Boris Johnson faces wrath of Red Wall Tory MPs after pulling out of Doncaster event at last minute

Boris Johnson is facing the wrath of Red Wall MPs after pulling out of an event for those in their patch.

The prime minister had been expected to deliver a speech at the Doncaster-based Northern Research Group (NRG) conference on Friday afternoon. However, on Friday morning, Number 10 confirmed he would not be attending.

The group, which is made up of Conservative MPs from some of England’s northern constituencies, had received “an assurance” Johnson would attend prior to last week’s vote of confidence, one Tory told Insider.

It was in his itinerary as late as Thursday morning, sources said, with the expectation that he would visit nearby Wakefield as part of a by-election campaign there.

“Doesn’t he have to drive past the fucking place?” one backbencher said.

However, Number 10 refused to confirm Johnson’s location until 3:30pm UK time, when spokespeople confirmed he was in Kyiv, meeting Ukranian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy.

Even before this was announced, one NRG member said: “As ever, if there has been a domestic problem, he goes to Ukraine…  there is always an endorsement from President Zelenskyy to be had.”

This was in reference to the surprise resignation of Lord Geidt as ethics chief on Wednesday.

Several sources suggested the conference could be an opportunity for further plotting against the prime minister with leadership contender Tom Tugendhat — who represents Tonbridge and Malling in Kent — addressing the northern group instead.

Rishi Sunak, the chancellor and one-time favourite rival to Johnson, has also attended.

One attendee described Sunak’s speech as “full of energy, talking about all the great things we have done and going to do”. The same MP told Insider he was already having regrets about having backed Johnson.

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Another said: “Effectively, the North are interviewing Tom Tugendhat… this is the Red Wall Praetorian guard interviewing successors.”

Tory MPs from the Red Wall — a catch-all term for northern working-class seats that swung from Labour to the Conservatives — were heavily wooed by Downing Street during the recent leadership crisis.

However, many others rebelled and some were only prevented from doing so at the last minute. Rebel sources estimate that an intervention from senior backbencher Tobias Ellwood, calling for the UK to re-enter the EU’s single market, cost them around seven votes.

Many of those who stayed with the Prime Minister have been offered junior roles within government, with a rebel Tory MP telling Insider: “Any member of 2019 intake who doesn’t have a job have decided they don’t want a job.”

One Labour MP was scathing, telling Insider: “Pissing off a load of your northern members doesn’t seem the best solution.”

Read the original article on Business Insider