The ex-girlfriend of Boris Johnson has spoken out days after the Prime Minister survived a no confidence vote on Monday (June 6). He will face Parliament on Wednesday (June 8) for the first time since the damaging revolt by Tory MPs.
Although Mr Johnson survived, by 211 votes to 148, critics warned that he had been severely wounded by the scale of the rebellion and could be gone before the end of the year. But backers of the Prime Minister can be expected to stage a noisy show of support when he steps up for his weekly Commons questions.
Meanwhile, Petronella Wyatt has opened up about her former partner and commented on whether he'd survived another general election during an interview on Good Morning Britain.
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The journalist appeared on the ITV news programme to talks to hosts Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley during today's show (Wednesday). She told the presenting pair: "He’s very much a people pleaser, which leads to all sorts of problems in government because he makes promises he can’t keep, he makes enemies of MPs. While you can do that in your personal life, it catches up with you in politics."
But one line of questioning caused a bit of tension between guest and host as Richard wondered if she'd get back together with the PM if they were both single. Richard asked: "If he wasn’t married, if he was single, and if you weren’t going out with anyone, could you see yourselves getting back together?"
"I’m not going to answer that," Petronella clapped back. "I could be engaged, I could… I’m not going to answer that," she added with a laugh. Richard then said: “You don’t have to answer it," before he pressed: "You were together for four years, presumably in that period you loved him...."
Petronella interjected: "You're very presumptuous, Richard!" as Richard argued: "Well you were together for four years, I assume you weren't with him because you hated him! It's not presumptuous, it's common sense!"
But the pair did share a giggle as Richard continued with his questioning. "Two questions, really. One, what would you say is most loveable about Boris, and two, what did you think the day you heard he was Prime Minister? Did you think it would all end in tears?"
Petronella responded: "Erm... he's instinctively good natured. And he's funny, he's witty. He's well read. And he's got charm - those are all loveable qualities."
She then went on: "He hates confrontation. He hates rows. He doesn’t like telling people anything unpleasant. In politics you have to be more grown up about it and you have to grit your teeth in the way Margaret Thatcher did, in the way John Major, [Tony] Blair and even Theresa May. His qualities are very endearing but they’re not necessarily the qualities of a great Prime Minister."
She added: “I actually did predict it wouldn’t end well. The qualities that made him a very good journalist are not the qualities you need in a Prime Minister, because it’s a hard slog and he never liked detail. The other thing is I wouldn’t say he was lazy, but being PM does involve a 14 hour day, which isn’t really him. He gets bored with things quite quickly."
And Good Morning Britain viewers were quick to comment on social media. @SurreyLass05 tweeted: "This interview with Doris’ ex girlfriend Petronella Wyatt on #GMB is a lot awkward," to which @sharon23979417 replied: "I’ve turned off lol."
@Colonel_Decker commented: "That interview was absolute cringe & gave zero insight in to anything currently happening." @@lisamj_33 said: "omg that Johnson's ex girlfriend interview was toe curling cringy car crash telly #GMB."
