Politics

Nadine Dorries idolises Boris Johnson again with a claim that is completely false

Nadine Dorries idolises Boris Johnson again with a claim that is completely false

Related video: Nadine Dorries calls Rishi Sunak a 'privileged posh boy'

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Nadine Dorries, who is very much still the Conservative MP for Mid Bedfordshire despite announcing her resignation “with immediate effect” last week, is continuing to heap praise on former prime minister Boris Johnson as her anger over not getting a peerage continues.

The author and TalkTV host made the shock announcement of her intent to step down amid reports she would not become a member of the House of Lords in Mr Johnson’s resignations honours list as widely speculated.

Ms Dorries – who talks so often of Mr Johnson she had to confirm she doesn’t “fancy” him on LBC last year – appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored on Monday to explain that the whole situation is about a “girl from Liverpool” who “had something that was offered to her” revoked by “two privileged posh boys”.

The “posh boys” in question are not David Cameron and George Osbourne (she made that claim back in 2012), but Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his political aide James Forsyth.

The ex-I’m A Celebrity contestant - who said on Wednesday she would stay on as an MP while she awaits responses to her requests for WhatsApp messages, text messages, emails and minutes about her being rejected for a peerage – has since made further critical remarks about Mr Sunak to the Financial Times.

In an interview with the outlet, published on Friday, Ms Dorries claimed the Conservative Party leader is “not a very clever guy” and came “200-and-something in his year at Oxford”, as opposed to Mr Johnson, who she says came “top of his year”.

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She also boasted she was “actually smarter than these guys in No 10”, which would be all the more believable if she wasn’t completely wrong about Mr Johnson being a top student during his uni years.

The FT again reports that as much as the law-breaking politician wanted to graduate with a first (the highest degree grade possible), he ended up with an upper second class degree – also known as a 2:1.

So, by definition, not the “top” mark, and interviewer Henry Mance notes this in his article, only for Ms Dorries to remain convinced that “you won’t meet anybody cleverer”.

Yet even by Mr Johnson’s own admission, he wasn’t as focussed during his time at university as he could have been, telling schoolchildren in London back in 2019: “I’m afraid I didn’t do enough work at university.

“My strong advice is don’t waste your time at university. Don’t get drunk – not that you would, but use it well.

“I frittered too much time at university, I’m afraid to say.”

Yes, he actually talked about alcohol and getting drunk to young children.

Thank God Mr Johnson’s premiership is now behind us…

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