Claims that Boris Johnson missed a conference of Northern MPs for his trip to Ukraine over fears of a bad reception after the party member was dismissed as a “conspiracy b****** S”.
Prime Minister surprised withdraw from a meeting of the Northern Conservatives in Doncaster on Friday, just days before a key Wakefield by-election that the Conservatives are expected to lose.
Instead he traveled to Kyiv Meet the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Sky News deputy political editor Sam Coates said organizers of the Northern Research Group’s (NRG) inaugural conference were “confounded” in their absence, but had been told there was “reason”. justifiable” and it “makes sense”.
However, it did not stop speculation that Mr Johnson may have canceled to miss a difficult ride following the partying scandal and a major uprising of his own MPs.
Mr Johnson’s allies have denied the claims, with Defense Secretary Ben Wallace describing them as “conspiracy b******s”.
He said there was “a lot of garbage being spewed out” – adding that such visits must be held in “complete secrecy” and that it was important Mr Johnson to show support for an ally in war.
“Help Ukraine Win and try to help at home to be linked. Part of the inflation we see is coming from gas prices and food prices, and part of this conflict is increasing,” he tweeted.
“It’s amazing how such an important trip can create so many conspiracies.”
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PM lands in Kyiv for a surprise visit
Sky News understands that a Conservative MP at the conference was furious the prime minister did not show up for the event, adding that Mr Johnson was “on the train to Doncaster” on Friday morning.
“This was his first test of accessibility to his colleagues and he failed,” the MP said.
Jake Berry, leader of the NRG, said people were “disappointed” by Mr Johnson’s absence.
He said the summit underscored the importance of giving the region more control so it doesn’t just rely on politicians in Whitehall.
He said that unless people in the North can see the benefits of leveling up, the Conservatives will face difficulty in the next general election.
‘I won’t run away…’
Mr Berry told Channel 4 News: “The prime minister’s move is an issue for Downing Street.
“Obviously people were disappointed. We have over 30 colleagues here and 400 members.
“What we’re setting out here today are extremely positive ideas from the North, for the North designed to appeal to voters in Wakefield and across the North of England.
“It’s about fueling the debate about how in the North of England we can regain control of our destiny, independent of a prime minister in Whitehall or Kyiv or wherever How could he at some point change our lives?
“Whoever the prime minister is, whatever is in the Conservative manifesto, unless people feel good about what the Conservatives are achieving in the North, it will be a very difficult election. towel. I won’t run away from that.”
Henri Murison, director of the Northern Mills Association who was also present at the NRG event, said Mr Johnson’s decision not to attend was a “missed opportunity”.
‘Be brave, like Boris’
Downing Street said Mr Johnson had met with President Zelenskyy in Kyiv to discuss Ukraine’s war against Russia and put in place a major training program for Ukrainian forces “to help maintain their heroic defense”. “.
The government says the UK-led program is capable of training up to 10,000 soldiers every 120 days and will support both new and existing Ukrainian troops.
This initiative will train and train Ukraine’s armed forces using field-proven British Army expertise, allowing them to accelerate deployment, rebuild forces and scaled up the resistance as they continued to defend the nation’s sovereignty against Russian invaders, Downing Street added.
Mr Johnson became the first leader of a G7 nation to visit Kyiv when he went for the first time in April.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry then said: “We welcome Boris Johnson to Kyiv … Be brave, like Boris. Be brave, like Ukraine.”
The latest trip comes a day later French President Emmanuel MacronFrom Germany Prime Minister Olaf Scholz and the leader of Italy Mario Draghi met Mr. Zelenskyy as Ukraine tries to join the EU.
