Boris Johnson’s widely known memoir, Unleashed, was released earlier this month following the publication of several excerpts, presumably aimed at attracting potential readers.
One passage detailed a discussion the then-Mayor of London had with then-Prime Minister David Cameron in 2016.
In a conversation where Mr Johnson was urged to back the campaign to remain in the EU in the upcoming referendum, he said he would offer him a “top five cabinet job” if he agreed, but if he decided to join the Leave campaign. He said he was threatened. .
The passage in question read:
“The prime minister called me at City Hall one night and urged me to make a decision,” he said.
“My heart is torn, I said. I wanted to support him, but over the years I have written hundreds, maybe even thousands, of articles attacking the undemocratic features of the EU. I felt I had to be consistent.
“‘This is not about an article!’ he spluttered. ‘It’s about…the future of the country!’
“Well, we agreed to that, but I said I was still thinking about voting Leave.
“He said, ‘If you do that, I’ll mess you up forever,’ — those were his exact words.”
He added: “I had to admit the threat was serious. Did I want to be screwed? Forever? By a prime minister with all the fucking tools available to a modern government, and thousands of shitty higher ups. Is the department just waiting for his orders?”
Lord Cameron effectively confirmed the content of the “lively conversation”, but disputed his explanation of the language used.
“It’s unbelievable,” he told Times Radio.
Prime Minister Cameron insists he won’t use fruity words
“What I remember saying was, ‘Boris, you’ve never supported Brexit before, but you’ve always said let’s reform, let’s change. We hope we get a better deal. I said, ‘Why are you withdrawing now?’
“‘You might not like my deal, you might think you could do it better if you became prime minister, and maybe you will in a few years’ time, but suddenly you’re backing something you’ve never supported before. Please don’t.
“That was the discussion I remember.
“And I don’t remember a more fruitful language. But as they say, memory and recollection are different.”
