Boris Johnson's Past Comments On Unelected Leaders Are A Different Story To What He Said On Wednesday

12 June 2019, 20:22

When Boris Johnson launched his Tory leadership bid he said if he won he would have a mandate, but as Eddie Mair pointed out, this was in stark contrast to previous comments.

As the Conservative leadership hopefuls gear up in their race to be the next party leader and next Prime Minister, Eddie Mair went back to comments Boris Johnson made previously.

"It surely can't be right that a party in power in Westminster can change leader without asking all of us," Eddie said, adding "whether it's Labour in 2007 or the Conservatives now."

But, Eddie said Boris Johnson thinks if he wins, "it's a mandate."

After playing a clip of Mr Johnson's leadership launch, Eddie said it was a "different story" for Boris Johnson in 2007.

During the 2007 Labour Leadership contest, which saw Gordon Brown taking power from Tony Blair, Mr Johnson wrote an article criticising the lack of a General Election.

"It's the arrogance," Mr Johnson wrote. Saying he believed the political world had "gone mad," and that Gordon Brown was trampling on the "democratic will of the British people."

Interspersing clips of Wednesday's speech by Mr Johnson, with the MPs words from ten years ago Eddie said that while Mr Johnson didn't use any of his previous words today, he did seem to think if he won he would have a mandate.

"It surely can't be right that a party in power in Westminster can change leader without asking all of us," Eddie said, adding "whether it's Labour in 2007 or the Conservatives now."