Sunak turns to Boris Johnson in final hours of campaign to contain Labour’s ‘supermajority’

3 Jul. () –

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Tuesday turned to former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who made his first campaign appearance less than 48 hours before polling stations open in the United Kingdom, in an attempt to contain the expected victory of the Labour Party in the general election.

Johnson has arrived at a Conservative Party rally at the National Army Museum in London where he simply thanked the Prime Minister for asking him to attend, although he did not have any further words about the achievements of the current resident of Downing Street, while he did take the opportunity to defend the policies he promoted while in government.

“If you are a little surprised to see me, I will be absolutely clear that I was delighted when Rishi asked me for help. Of course, I couldn’t say no. We are here because we love our country. Whatever our differences, they are absolutely trivial compared to the disaster we may face if these so-called opinion polls are correct,” he said.

At the meeting, Johnson accused Labour leader Keir Starmer of trying to “install the most left-wing Labour government since the war with a large majority.” He also said that he would “destroy much” of what his political party has “achieved.” “It would be the height of madness if these polls were right,” he said.

As he left the lectern, Sunak thanked his predecessor for his support, stressing that “he is right to say that now is the time for all Conservatives to unite to deny Labour the supermajority that Keir Starmer yearns for.” “We have 48 hours to save the United Kingdom from the danger of a Labour government,” he warned.

With this call, Sunak has used his “emergency button” as the controversial Johnson excites his supporters with his typically chaotic performance. However, his intervention to please the public has come too late to save the Conservatives from a possible defeat at the polls, according to British television channel Sky News.

The scandal surrounding the parties held in Downing Street during the pandemic, known as ‘Partygate’, ultimately accelerated Johnson’s resignation on 6 September 2021, amid pressure from his own colleagues in the face of the discredit that the Conservative Party was acquiring due to this and other scandals under his mandate.