The new Tory Party chairman has made a scathing attack on Boris Johnson, saying he lacks the right “set of skills” to be Prime Minister.
Grant Shapps is the most senior government figure to openly criticise the Mayor after weeks of claims that Mr Johnson wants to return to Parliament. His comments came hours after the Mayor urged David Cameron to take action to combat strikes.
In a direct challenge to the Prime Minister, he called for a clampdown on the ability of unions to cause “endless disruption and buggeration”.
Mr Shapps’s intervention will be seen as an attempt to prevent speculation over Mr Johnson’s future over-shadowing the Conservative Party conference.
Asked if the Mayor has what it takes to be party leader, Mr Shapps told BBC Radio 5 Live: “I think David Cameron is the right person to do that and if you’re trying to tempt me to say Boris Johnson should be doing that job, Boris is a great Mayor, it takes a different set of skills ... to be in office as a minister or indeed the Prime Minister.” On the question of whether Mr Johnson could do the job of Prime Minister, Mr Shapps said: “For one thing Boris is not an MP and still has his term to run all the way through to 2016, which is past the next election — so the answer is No there.”
Aides close to the Mayor today laughed off Mr Shapps’s remarks.
“The Mayor is genuinely perplexed by all this talk of leadership,” one said. “No he has not heard [Mr Shapps’] comments.
“He is too busy leading London, raising money for the capital, cutting council tax, keeping fares in check and meeting with foreign investors to drive jobs and growth - all of which helps to keep the wheels turning across the UK economy as a whole.”
At the weekend, Mr Johnson proposed strikes should be allowed only if 50 per cent of union members take part in the ballot. He also wants to ban all-out strikes by key workers such as transport staff.
The TUC last week voted to look into the practicalities of organising a general strike in protest at government spending cuts.
The Mayor told the Mail on Sunday: “It [a general strike] would be damaging to the economy.”
