Boris Johnson to make first major appearance of election campaign

Boris Johnson is to make his first major appearance of the general election, as he fends off accusations that he will be sidelined by Theresa May during the campaign.

The foreign secretary will speak at the lord mayor’s banquet in his first intervention since May called a snap election aiming to secure a personal mandate to govern and deliver Brexit.

He will also give a series of media interviews, as the Conservatives moved to rebut claims that May wants to reduce his exposure to the media and minimise the potential for gaffes during a tightly controlled election campaign.

The foreign secretary appears to be outside May’s core team of trusted cabinet ministers sent out daily to deliver her message of “strong and stable” government.

Any victory for May in the election on 8 June would then be attributable to her leadership alone, rather than to Johnson’s popularity with the electorate.

But ministerial sources said Johnson would be heavily involved in the election effort and seen more and more on the campaign trail in the coming weeks.

Johnson’s role has divided Conservative MPs between those who are keen to capitalise on his ability to connect with voters and those concerned about his ability to keep on-message.

One problem with sending him out on a battlebus tour is the controversy generated by the Vote Leave bus, which had a slogan on the side promising £350m a week from Britain’s EU contribution for the NHS.

May has been pressed to commit any funds saved from withdrawing from the EU to helping the struggling health service.

But she has avoided making any promises, despite pledging to carry out the will of the people who voted in the referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU.

Asked again whether the pledge would be honoured, Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “The country listened to what they said and voted to leave the EU. I am absolutely certain that if we get a good outcome from the Brexit negotiations, there will be more money for the NHS because our economy will be stronger.”