Never underestimate Boris: Sky News examines whether the Mayor of London can become PM

Comments

[Axstane]

Let me see - BSkYB - Murdoch - Boris and Murdoch at Olympics - Sky News talks about Boris for Mayor. Whatever you say Boris cannot lead the party let alone be PM. In Parliament he was a poor performer and poorly prepared when a junior Minister.

[Edward Huxley]

He is an amusing character but that`s all. A buffoon, a John Prescott with manners. Seem to remember he wanted an amnesty for illegal immigrants, and I haven`t heard him say anything against our membership of the EU.

[Sally Roberts]

Boris has a continuing important job to do - as our Mayor in London. He is doing it brilliantly. Let's not waste time speculating on what he might or might not do after that.

[Bruce]

he's not a buffoon it is a carefully cultivated image. he is probably the sharpest politician around. What's wrong with an amnesty for illegals at least it gets them in the tax system. Most of them can't be sent back because of HRA. Would imagine he would want to stay in EU but alter it to suit Britain.

[Edward Huxley]

Reply to Bruce. I agree it is a carefully cultivated image - of a buffoon which accounts for his popularity. Would you want a P.M. who had appeared on the cover of Private Eye with the caption "It`s not my first embarrassing mishap with a Zip, eh ladies?". Just imagine what the Eye would say if he became P.M.

I feel sorry for Mrs. Johnson.

[Steve Tierney]

I doubt he will ever be Prime Minister, but he would be perfectly good in the role if he did. He is certainly not a buffoon - he's a highly-intelligent, understated, self-effacing and extremely smart man. And he's (in most senses) a real Conservative. Which is always a bonus.

[Andrew Smith]

The only way Boris could be PM would be to displace Cameron before the next election, which the Conservatives will lose.

If he achieved that the LibDems would use it as an excuse to leave the coalition and hope to gain some brownie points for so doing, but it is not certain if that result would follow for them. They seem likely to be painted as unreliable and unable to be trusted by the voters (student fees, etc) or other parties (boundary charges).

At the next election the CP will go down to a serious loss, following which its members may at last see the advantage of ditching Clarke and Heseltine and Co as they could have done in 1990s and change policy on the big issue. If not they will all end up selling the Big Issue because most of them are unemployable outside the state sector.

[HYUFD]

Andrew Smith - Archie Norman was chairman and ceo of Asda, William Hague worked for McKinsey and Shell, several new Tory MPs had successful private sector careers!