Boris Johnson must summon a Cabinet to deliver Brexit and fight off Jeremy Corbyn’s Stalinist mob
Go-go BoJo
IT’S almost certain that Boris Johnson will be elected Tory leader tomorrow, becoming PM on Wednesday.
But there’s no time for champagne corks. He’ll have just hours to assemble a top team to run a country crying out for leadership.
BoJo should summon a Cabinet of all the talents, uniting staunch Brexiteers such as Dominic Raab and Michael Gove with former Remainers like Sajid Javid — not to mention his leadership rival Jeremy Hunt.
As Trevor Kavanagh writes for The Sun, there can be no room for the Tory Europhiles who refuse to sign up to the October 31 Brexit deadline.
That’s why it’s good to see Philip Hammond bow to reality, finally accepting his time at the top table is over.
But others like Matt Hancock and Amber Rudd now acknowledge No Deal has to stay as an option — Boris should welcome their change of heart, and reward them with senior jobs.
After all, only by listening to all sides of the party can he hope to keep his MPs together, a crucial task when faced with a wafer-thin Commons majority and determined rump of anti-Brexit rebels.
The crisis in the Gulf reminds us all of just how much there is to do. Mr Johnson will need to defuse tensions with Iran as soon as possible — and start building up the shattered Royal Navy.
Even putting Brexit aside, the new PM’s to-do list is dizzyingly long, with violent crime, social care, schools funding and dying high streets all needing urgent attention.
And don’t forget that Jeremy Corbyn’s Stalinist mob are waiting at the door of No10, desperate to claw their way in.
The stakes really couldn’t be higher.
Stamp out duty
WE welcome the call by think-tank Onward for a massive cut in stamp duty, taking all properties under £500,000 out of the tax.
It would mean only the rich have to fork out, so nearly all Brits can move house without paying the state for the privilege.
And crucially, a cut would liberate the country’s gummed-up housing market, removing a major barrier discouraging older people from downsizing and freeing up space for new buyers.
Millions are shut out of the housing ladder. Making it cheaper to move would be a major step forward in changing that.
But let’s not forget it’s also urgent that we cut planning red tape and thousands more homes are built.
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Georgeous
HAPPY sixth birthday to Prince George.
Mum Kate’s delightful pic of him, gap-toothed and dressed in an England footie shirt, is a portrait of a charmingly normal young Royal.
Good on her for breaking out of the stuffy formal straitjacket that sometimes restricts the family.
Have a great day, George!