Odds on foreign secretary Boris Johnson to leave Cabinet jump after letter repeats £350m Brexit-NHS claim
Boris Johnson is now the most likely member of the Cabinet to leave their post, according to bookies Paddy Power, following his unapproved Brexit intervention this weekend.
The foreign secretary is thought to be in hot water after penning a controversial letter in the Telegraph this Saturday, which repeated his claim made during the referendum that £350m could be freed up after leaving the EU, which could be made available to the NHS.
The letter came just days before Prime Minister Theresa May makes an important intervention in the increasingly tense negotiations between London and Brussels. Although Downing Street is remaining tight-lipped about the contents of the speech, it is expected that she could unveil a committment to pay a divorce settlement, without which the EU has said it will not allow talks to progress to trade or transition.
Johnson’s letter has irked both other cabinet members, with home secretary Amber Rudd saying he was “back-seat driving”, and the UK Statistics Authority, whose chief executive said it was a “clear misuse of official statistics”.
Downing Street did not approve letter before it was published, it has been reported.
On the back of the row, Johnson is now 11/4 favourite to leave his role before any other cabinet minister, with May herself the next most popular at 5/1, according to Paddy Power.
Chancellor Philip Hammond (7/1), party chairman Sir Patrick McLoughlin (10/1), and education secretary Justine Greening (11/1) are next in the betting.
Spokesman Paddy Power said: “The pressure is mounting to force Boris Johnson out – something he’ll know plenty about having spearheaded the UK’s Brexit campaign.
“I’m not sure he’ll be too worried about being our favourite to leave his cabinet position next – after all, he clearly has eyes on a different job, anyway.”
NEXT CABINET MINISTER TO LEAVE
11/4 Boris Johnson
5/1 Theresa May
7/1 Philip Hammond
10/1 Sir Patrick McLoughlin
11/1 Justine Greening
12/1 Liam Fox
14/1 Michael Gove
14/1 Chris Grayling
WHEN WILL BOJO CEASE TO BE FOREIGN SECRETARY?
6/4 2018
15/8 2017
4/1 2019
4/1 2020 or later