Boris begged brother Jo Johnson not to quit during tense call – as he admits Brexit ‘divides families’

BORIS Johnson’s brother Jo refused his late night plea not to quit the Cabinet - as the PM revealed even his own family has been riven by Brexit rows.

The Tory Universities Minister stunned Westminster with the public hammer blow to his older brother yesterday morning.

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Citing “unresolvable tensions” over Boris’s Brexit policy, Jo suggested his older brother was not acting “in the national interest”.

It followed a tense phone call between the close-knit pair on Wednesday night, in which Boris pleaded with Jo to reconsider.

But Jo told the PM yesterday morning he had not changed his mind in a text message before making his decision public with a tweet that revealed he was also quitting politics altogether.

The Sun can also reveal the 47-year-old Orpington MP’s walk-out followed five weeks of soul searching that began as soon as he agreed to join Boris’s Cabinet.

Passionate Remainer Jo refused to sign up to the pledge to leave the EU without a deal if necessary that Boris demanded all his new top table agree to.

But the PM secretly agreed to allow him to serve anyway, as the pair are close and Boris often used clever Jo as a sounding board for new policy ideas.

Announcing the news in a bombshell tweet yesterday morning, Jo said: “It’s been an honour to represent Orpington for nine years and to serve as a minister under three PMs.

“In recent weeks I’ve been torn between family loyalty and the national interest - it’s an unresolvable tension and time for others to take on my roles as an MP and Minister”.

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He ended it was the hashtag “#overandout”.

Refusing to make any criticism of him, Boris heaped praise on his brother to dub him “a fantastic guy and a brilliant minister”.

He added: “Jo does not agree with me about the European Union because it’s an issue that obviously divides families, and divides everybody.

“We certainly haven’t seen eye to eye for a long time about UK and the EU but on a huge domestic agenda I think he’s done a fantastic job.

“I am very sad to see the loss of Jo, and of people have the lost the whip in the last few days.”

Jo later made it clear that his calamitous fall out with his brother was over Brexit alone, telling The Sun: ”What is so clearly in the national interest is everything the Government is doing in its strong, One Nation domestic policy agenda: more police on the streets, more doctors and nurses in our hospitals, a welcoming face to scientists and international students.

“That’s exactly what a Conservative prime minister should be doing and what Boris does so well.”

Jo’s resignation led critics to draw immediate comparisons between Ed and David Miliband, who fell out after fighting each other for the Labour leadership.

In 2013, Boris teased Labour boss Ed by declaring “only a socialist could shaft his own brother”.

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The resignation deepened the Tories’ crisis, after the PM was accused of “purging” 21 Remainers MPs by expelling them on Tuesday for voting to delay Brexit.

Revealing the Johnson family’s disputes about Brexit were deepening, it emerged Boris’s sister and former Lib Dem candidate Rachel Johnson has said: “It’s becoming ISIS-like in its intensity and silliness”.

Labour leaped on the resignation, with Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner saying: “Boris Johnson poses such a threat that even his own brother doesn’t trust him”.

CARNAGE IN THE COMMONS

He is the 23rd Tory MP to either quit or be sacked in the past two days - after Boris' rebel purge and Philip Lee defecting to the Lib Dems.

Jo is also Boris' first major ministerial resignation since he became PM in what has been a galling 48 hours in the Commons. 

A No10 spokesperson said: “The PM, as both a politician and brother, understands this will not have been an easy matter for Jo.  The constituency of Orpington could not have had a better representative."

It comes on another turbulent day in Westminster after:

• Boris demanded a fresh election to let the people decide Brexit - but Jeremy Corbyn BLOCKED it
• The PM lost his first three votes in the House of Commons as rebels took control of Parliament and rammed through a bill to stop a No Deal Brexit
• Labour are in turmoil over when to support an election
• The Government confirmed it would try AGAIN for a general election with a fresh vote on Monday

Immediately Tory big beasts weighed in to the news of his resignation.

Ex-Tory rebel David Gauke said today: "Lots of MPs have had to wrestle with conflicting loyalties in recent weeks. None more so than Jo. This is a big loss to Parliament, the Government and the Conservative Party."

And Margot James, who was also booted out after voting against Boris this week, said: "If I thought my decision had been difficult it was nothing compared to yours @JoJohnsonUK. I am utterly humbled by your action and statement today."

Best for Britain chief executive Naomi Smith, who wants another referendum, said: "Boris Johnson has already managed to lose his Parliamentary majority, his first three votes, his first by-election and now his own brother.

"This is the evidence that Johnson and Cummings have no great plan, only a misguided, blind belief in their own alleged abilities. It is time for this madness to stop."

Jo  - like his sister Rachel ,who joined Change UK,  and reality star dad Stanley - voted Remain in 2016 and called for a second referendum on Brexit.

He said at the time: "What is now being proposed won’t be anything like what was promised two years ago.

"Britain stands on the brink of the greatest crisis since the Second World War.

The PM, as both a politician and brother, understands this will not have been an easy matter for Jo.  The constituency of Orpington could not have had a better representative.

No10 spokesman

"I believe it is entirely right to go back to the people and ask them to confirm their decision to leave the EU.”

However, he seemingly performed U-turn when Boris came to power and was appointed minister for universities and science, a role he held from 2015-2018.

Rachel Johnson has also said that her family's arguments over Brexit are growing more fanatical by the day.

"It's becoming ISIS-like in its intensity and silliness," she said.

Jo's resignation represents the second time a close ally has stabbed Boris in the back when he needed them most.

Following the referendum Michael Gove launched his own bid to become Prime Minister - after campaigning alongside his old friend Boris.

The move effectively torpedoed Johnson’s chances and left him "wanting to punch"; Gove.

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ELECTION CRY

The Government dropped their opposition to the so-called Surrender Bill in the Lords, meaning it's set to pass and go through as law by Monday.

The risky gamble is part of a plan to try and force the Labour boss into an early election in the hope he can wriggle out of the new law by getting a deal, or even repealing it.

If it's rubber stamped by the Queen it will force Boris to go to the EU and get a third Brexit extension if he doesn't get a deal.

Boris demanded to go to the country rather than accept Corbyn’s demands to go cap in hand back to Brussels in just six weeks’ time.

If we are going to have control of the date, we'll have to bring the other parties with us. But we are going to control the timing. I want one, we're going to get one. But it's the timing.

John McDonnell

Mr Corbyn ran scared and refused to back an election - saying he wanted the rebel bill to stop a No Deal Brexit to become law first.

Only 298 MPs opted for an election - far short of the two thirds of MPs (434) he needed to get it through.

The vote was lost after Mr Corbyn ordered his MPs to abstain in the knowledge this would prevent Boris getting the two thirds majority he needed.

But now an internal battle is going on within Labour over whether to back a snap poll now - or wait until November where they have a better chance.

Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said they were debating "whether it's better to go long, rather than go short".

He added: "If we are going to have control of the date, we'll have to bring the other parties with us.
"But we are going to control the timing.

"I want one, we're going to get one. But it's the timing."

Some Labour sources said they didn't want to see an election at all before October 31 - in an attempt to try and humiliate Boris even further if he's forced to go for a No Deal Brexit.

Others claim Labour just wanted to push it back a few weeks to give Boris less time to secure a deal and make him appear to have failed.

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RUNNING SCARED

Tories accused Labour of running away from an election they've called for for years.

Boris blasted that it was because the leftie boss thinks he'll lose a snap poll.

He joked it that it was also a first that the "Opposition has opted to show confidence in Her Majesty's Government!"

"Does somebody need to get out the chicken suit?" he told ITV after the vote.

And Chancellor Sajid Javid told Sky News: "Labour are frightened of the British people, we are not".

Boris hinted he could try again and bring another election forward in the "next few days" with another vote.

He could also call a vote of no confidence in himself to try and bring an election, or could submit a new Bill in the Commons for an official election too.

But Boris is in a race against time to get an election sorted out before Parliament is prorogued next week - as he planned.

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