BORIS Johnson is set to become the UK’s next Prime Minister today after winning the votes of just 0.14% of the country.
He won the support of 92153 Tory members in the party’s leadership contest, easily trouncing rival Jeremy Hunt.
In his victory speech, Johnson thanked supporters for the “extraordinary honour and privilege” they had conferred on him.
“I know that there will be people around the place who will question the wisdom of your decision,” he said.
“There may even be some people here who still wonder what they have done.”
He promised his government would “energise the country”.
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Looking back at his successful campaign to be leader he told the crowd of MPs, party staff, activists and journalists gathered in the Queen Elizabeth II hall: “We know the mantra of the campaign – in case you have forgotten it – it is deliver Brexit, unite the country and defeat Jeremy Corbyn and that is what we are going to do.
“Some wag has already pointed out that deliver, unite, defeat was not the perfect acronym for an election campaign since unfortunately it spells dud. But they forgot the final e, my friends, e for energise. And I say to all the doubters: dude, we are going to energise the country.”
He added: “We are going to get Brexit done on October 31 and take advantage of all the opportunities it will bring with a new spirit of can do.
“We are once again going to believe in ourselves, and like some slumbering giant we are going to rise and ping off the guy ropes of self doubt and negativity.”
Though his emphatic victory sparked resignations from government, and protests on the streets, Tory MPs, on the whole, seemed willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
At a meeting of the backbench 1922 committee, he received a rapturous welcome, with MPs banging desks and applauding.
He promised them there would be no early General Election and that Britain would leave the EU on October 31.
Speaking afterwards, European Research Group MP Steve Baker (pictured below with Johnson) said he was “supremely confident” that Brexit would be delivered.
“I know that Boris Johnson wants to be a great British Prime Minister, and the only way he’s going to be a great British Prime Minister is if we leave the EU on the 31 October,” Baker said.
“If we don’t leave the EU on the 31 October we’ll get wiped out when the voters vote for the Brexit Party in due course.”
However, not everyone was as enthusiastic.
“The circus has come to town. I couldn’t stand any more of it,” backbencher Keith Simpson said, leaving the meeting early.
The MP – who rebelled for the first time in 22 years last week – said he had grave doubts about Johnson’s suitability to be Prime Minister, but, he added, the room was packed with “ambitious little shits” with smiles on their faces.
Aberdeen South MP Ross Thomson (above), who ran Johnson’s campaign in Scotland, said he was “delighted” the Tory party membership had “emphatically backed Boris Johnson as our new leader and Prime Minister.”
Though Johnson may have ruled out an early election, the decision may not be in his power with pressure growing on Jeremy Corbyn to call for a vote of no confidence.
Reports yesterday suggested the Labour leader may not be willing to do so immediately, and would rather wait until he is certain of winning.
Meanwhile, pollsters YouGov said a recent survey showed that only one person in five thinks Johnson will be great or good as Prime Minister.
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