Politics

Pippa Crerar: Boris Johnson’s own family rivalries have come to haunt him



Until Jo Johnson undermined his brother’s premiership yesterday, the most infamous sibling rivalry at Westminster was that of the Milibands.

Boris Johnson had strong views on that psychodrama, insisting in 2013 that it was a “very left-wing thing” to “shaft” your own brother.

He even linked that Labour leadership saga to Stalin.

“Only lefties can think like that. They see people as discrete agents devoid of ties to society or to each other, and that’s how Stalin could murder 20million people,” he said.

Now Mr Johnson’s own family rivalries have come to haunt him.

The siblings have so far been able to keep politics separate from family life, despite their stark differences over Europe.

 

But in a tempestuous week, their differences proved too much and Jo, MP for Orpington for nine years, stood down citing “unresolvable tension” between family loyalty and national interest.

At 47 he is the youngest Johnson child, and growing up was always treated as the baby by his older siblings.

He followed Boris to Eton, then on to Oxford.

He joined Deutsche Bank as an investment banker and the Financial Times as a journalist.

Read More

Latest UK politics news

Unlike his brother — who was sacked from the Times — he stayed at his first big paper, becoming Paris correspondent, South Asia bureau chief and an associate editor.

He arrived at Westminster in 2010 as Boris became Mayor of London, but remained in his shadow.

Jo, married to the Guardian journalist Amelia Gentleman, gained a reputation as quieter and more cerebral than Boris.

He swiftly became head of David Cameron’s No10 policy unit and rose through the ranks as a Cabinet Office, Universities and Transport Minister before the sudden end to his career.





READ SOURCE

Leave a Reply

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.