Boris Johnson takes swipe at Starmer and scorns Sunak in first campaign appearance
Boris Johnson showed up for his one and only campaign event on Tuesday night, just before the upcoming election, and notably chose not to be seen alongside or give compliments to Rishi Sunak.
The ex-prime minister unexpectedly showed up at a conservative event in Chelsea, criticizing Keir Starmer for attempting to bring about the most left-leaning Labour government in decades. He also mentioned that Starmer would raise taxes and not be strong against Vladimir Putin.
Johnson expressed his gratitude to everyone who attended the event at the National Army Museum, joking that it was well past Keir Starmer's usual bedtime. He also thanked the prime minister for inviting him to the event, although he did not mention Sunak in his speech.
Regarding the Labour party, he stated that they have the potential to bring about a significant shift to the left in the government, which must be prevented at all costs.
"Don't allow the supporters of Putin to influence the supporters of Corbyn. Don't let Putin's loyal followers infect the whole country with psittacosis, a disease that can be contracted from being too close to pet parrots."
"If you believe in the importance of safeguarding our democracy, economy, and maintaining our country's strength internationally through allocating 2.5% of our GDP towards defense, a measure that Labour continues to oppose, then you are aware of the necessary action to take, isn't that right, everyone?"
Sunak appeared on stage right after Johnson departed, exclaiming: "It's wonderful to see our Conservative family standing together, my friends. Can you believe it was just the other day when Keir Starmer was suggesting that Jeremy Corbyn would be a better prime minister than Boris?"
The Liberal Democrats quickly condemned Johnson's presence as a disrespectful act towards all those who made difficult sacrifices during the pandemic.
Sunak took advantage of the event to condemn Labour governments all over the UK, including in Wales, and the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.
Johnson seemed to fully support all the policies he advocated for while in office, and did not mention any of his successor's successes.
