Why Boris Johnson will never campaign for Rishi Sunak - and won’t join Reform either

Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, pictured in 2020 (Image: Getty)

Boris Johnson will not lift a finger to help Rishi Sunak because of the “bad blood” between the pair, despite suggestions to the contrary, a leading Brexiteer has claimed.

And Ben Habib, the deputy leader of Reform UK, also dismissed any prospect of the former prime minister following in the footsteps of Tory MP Lee Anderson by joining his political outfit.

Rumours are rife in Westminster that Mr Johnson is ready to leap back into the political arena to bolster Mr Sunak’s chances in the upcoming general election.

Mr Johnson, who stood down as an MP last year, has remained tight-lipped on the subjecct. His spokesman this week confirmed the 59-year-old would “consistently support the Conservative Party” - but refused to say whether Mr Johnson was prepared to take a more active role.

Property developer Mr Habib, a former Brexit Party MP, was highly sceptical, given Mr Sunak’s resignation as chancellor in 2022 was widely regarded as a catalyst for Mr Johnson’s resignation.

Boris Johnson pictured in Kyiv recently (Image: Getty)

Mr Habib told Express.co.uk: “There is a not a cat’s chance in hell of Boris Johnson campaigning for Rishi Sunak in the Red Wall or anywhere else in the country.

“There is nothing but bad blood between the two whom, I am told, have not spoken for over a year.”

He continued: “Even if they could somehow paper over the chasm of their broken relationship, Boris would still not do it.

“He is fully deployed strengthening the balance sheet of family Johnson. He bemoaned his financial hardship as PM and wasted no time using the legacy of that office to ratchet up earnings the minute he was out.

Lee Anderson became Reform UK's first MP earlier this week when he defected from the Tories (Image: Getty)

“Within six months of leaving, he had scored £5million – mostly on the speaking circuit. That is a lot of dosh.”

Mr Habib suggested: “Holidays in the Caribbean are rather more attractive I suspect than campaigning in the seaside resort of Skegness.

“No, politics and Johnson have parted ways. He may campaign for Zelensky but certainly not for Sunak.”

As for whether Mr Johnson would be tempted to follow Mr Anderson’s example after the Ashfield MP was unveiled at a press conference earlier this week, Mr Habib said: “I doubt it.

Farage claims Boris Johnson won't campaign for Tories at election

“Like any member of the public, he would be welcome but there would be two hurdles over which he would not get.

“First, he would need to support our policies. These include the ditching of his beloved net zero - that ain’t happening.

“Second, he would need to satisfactorily explain why he put a border down the Irish Sea and botched Brexit - that it ain’t happening either.

“Nope, Boris is best off in St Kitts, with the odd private jet trip to Kyiv and Caracas.”

Ben Habib stood for Reform UK in the Wellingborough by-election recently (Image: Getty)

Speaking to GB News yesterday, former Conservative deputy chairman Mr Anderson denied being a mercenary after joining Reform UK as he rejected suggestions that he had been paid to switch allegiances.

Mr Anderson also said the Conservative Party had not contacted him ahead of being unveiled as Reform's first MP.

The 57-year-old had been forced to sit as an independent after being stripped of the Tory whip last month for suggesting London Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan was being controlled by Islamist extremists.

He refused to apologise for remarks that Mr Sunak branded "wrong", effectively blocking off any route to being brought back into the Tory fold.