George Osborne uses first front page as Evening Standard editor to twist the knife into Theresa May on Brexit and calls her election campaign ‘no more than a slogan’
GEORGE OSBORNE has used his first front page as Editor of the Evening Standard to stick the knife into Theresa May on Brexit.
His first splash called her "strong and stable leadership" line no more than a slogan - and also featured a cartoon mocking the Prime Minister.
The paper's main story reported the relationship between Brussels and Downing Street going downhill after Jean Claude Juncker mocked Mrs May.
And he tweeted out a political cartoon featuring the PM as Big Ben - chiming "strong and stable!"
Theresa May famously sacked the former Chancellor George Osborne when she became PM last summer after David Cameron was forced to quit following the referendum result.
But the new Evening Standard editor would have found it hard to get much work done this morning after his offices were surrounded today by angry London taxi drivers protesting against him.
A large group shouted 'greedy George!' and held placards accusing him of colluding with Uber.
But for most of the morning a group of angry cabbies have been protesting against his appointment.
They say that they are worried the paper could "lose its independence and status as the 'voice of London' under his leadership," the Licenced Taxi Drivers Association said.
And cab-drivers highlighted his lobbying on behalf of Uber when he was in office, giving them what they said amount to "inappropriate influence" over the development of private hire regulations.
The MP for Tatton has now said he will stand down from the House of Commons for now - and won't fight the upcoming snap election.
But the former Chancellor has hinted at a political comeback, saying he intends to stay active on the issues he is passionate about.
And the 45-year-old is still raking in the cash with a number of other lucrative jobs since leaving No 11 - including as an adviser to Blackrock.
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He said today in a tweet that he was "excited" about starting his new job and promised to provide all the facts and analysis "without fear or favour".
Mr Osborne said previously: “At the age of 45, I don’t want to spend the rest of my life just being an ex-Chancellor. I want new challenges."
The ex-Chancellor has since defended his controversial editorship of the London Evening Standard.
He said his new role – on top of his FIVE other jobs – would help him to bring “different experience” to matters of Parliament.
In an open letter, Osborne wrote: "Now I have left Downing Street I want to continue to take part in the debate about the future direction of our country.
"No longer being Chancellor gives me time to do that in other ways – yes, in the Chamber of the House of Commons; but also as the editor of a major newspaper."