Section:GDN 1N PaGe:5 Edition Date:190724 Edition:01 Zone: Sent at 23/7/2019 20:33 cYanmaGentaYellowbl
Wednesday 24 July 2019 The Guardian •
5May’s parting gifts
As her successor was about to be
chosen, Theresa May was handed
leaving presents in a fi nal meeting
of her cabinet, which was said have
had a distinct end-of-term feel and
includ ed not just the gifts but also
some mutual praise.
The gifts, handed to her by
Michael Gove and paid for by a
whip-round, were a black Liberty
handbag with associated scarf,
which currently sells for £
(reduced from £650) , and a long-
beaded crystal necklace ending a
silver fl ower by the French company
Lalique , which costs €550 , or just
over £490. Peter Walker The black
Liberty handbag
currently
sells for £Libby Brooks
Scotland correspondentScottish Conservatives expect a charm
off ensive from the new PM, with fears
over the impact of Boris Johnson’s
leadership on support for independ-
ence tempered by pragmatism.
There is now a mood of grim accept-
ance among Scottish Tories who
supported Jeremy Hunt. As one promi-
nent Scottish Tory, and Johnson critic,
put it, watching the leadership results
was “like the Trump election or Brexit
morning – we don’t yet know which
will have the biggest hangover ”.
The tweeted congratulations from
Scottish Tory MPs – most of whom
backed Johnson – and MSPs – who
mainly backed Hunt – have uniformly
emphasised the importance of safe-
guarding the United Kingdom.
Johnson is expected to underline
his commitment to the union on a trip
to Scotland over the weekend or early
next week after visit ing the pro-Brexit
heartland of north-east England.
Early in the leadership campaign,do you look daunted, do you feel
daunted? I don’t think you look
remotely daunted to me.
“I think we know we can do it
and the people of this country are
trusting us to do it and we know
that we will do it.”Johnson is certainly facing a
daunting set of circumstances – a
promise to deliver Brexit in justScottish Tory critics told the Guard-
ian that a Johnson premiership would
be a “ catastrophe” for their newly
resurgent party , boosting support for
independence and bolstering Scottish
nationalists’ arguments that West-
minster only represents a wealthy,
southern elite.
A Panelbase poll in the Sunday
Times Scotland towards the end of
June found support for independ-
ence would increase to 53% if Johnson
became prime minister, giving it a six-
point lead.
Within hours of his win, Johnson
telephoned the Scottish Conserv-
ative leader, Ruth Davidson, who
supported Jeremy Hunt (after fi rst
backing Sajid Javid and then Michael
Gove). Widely admired throughout the
UK Tory party, Davidson has made no
secret of her reservations about John-
son and told BBC Scotland she would
judge him by his actions in offi ce. She
said he would “have to make a pretty
good fi st of it pretty early” because of
the challenges he faced.
The Scottish party has found some
reasons for optimism during the cam-
paign. Johnson promised to set up a
“union unit” within Downing Street
and more direct funding of projects in
Scotland. But senior Scottish insiders
are also very aware that much depends
on the tone Johnson strikes in the com-
ing days and weeks – “the clock starts
now ” sa id one – and how eff ectively he
factors Scotland into the “new spirit of
can-do” that he has promised.
“The test will be whether he does
take advice from people more experi-
enced in Scottish politics,” one senior
party source said.
Despite some reason for optimism,
elected members remain uncertain
about their voters. Recent electoral
successes were a result of Davidson’s
re modelling of the party to appeal to
the Scottish electorate, bringing in
talented individuals who did not fi t
the traditional Tory mould. Scottish
Conservatives know Johnson does not
project that message and understand
what a challenge it will be to explain
him on the doorstep.18 working days once parliament
returns from recess, dire economic
forecasts if he pursues a no-deal
Brexit, and a mutinous parliament
where his majority could be just one
by the end of next week. But this
part of the speech is the red meat for
the believers in the party who have
elevated him – and believe all these
things can be overcome. Predictably,
there is no detail included about
how.“We know the mantra of the
campaign. In case you have
forgotten it – it is deliver Brexit,
unite the country and defeat
Jeremy Corbyn, and that is what
we are going to do. Some wag has
already pointed out that deliver,
unite, defeat was not the perfect
acronym for an election campaign
since unfortunately it spells dud.
But they forgot the fi nal e, my
friends, e for energise. And I say to
all the doubters: dude, we are going
to energise the country.”It was briefed to some newspapers
by allies of Johnson that on entering
Downing Street he would be “newly
serious”. This section of the speech
seems to put paid to that. It isScotland
Tories fear PM
could boost
nationalists
classic Johnson, a gag likely to have
even raised a smile from his most
trenchant critics. It also gives a nod
to Tory MPs who might be tempted
to sabotage his premiership; it
reminds them of the possible
outcome of a Corbyn government.“We are going to get Brexit done
on 31 October , we are going to take
advantage of all the opportunities
that it will bring in a new spirit of
can-do. And we are once again going
to believe in ourselves and what we
can do, and like some slumbering
giant we are going to rise and ping
off the guy-ropes of self-doubt and
negativity.”Johnson returns to comfortable
territory, a set of metaphors about
a belief in Britain, a “slumbering
giant” bound with guy ropes,
for some reason. It is a jibe at
his predecessors, May and her
chancellor, Philip Hammond, who
heeded the warnings about the
havoc that could be wreaked by a
chaotic no-deal. Johnson has now
set himself an unenviable task
of showing that force of will and
optimism is enough to overcome the
political reality.▲ Boris Johnson speaks at the conference centre after it was announced that he
had won the Tory leadership ballot PHOTOGRAPH: FRANK AUGSTEIN/AP PHOTO
▲ Boris Johnson
and Jeremy
Hunt backstage
after being told
the result of the
leadership vote Andrea
Leadsom arrives
at the conference
centre yesterday
PHOTOGRAPH: LEON
NEAL/GETTY IMAGESleast controversial pulls of the
leave campaign, the desire for self-
government – which will appeal to
most Conservative MPs regardless of
their stance on Brexit.
“I read in my Financial Times this
morning ... that no incoming leader
has ever faced such a daunting set
of circumstances. Well, I look at
you this morning and I ask myself,
РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS