A WhatsApp message sent to Conservative MPs by Boris Johnson has been leaked.
ITV News have shared images of the conversation, which sees Johnson urging his fellow MPs to support Prime Minister Theresa May in the wake of last week’s General Election, which saw the Tories lose overall majority in parliament.
With the results casting doubt over the longevity of May’s tenure as PM, some had suggested that Johnson might put himself forward as a new Conservative leader in the near future.
However, as the messages reveal, Johnson appears to be backing May, asking colleagues to ‘calm down and get behind’ her before praising her as a ‘woman of extraordinary qualities’.
Screengrabs of the messages were shared by ITV’s Daniel Hewitt and replies from the likes of Michael Gove and Conor Burns can also be seen.
NEW: @itvnews has seen WhatsApp messages sent by Boris Johnson to Tory MPs urging them "to calm down and get behind the Prime Minister". pic.twitter.com/43oizi2ZE7
— Daniel Hewitt (@DanielHewittITV) June 11, 2017
As well as encouraging his fellow Tory MPs to support the PM, he also urges them to stop the narrative that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn won the Election – adding that the result was hardly better than in 2010 when Gordon Brown was their leader.
He also adds that the focus must now be on delivering ‘a great Brexit deal’ for the British people.
