Boris Johnson said Sir Keir Starmer isn’t doing enough to win Labour votes (Picture: TalkTV/Shutterstock)
Boris Johnson endured a ‘grilling’ by his loyal ex-employee Nadine Dorries on her new chat show.
The former culture secretary is launching her TalkTV sitdown programme next month, with her old boss lined up as the first guest.
During the segment, the former prime minister claimed the country will be ‘gravitationally sucked back into the orbit of the EU’ if Sir Keir Starmer gets to No 10.
While he attacked the Labour Party’s stance on Brexit, he insisted the opposition would overlook the so-called opportunities of the country’s withdrawal from the European Union if it were to come into power, according to The Sun.
‘I think that you’d have a very interesting situation, they would be gravitationally sucked back into the orbit of the EU,’ Mr Johnson said, in his first significant interview since leaving Downing Street.
‘I think it would be very wrong for the country. It would lose us a lot of opportunities that we currently have.
Mr Johnson accused Sir Keir of being idle and dull, saying he would not win votes for Labour by ‘doing nothing’.
‘Old Sir Crasheroonie 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.’
Despite the Tories’ plummeting position in the polls, he was adamant it could emerge victorious in the next election scheduled at the end of 2024.
‘The fact is that the Conservative Party can certainly win the next election,’ he said.
Nadine Dorries faced allegations she breached the ministerial code with her new talk show venture (Picture: James Veysey/TalkTV/Shutterstock)
Starmer has repeatedly ruled out a Brexit reversal (Picture: Getty Images
In the long-ranging interview, he also called on his successor Rishi Sunak to cut taxes and improve the country’s fortunes.
Insisting the fiscal position was ‘pretty robust’ when departed office, Mr Johnson said he still left behind scope for the government to strengthen the economy.
‘I have no doubt when the time comes, the government will make sure that they start to reduce the tax burden… that is what needs to happen,’ he said.
‘The economy will start to improve, inflation will come down, people will reward the Conservative Party, they will reward the government for being sensible, for cutting their taxes and for getting things done that they need done.’
Sir Keir has on multiple occasions ruled out the possibility of the UK rejoining both the EU and the single market, claiming the latter would not boost the country’s economic growth and instead create ‘years of uncertainty’.
He this month vowed Labour would bring forward a ‘take back control’ Bill in the next election, to fulfil the opportunities of Brexit.
Ms Dorries has been accused by the Parliament’s anti-corruption watchdog of breaching ministerial code by not consulting it before taking up Friday Night With Nadine.
Lord Pickles, chair of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba), said it was informed of her decision to take up the role on Friday.
In a separate letter to Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Oliver Dowden, Lord Pickles recommended that ‘given the transparent nature’ of the role, it would be ‘disproportionate to take any further action in this case’.
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The former prime minister has been interviewed by his most loyal employee on the new show Friday Night with Nadine.
