free time since quitting No 10 to build a garage and make a miniature quad bike for his children, he said.
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