Boris Johnson has urged voters to “forget about the government” as he delivered a brutal verdict on Rishi Sunak’s record as prime minister.
The former PM urged people to vote Tory even though they “might not like everything the Conservatives have done”.
He made the damning comments in a letter to voters in the West Midlands ahead of tomorrow’s local elections.
Sitting Tory mayor Andy Street’s position is at serious risk of losing to Labour in a result which would be a hammer-blow to Sunak’s chances of remaining in office.
In his letter, Johnson said: “Forget about the government. Forget about Westminster. The election is about the next four years in the West Midlands - and who do you want in charge.”
Johnson has made a video of support for Ben Houchen, the Tory mayor for Tees Valley, who has also avoided mentioning Sunak in his election literature.,
A Labour source said: “Rishi Sunak’s predecessor telling voters to forget about the government is a damning verdict on the Prime Minister’s leadership.
“Both Ben Houchen and Andy Street have distanced themselves from Rishi Sunak but seem very happy to put Boris Johnson’s name up in lights.
“Rishi Sunak is such a drag that his own candidates clearly feel they need to dump him to win.”