MP shrugs off wife's jibe that he was 'so p****d' after rugby he forgot Boris phone call

6 February 2022, 10:55

Johnny Mercer shrugged off his wife's jibe
Johnny Mercer shrugged off his wife's jibe. Picture: Alamy

By Will Taylor

A Tory MP has shrugged off his wife's jibe that he "was so pissed" after an afternoon of sport that he couldn't remember what was said in a call with Boris Johnson.

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Johnny Mercer said wives have a “mind and a life of their own” after Felicity Cornelius-Mercer posted a photo of him apparently asleep on the sofa to social media.

“So..funny story…the Prime Minister rang tonight directly after an afternoon of FA Cup football and England rugby..and @JohnnyMercerUK was so pissed he can’t remember what was said,” she tweeted.

“Thinking of winding him up tomorrow…I heard Johnny/Boris say………suggestions please.”

Mr Mercer, who has been sharply critical of the Government after being losing his role as a junior minister last year, took the tweet in his stride, despite many replying to poke fun at him.

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“In other breaking news, wives have a mind and a life of their own,” he tweeted on Sunday.

“She’s on this nuts journey with me - the highs and many lows. She is more than entitled to take the p**s out of me/the PM/whoever she likes.”

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Mr Mercer, a former army officer and a keen advocate of veterans’ affairs, has spoken out against his own party and the Government.

Speaking about the Partygate saga, the Plymouth MP told a constituent who said he nissed his father’s 80th birthday because of Covid rules: "I’m sorry. It’s humiliating, and does not reflect the majority of my colleagues who *at least try* and lead by example.

“Thank you for your sacrifice and your wife’s work. I will always represent you above all else."

He previously said nobody from the Conservative Party called him in the aftermath of the Plymouth shootings last year, remarking that he was even contacted by Ian Blackford, the SNP leader in Westminster.