Ken Clarke calls Boris Johnson ‘disingenuous’ after PM ousts him from Tories

Ken Clarke got an element of revenge on Boris Johnson for ousting him, as he described the Prime Minister as “disingenuous” in a Commons speech.

The former Tory grandee was among 21 of the party’s MPs to have the whip removed after helping defeat the Government on a bill to seize control of the Commons order paper.

Speaking after Mr Johnson called a debate for an early general election, Mr Clarke said: “I do think the Prime Minister, with the greatest respect, has a tremendous skill in keeping a straight face while he’s being so disingenuous.”

The independent MP, once Chancellor of the Tory party, added: “He’s now desperate to have an election in order to bring this House’s proceedings to an end and have the general election clearly before October 31.

“He’s obviously going to campaign before that on the basis that he’s been thwarted in getting an amazing beneficial deal for this country, which is actually being blocked by wicked continental politicians and by MPs in the House of Commons who have no sense of the true national interest – which is to keep him in power.”

Mr Clarke said it is wrong to say opponents of the PM are trying to reverse Brexit, adding they have voted for it more often than Mr Johnson.

He added: “He is now Prime Minister, he is now a responsible politician with huge responsibility. I urge him one last time to stop treating all this as a game and to use the time to actually get a serious resolution of these impossible problems to look after the future goodwill of this country.”