Laura Kuenssberg says Boris Johnson was 'in denial' about his ousting as PM

BBC journalist Laura Kuenssberg has suggested Boris Johnson was “in denial” about his ousting a prime minister.

The PM tried to resist standing down last month even as ministers resigned around him in the wake of a series of scandals, with the final straw his decision to hire MP Chris Pincher despite complaints of inappropriate behaviour.

Johnson eventually agreed to go after 57 MPs left their government roles but insisted he would stay on until the Tories elected a new leader next month.

Speaking to British Vogue for its September issue, Kuenssberg revealed what she thought was going through the PM’s mind when his ministers started to resign.

Read more: Sturgeon tells UK Government not to wait for new PM to act on energy bills

Kuenssberg compared how the prime minister lost his party's support to a game of Jenga.

She said: “One piece comes out, and then another, and it gets wobblier, then it stabilises, but then, when it actually crashes, it crashes really quickly and really messily.”

She added: “I think it’s clear that, until very late that last night, there was a real sense of denial.”

The journalist said the atmosphere at The Spectator magazine’s summer party, which took place in the wake of Johnson’s resignation and was attended by Tory MPs, was “very hot, very wild and very bizarre”.

She said: “It was like being in a tropical jungle, not just because of the heat, but because they’d slain the beast who’d been pushing them all around for so long.

“And the next generation was prowling around, trying to build new alliances and grab the plumpest, juiciest fruit for themselves.”

Read more: Johnson moves out of Downing Street to spend the rest of his premiership at Chequers

Johnson will resign from No 10 on 6 September when either favourite Liz Truss or rival Rishi Sunak are elected as the new Tory leader and PM.

Last week Sunak described Johnson’s doomed battle to cling to power as “a bit odd”, as he said the outgoing prime minister was still blanking him.

His resignation as chancellor last month helped the cascade that forced Johnson to resign.

Asked if Johnson took too long to quit, Sunak told ITV’s This Morning: “In the end it went on for a couple of days – it was a bit odd.”

Johnson has not declared who he supports in the race to replace him, but his most staunch allies have come out in favour of Sunak’s rival Truss.

Kuenssberg was recently announced as Andrew Marr’s successor on the BBC’s Sunday morning politics show.

Shewill take over on 4 September with a new set, format and title music.