Dan Kitwood/PA
Boris Johnson is “clearly an asset” to the Tory election campaign, a Cabinet minister has insisted, after it emerged the former prime minister is no longer expected on the trail.
Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said the former Conservative leader is offering support in the “modern way” by making promotional videos for individual candidates from afar.
“That’s probably quite an effective way of getting a message across,” Mr Stride told Sky News.
“I mean, Boris is clearly an asset to the campaign, he has clearly chosen to get involved and he’s clearly urging people to vote Conservatives.”
Mr Johnson, who turns 60 on Wednesday, is now not expected to physically go out on the stump in the coming weeks, and has instead been writing letters of endorsement and backing a number of Tories in social media posts.
It is understood he will instead be taking a holiday in the coming days, though the travel was planned long in advance of Rishi Sunak calling a surprise summer election.
His team says he has done what party headquarters have asked him to do, for example making videos and writing articles of support.
The former prime minister led the Tories to a landslide victory in 2019, which collapsed the so-called “red wall” in the Midlands and North of England.
The Times reported that an original plan to deploy Mr Johnson to such constituencies has been abandoned amid bleak projections for the party that continue to put it on course for a historic defeat at the polls on July 4.
The Prime Minister, whose resignation as chancellor in Mr Johnson’s Cabinet was instrumental in the former premier’s downfall, said endorsements from his predecessor-but-one “will make a difference” as a poll on Tuesday found that the Tories could be reduced to just 115 seats.
During an LBC phone-in on Wednesday, he avoided answering questions about whether Mr Johnson would join him on the trail.
On being told it was the former prime minister’s birthday, he responded: “Happy birthday Boris. I hope he’s having a good day… And it has been great having him support the Conservative Party”.
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