Mark Francois claimed Brexit opponents 'know the best way of trying to remain in the EU is to get rid of Boris Johnson'
Rayleigh and Wickford MP Mr Francois, who supported Mr Johnson for the Conservative leadership, suggested there was a correlation between the emergence of the allegations and the UK's scheduled departure from the EU in 31 days' time."At the end of the day, the prime minister wants us to leave the EU."There are lots of people who don't and they know the best way of trying to remain in the EU is to get rid of Boris Johnson.
Mr Francois spoke to Sky News after taking part in a Bruges Group event on the fringes of the Conservative conference, hosted at Manchester's Comedy Store.During the event, a journalist was booed and heckled with shouts of"shame on you" by the audience when they raised Mr Johnson'sThe prime minister had suggested the"best way" to honour Ms Cox is to"get Brexit done", as he responded to calls from Labour MPs to tone down his language over Brexit.
Referring to last week's exchanges in the House of Commons, which followed the overturning of the government's suspension of parliament by the Supreme Court, Mr Francois admitted"things did get heated". But he suggested part of Labour MPs' anger stemmed from their fear they will not get re-elected at the next general election."Why? Because if you're a good constituency MP - whether you're a Labour MP, or a Tory MP, or a Liberal MP - you keep a close eye on what comes into your email inbox.
"You go out and you talk to people and you knock on doors, and you get used to the heartbeat... the biorhythm of your constituency.""What I am saying is they're now wary of the fact - because of the way they've acted over the last three years - many of them aren't coming back."
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Boris Johnson groping allegation haunts Tory conferenceConservative activists raise concerns despite ministers’ efforts to avoid issue
Read more »
Boris Johnson makes £13bn hospital pledge as Tory party conference loomsPM unveils plans for 40 new hospitals as Arcuri saga and Brexit threaten to overshadow Manchester conference
Read more »
Tory minister Matt Hancock sparks fury after defending Boris Johnson over groping allegationsPM has 'never lectured people about their private lives', says health secretary
Read more »
LIVE: Boris Johnson denies allegations about private life are overshadowing Tory conference'No.' Prime Minister Boris Johnson denies allegations he squeezed a journalist's thigh without her permission. Get live updates from the conference:
Read more »
Charlotte Edwardes: No 10 denies journalist's claim that Boris Johnson squeezed her thighCharlotte Edwardes said the alleged incident took place at The Spectator's offices shortly after Mr Johnson became editor in 1999.
Read more »
Opinion: Boris Johnson might just escape Brexit alive – but he’ll struggle to weather what comes afterIf he ‘gets Brexit done’ and we can finally talk about something else, it may turn out that what we talk about is the prospect of a criminal investigation into his time as mayor of London
Read more »