Johnson's support 'will make a difference', says Sunak as ex-PM pulled into Tory campaign
ITV News' Romilly Weeks reports on the latest events on the Conservative campaign trail.
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson will "make a difference" to Tory fortunes in the General Election campaign, according to Rishi Sunak.
Sunak's former boss has reportedly put his name on hundreds of thousands of letters due to be sent out to voters, each urging them to not support Reform UK and warn that Labour could hold the keys to Number 10 for a generation.
And, while he hasn't appeared in person on the campaign trail, Johnson has recorded a number of videos endorsing candidates.
The prime minister told reporters that he welcomes support from Johnson, who quit Parliament last year after being found to have misled the Commons over Partygate.
Speculation has surrounded the extent to which Johnson will be involved in the campaign.
But as the Tories slip behind Reform in the polls and senior ministers suggest winning the election is "unlikely", the PM has welcomed Johnson's intentions.
Some figures have urged Sunak to make more use of his predecessor while others suggested strained relations between the pair would make that complicated.
Sunak said: “He is endorsing many candidates in videos and letters which have been co-ordinated by the campaign. I know that will make a difference.”
The admission by the PM is also the first time it has been mentioned that Johnson is involved with official campaign trail efforts, rather than dipping in on an ad hoc basis.
Sunak added that Johnson is also using his column in the Daily Mail to make sure “everyone understands what the Labour government would do to this country and why it’s important that everyone votes Conservative”.
On June 14, Johnson claimed a large Labour majority would be “a nightmare” that only voting Tory could prevent.
The argument echoes those made by other Conservative figures in an effort to counter the threat from Reform UK, with politicians from the PM down saying a vote for Nigel Farage’s party would only hand Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour a larger majority.
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