Boris Johnson assembles ‘Dude’ team as critics protest

Boris Johnson starts to fill key posts in first steps but EU warns no change to Brexit terms.

British Prime Minister elect Boris Johnson has taken the first steps forward of his unorthodoxly named “Dude’’ strategy, but conspicuously his fiercest critics within the Tory party have failed to turn up at an important first gathering — a meeting of the 1922 backbench committee of Tory MPs this morning.

After winning the leadership battle 2-1 against Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Mr Johnson delivered his speech to “Deliver Brexit, Unite the Torys, Defeat Jeremy Corbyn and then added he would ‘Energise’ the country, so that the acronym wasn’t “a Dud’’, but rather would be “Dude’’.

But hours before Mr Johnson announces his key Cabinet posts, the party’s chief Remainers, Chancellor Philip Hammond, Rory Stewart and Justice Secretary David Gauke failed to turn up to the key backbench gathering, in a pointed message of protest to the soon to be prime minister. All three have refused to back Mr Johnson’s insistence that Cabinet members must be prepared for a no-deal Brexit on October 31 if the European Union fails to rework its failed Withdrawal Bill.

Boris Johnson leaves his campaign headquarters after he is announced as the new Conservative leader and Prime Ministe. Picture: Getty Images.

Later today Theresa May will hold her final Prime Minister’s Question Time in Westminster, after which she will visit the Queen at Buckingham Palace and submit her resignation. Some time afterwards, in a carefully scripted sequence, Mr Johnson will meet the Queen where he will be invited to form a new government.

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It is unclear if Mr Johnson’s girlfriend, Carrie Symonds will meet the Queen, but she was absent from yesterday’s party leadership announcement, not wanting to take any attention away from Mr Johnson. She is however, expected to move into the prime minister’s residence at Number 10 Downing Street in the next couple of days.

In the early hours of Thursday morning Australian time, Mr Johnson will deliver his first speech in front of the famous black door of 10 Downing Street, but it will be without a lectern. Mr Johnson said he will speak without formal notes.

While Mr Johnson, 55, has yet to announce his Cabinet, especially the key posts of Chancellor, Foreign Secretary, Home Secretary and Brexit secretary, he has started to fill some key administration roles. Brexiteer and current Home Secretary Sajid Javid is pushing to be Chancellor, following the resignation of Philip Hammond, although Liz Truss could be an outside contender.

Remainer Mark Spencer has been handed the key role of chief whip, whose duty it will be to pull MPs into line and encourage them to support Mr Johnson’s motions and bills. His appointment was welcomed across the party and seen as Mr Johnson’s nod to the “unity” aspect of his strategy.

Sky television executive Andrew Griffith has been brought in as the No 10 corporate adviser.

While Mr Hunt was originally expected to be demoted from Cabinet, and the high profile foreign secretary role, Mr Johnson was impressed with the manner in which he immediately supported him. Mr Hunt has been signing himself as “the entrepreneur” and he could be given a business related position.

How the EU has already put a cloud over Mr Johnson’s leadership warning of “challenging times ahead” and ruling out allowing his election pledge to renegotiate Brexit.

The French president, the EU’s executive commission and other officials in Brussels all said they were keen to work with Mr Johnson. But the limits were clear.

Ursula von der Leyen, who will take over at the helm of the powerful European Commission from November, said: “We have challenging times ahead of us.” She told a joint news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Tuesday: “We have a duty to deliver something which is good for people in Europe and the United Kingdom.” Mr Macron said he wanted to work withMr Johnson on Brexit as well as Iran and other international security matters.

We look forward to working constructively w/ PM @BorisJohnson when he takes office, to facilitate the ratification of the Withdrawal Agreement and achieve an orderly #Brexit. We are ready also to rework the agreed Declaration on a new partnership in line with #EUCO guidelines.

— Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) July 23, 2019

Charles Michel, Belgium’s current caretaker prime minister who will become the chairman of EU government leaders’ meetings from December and be tasked with building compromises on thorny issues such as Brexit told the new British PM: “Important challenges ahead, such as Brexit. Belgium and UK are neighbours and close partners in trade and security.” But the bloc’s Brexit negotiator, a deputy head at the Commission and Macron’s own top EU aide were more direct in telling the new British leader that any major change to the divorce terms London had already agreed to was off limits. “We look forward to working constructively with PM Johnson when he takes office, to facilitate the ratification of the withdrawal agreement and achieve an orderly Brexit,” said the EU negotiator, Michel Barnier.