Boris Johnson’s former girlfriend has predicted that the “people-pleaser” prime minister cannot win the next election.
Petronella Wyatt told the Good Morning Britain programme on ITV that Johnson was not tough enough unlike his predecessors Margaret Thatcher and John Major.
The journalist, who was in a relationship with Johnson when he was still married to Marina Wheeler, said he is now in a “mess of his own making”.
“He hates confrontation. He hates rows. He doesn’t like telling people anything unpleasant. In politics you have to be more grown up about it and you have to grit your teeth in the way Margaret Thatcher did, in the way John Major, [Tony] Blair and even Theresa May,” she said.
She admitted that Johnson has “very endearing” qualities which are “not necessarily the qualities of a great prime minister.”
“What it boils down to is winning the next election. Boris is now seen as a liability and I think it’s that more than anything else that is going to dog him.”
Johnson, a former journalist himself, managed to win a confidence vote of the ruling Conversative Party on Monday, but critics said the victory was hollow and his problems are far from over.
With his image dented by his involvement in an alcohol-fuelled party in violation of lock-down rules, Johnson is facing the tough challenge of helping people amid the record-high inflation.
Wyatt said the prime minister is “not a hard man”.
“He’s a bit of an enigma. He’s surprisingly vulnerable. It’s very hard not to be fond of him, because his instincts are basically decent, but he’s very much his own worst enemy.”
Asked if Johnson can win the next election in charge, she said: “No. Absolutely not.”
