CCHQ told Boris Johnson he can't stand at Henley, sitting MP claims

Boris Johnson taking part in the Leave Campaign Walk in Henley in 2016. Credit: David Mirzoff/i-Images

The Tory Party told Boris Johnson he could not make a chicken run at Henley in the next election, city MP said.

John Howell insisted that the former prime minister will only take over the seat that a healthy majority of Conservatives has, «above my corpse.»

Mr Johnson represented the Oxfordshire constituency from 2001 to 2008 when he left the House of Commons to become Mayor of London.

He has been linked multiple times with a return given that his current seat in Uxbridge and South Ruislip is now very vulnerable to Labour.

Mr Howell, who announced he was resigning in the next election, was asked if he had made a deal with the former prime minister.

“I can absolutely deny it,” he told ITV. “I didn’t make a deal with Boris Johnson and I didn’t make a deal with Boris Johnson.

“The Conservative Party told him that he should remain in his current position.”

When asked if there was any way Mr Johnson could return as MP for Henley, he replied: «Over my dead body».

In March, Mr. Johnson was re-selected by local Tory members as Uxbridge's candidate. and South Ruislip, where he has a majority of 7210 votes.

His allies have repeatedly dismissed suggestions that he wants to move to a safer location, despite the fact that polls predicted he would be ousted in the next election.

Running to Henley, only 18 miles away . away, is the more solid conservative electorate, where Mr Howell won with 14,053 votes back in 2019.

Tory sources told the Telegraph party bosses are likely to try to stop the former prime minister from doing “ chicken run» to a place.

One said that MPs can only ask for permission to move to another district if their place is negatively affected by upcoming boundary changes.

On the contrary, Mr. Johnson According to Electoral Calculus analysis, he will actually benefit by getting more Tory voting stations.

He could be expelled from Uxbridge and South Ruislip as a result of the Partygate investigation, leaving him needy new location.

The Liberal Democrats, who finished second in Henley last time, have already devised an attacking campaign if he returns to the city.