Caitlin Moran promises to run for Parliament if Boris Johnson becomes Prime Minister

Although George Osborne is currently lagging behind Boris Johnson in favourability polls, he can take heart that an intervention by an unlikely figure could hamper his rival’s leadership appeal in certain Tory circles. Caitlin Moran — the Times columnist who led a 24-hour boycott of Twitter in 2013 — has pledged to run for Parliament if BoJo ever becomes Prime Minister.

Yes, Moran, who was one of Russell Brand’s loudest cheerleaders — describing his turn on Question Time as ‘brilliant’ — during the comedian’s ‘revolution’, has her sights set on the Commons if Boris is successful in his leadership bid. Speaking at the Hay Festival, she said that while she prefers to work from the sidelines — ‘I’d rather be a ramp than a lone rocket’ — Johnson as PM would persuade her to run:

‘If Boris Johnson is our Prime Minister, I will run for Parliament. We can’t have a man who in the 21st century talked about watermelon smiles and piccaninnies being the leader of our country.