James O'Brien's brutal dismantling of PM's plea to Tories

6 June 2022, 13:44

By Seán Hickey

After Boris Johnson wrote a letter to Conservative MPs gearing up for a confidence vote, James O'Brien picked apart the claims made by the Prime Minister in his plea.

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Chairman of the Conservative 1922 Committee Sir Graham Brady confirmed today that he had received enough letters of no-confidence in Boris Johnson to trigger a vote.

In response to the news, Boris Johnson wrote to his MPs in a bid to secure his position. The Prime Minister referenced the many global events that happened during his tenure in a wide-ranging letter.

James O'Brien read out the plea on air, and when he arrived at the PM's claim that he "resolved the long Brexit crisis" while in office, he couldn't help making "some commentary."

James reminded listeners that Boris Johnson's chief Brexit negotiator Lord Frost has stated publicly that the deal he negotiated has been a disaster because of the EU's insistence on implementing the agreement.

Boris Johnson's government has also made the "threat to break international law" over the NI Protocol since the Brexit deal was struck, James went on, arguing that this "does not speak of a new and friendly relationship with the European Union."

The Prime Minister's letter also references the UK's vaccine rollout during the pandemic and how it is world-beating.

"These countries are currently more vaccinated than we are...United Arab Emirates, Portugal, Cuba, Chile, Singapore, China, Canada, Vietnam, Brazil, Italy, Japan, Thailand, France and Germany."

James went on: "The venture capitalist to whom he gave a blank chequebook in order to buy those vaccines, her husband today has resigned...on the entirely reasonable grounds that he thinks Boris Johnson is actually corrupt."

When the Prime Minister then made reference to the UK's position on Ukraine, James reminded LBC listeners that Boris Johnson attended the birthday party of former KGB agent Alexander Lebedev the night he won the 2019 General Election, and nominated his son to the House of Lords against the recommendation of security services.

"That's how he protects us all against Russian aggression."

James then tackled the PM's claims on the cost of living: "'You cannot spend your way out of inflation', inflation he was denying as long ago as November of last year, 'and you can't tax your way into growth', they have introduced more tax rises I think, than any government in living memory."

He couldn't finish the letter, telling listeners that the exercise was "taking a psychic toll" on him.