Steve Bakers calls Boris Johnson's potential return a 'guaranteed disaster'

Steve Baker has spoken about the prospect of Boris Johnson running for Prime Minister again, calling it a “guaranteed disaster”.

The Tory MP and Minister of State for Northern Ireland came out in support of Rishi Sunak and criticised Johnson during an interview with Sophy Ridge on Sky News.

Baker said he was backing Sunak as he would deliver a “competent, capable, professional government that we can rely on”.

He commented: “This isn’t the time for Boris and his style. I’m not willing to lay down my integrity for Boris Johnson.”

Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

He also went on to say he thinks Johnson’s chances could be damaged by the privileges committee inquiry into whether he misled parliament over Partygate.

“I’m afraid the trouble is because of the [Commons Privileges Committee] vote, Boris would be a guaranteed disaster.

Baker called for a "professional government"Sky/Getty

“There’s going to be a vote before the House of Commons on this issue of privileges, whether he will deliberately mislead the house.”

Baker added: “In that vote it’s guaranteed there’ll be a large number of Conservatives who will refuse, as they see it, to lay down their integrity to save him, and at that moment his premiership will collapse.”

“It’s a guaranteed nailed-on failure and we cannot allow it to happen.”

The MP went on to discuss what he’d like to see Johnson do, saying: “I think it would be for the best if Boris did something big and statesmanlike.

“I think he’d make an amazing chairman of the party. But what we can’t do is have him as prime minister in circumstances where he’s bound to implode, taking down the whole government within and we just can’t do that again.”

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.