What does Boris Johnson do next? There is talk at City Hall that the Prime Minister may “do a George Osborne” and become editor of the London Evening Standard, owned by his close friend Lord Lebedev.
But I hear of another, more exciting plan: Johnson, below, may create a new political party to oppose his enemies in the establishment, copying Emmanuel Macron’s La République En Marche! which upset France’s ruling elite in 2016. One sympathetic Conservative donor who has given hundreds of thousands of pounds to the party tells me he would happily support a Johnson-led political movement: “If he did, I would support him.”
A modest spokesman for Johnson says he is “prime minister until September 5. He will think seriously about his future after this point.”
Johnson’s grassroots support “puts him in a very powerful position,” the donor says. “Boris holds all the aces.” On the march, Boris!
Francis Urquhart’s advice
In this big weekend for conservative conspiracy, I ask House of Cards author Michael Dobbs about the wisdom of his fictional Chief Whip Francis Urquhart, played by Ian Richardson, right.
“Dear old FU wouldn’t stand a chance these days,” he tells me. “He’ll mutter, ‘What happened to my party, all these candidates and not one is a man, pale and stale.’
As for advice, Urquhart would say: “Remember that politics is the second oldest profession in the world, so go and learn from the first and pretend you like it while you’re doing it.”
Cameron left with a red face
David Cameron has revealed he considered medication to stop him blushing during Prime Minister’s Questions. The former prime minister told Politico’s Westminster Insider podcast that if he got caught, “it would be very obvious because I blush very easily. A medic friend of mine said, “Maybe you should take a beta-blocker before Prime Minister’s Questions.”
Cameron rejected the offer. “I thought it was a terrible idea. Sometimes you are a little too full of testosterone and too puffy. But I never tried.” Time for a nice cup of tea, Dave.
Lights! Camera! Hancock!
Much excitement in Westminster where former health secretary Matt Hancock wanders around followed by two cameramen.
Hancock’s team is quick to dismiss speculation that he wants to star in his own Netflix documentary. “No movie, I’m afraid.” They’re just interviewing him about life as an MP.
Or at least he claims…
Govi heads to Ibiza
Last summer was enlivened by 50-year-old cabinet minister Michael Gove’s surprise decision to go clubbing in Aberdeen. Now I hear the former Leveling Up secretary is planning to go one better this year with a holiday in Ibiza, Spain’s club island. “Expect more viral raving videos,” says my flip-flopped source. I can not wait!
Topless Neil
An unusual artistic discovery in the bowels of the BBC’s Westminster headquarters: a painting below of a shirtless Andrew Neil complete with a tattoo of a naked woman playing chess on his arm. Neil assures me he didn’t pose for the picture. The legendary broadcaster told me the artist – believed to be SW1-based artist Kaya Marr – had done two portraits of Neil “without me posing for him and without my approval”.
He adds: “He tried to give me one and I said, ‘I really don’t want one, you should just burn them.’
Give HM a Bafta!
Dame Maureen Lippmann has called for the Queen to receive an acting award following her role as Her Majesty in the star opposite Paddington Bear as part of a short film for the platinum jubilee celebrations.
“I’m going to suggest to Bafta that the Queen should get the award for Best Newcomer for Best Performance in a Short Film,” Lippmann told guests during an evening with the actress at the Delaunay restaurant in London.
But she admitted that the Queen, who is not yet 19, could be holding back a bit for the Best Newcomer award.
“It would be like giving Dolly Parton a training bra!” she said.
Peterborough, published every Friday at 7pm, is usually edited by Christopher Hope, the Telegraph’s chief political correspondent and author of the daily newsletter Chopper’s Politics. He can be contacted at peterborough@telegraph.co.uk
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