In response to a question on Boris Johnson’s departure, former Conservative lawmaker Anne Widdecombe encouraged Sky News host Kay Burley to “move on” this morning.
In the tense exchange, Ms. Widdecombe, a Tory MP until 2010, told the seasoned reporter, “You’ve achieved what you wanted, he’s gone.”
She also made fun of the administration, saying it “couldn’t manage a whelk stall,” in reference to the chaos that is presently consuming it.
It happened after Johnson submitted his notice in a speech intended to demonstrate any understanding of the circumstances behind his resignation outside Downing Street.
Ms. Widdecombe was questioned about Chris Pincher, who has been accused of predatory sexual behavior, during an interview with Sky News this morning.
The former lawmaker, however, asserted that she believed Johnson likely didn’t understand the accusations made against him at the time he endorsed him.
The departing prime minister, according to Ms. Widdecombe, “does not focus.”
She said, “I won’t hold that against him. All prime ministers, even very competent prime ministers, make appointments that don’t turn out to be particularly intelligent.
‘What I do hold against him is the consistent, unrelieved chaos of his time in office.’
Startled Burley pressed her on the point asking: ‘Sorry, just to clarify, you don’t hold against him the fact he knew a man was a sexual predator, he was told he was a sexual predator, he referred to him as Pincher by name, pincher by nature – and that was okay?’.
Ms Widdecombe then responded: ‘I suspect – and I only suspect, I don’t know what was in Boris’s mind – that he didn’t understand the serious nature, he thought it was frivolous, he thought “oh well maybe Chris made some inappropriate comments or something”, in fact it was serious.’
When pressed further about the controversy, she responded, “I think Boris may not have completely comprehended – because Boris does not concentrate – to the level to which that individual did misbehave. That’s it now, Kay! I kept emphasizing this today.
The key concern in my mind is what comes next, who will be the leader, and how this country will be administered in the interim. “We may discuss it ever longer, but it’s done,” I said.
Later, she emphasized, “He’s gone, Kay, he’s gone!” You got what you wanted, and he left.
According to rumors, Johnson is planning a slew of radical policy announcements as he finishes his term at Number 10, which has infuriated rebel Conservatives over his intention to remain in office after resigning.
He was removed from office due to allegations that he had frequently lied about his knowledge of Chris Pincher.
Additionally, it happened after celebrations hosted in Downing Street while everyone else in the nation was quarantined and afraid inside their homes during the epidemic.