Keir Starmer reveals the key differences between Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson

Unshackled from the burden of dealing with him as the prime minister, Keir Starmer has revealed what he really thinks of his previous counterpart, Boris Johnson, and it is not complimentary.

Speaking to Matt Forde during a live recording of The Political Party podcast, the Labour leader said he "loathed" Johnson and said they didn't have a good working relationship when Johnson occupied Number 10.

"Anybody who's had any relationship with Johnson, in any sense of the word, has landed in the gutter."

Despite calling him "weak" and "one-dimensional", Starmer said his relationship with the current PM, Rishi Sunak, is "much better".

They've even swapped personal numbers and are able to work together on Ukraine, he revealed.

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"[Sunak] phoned me the day he became prime minister and gave me his personal number. It is a different relationship and a different relationship across the despatch box. We're not texting about the Southampton-Arsenal scores.'

Neither Liz Truss nor Mr Johnson raised the idea of trading phone numbers, he added.

However, they don't seem exactly chummy as he added: "He hasn't got a mandate, and therefore he has not got strength.

"You don't have Suella Braverman in your Cabinet on merit. Every time there's been a threatened rebellion, he's backed down.

"There's a weakness problem, but there's also a real out-of-touch problem."

Starmer was quizzed on his choice of language on BBC Breakfast Thursday. But he didn't back down.

Who can blame him?

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