Boris Johnson is a Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom, a former Mayor of London and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. Photo / AP
Boris Johnson is a Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom, a former Mayor of London and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. Photo / AP
Boris Johnson, above, and Jeremy Hunt in Birmingham. Photos / AP
British leadership contender Boris Johnson is more than 20 points ahead of rival Jeremy Hunt among grassroots Conservatives, a poll suggests.
A ComRes survey for the Sunday Telegraph found that 61 per cent of Tory councillors intended to vote for Johnson in the party's leadership contest, with 39 per cent planning to back the Foreign Secretary.
The poll also reveals an overwhelming preference for a no-deal exit from the EU if the next Conservative leader fails to secure a better deal with Brussels.
Some 83 per cent of councillors said the next Conservative leader must deliver Brexit on or before October 31, when the extended Article 50 notice period is due to expire, while 80 per cent said if the EU refuses any further concessions the UK should leave without a deal.
A Survation poll showed that among the general public, Hunt was ahead of Johnson by 52 per cent to 48. But among Conservative voters, who choose the leader, Johnson had 57 to 43 per cent.
The ComRes poll was carried out on Saturday and yesterday, when news broke that police had been called by neighbours to the home of Johnson and his partner Carrie Symonds during an apparent row between the couple.
Johnson refused to answer any questions about the row, despite being pressed on the issue at a hustings attended by Tory members yesterday.
Asked by Iain Dale, a Tory commentator, why police had been called to his home, the MP said: "I don't think they want to hear about that kind of thing."
Dozens of Conservative members heckled Dale for pursuing the line of inquiry, and cheered Johnson for deflecting and talking about policy issues, although others applauded the questions.
Britain's Secretary of State and prime ministerial contender Jeremy Hunt. Photo / AP
Symonds did not appear by Johnson's side at the Birmingham hustings. On Saturday the Guardian reported that police were called to the home Johnson and Symonds share after a neighbour heard screaming during an apparent row between the couple. The newspaper disclosed that Symonds could be heard on a tape telling Johnson to "get off me" and "get out of my flat". At one point Johnson could be heard saying "get off my f***ing laptop" before a loud crashing noise. Symonds told Johnson he had ruined a sofa with red wine.
In Birmingham, Johnson told the audience "we need to get Brexit done" and be prepared to leave the EU without a withdrawal deal in place. "I am here to tell you that in all confidence we can turn this thing around. I am utterly convinced that with the right energy and the right commitment, common sense will prevail. But just in case it does not, we must prepare to come out anyway."
Hunt pitched himself as the better negotiator, warning that "catastrophe awaits," if the wrong leader is sent to Brussels for talks with EU leaders. "If we send the wrong person, there's going to be no negotiation, no trust, no deal, and if Parliament stops that, maybe no Brexit. Send the right person, and there's a deal to be done."
It was the first of more than a dozen such party meetings set to take place. About 160,000 party members will decide who wins in a mail vote. The winner is due to be announced in mid-July.
