Jo Johnson backs Boris

Jo Johnson has declared his support for his brother’s leadership bid. In a statement to The Spectator, the minister for universities and science says:

‘Boris and I were on different side of a hard fought referendum campaign. But it is time to move on, time to unite and time to deliver. I have known my brother for longer than anyone in parliament. He is the great communicator—and I have no doubt at all that he is the person best placed not just to secure a new settlement for Britain in Europe but also to provide the optimistic, confident and outward-looking leadership we will need in months and years to come.’

Now, on the one hand Jo backing his brother is not that surprising. But it is worth remembering that if he hadn’t done so, a great deal would have been made of it. Jo, who is regarded as a highly effective minster, also has reach into parts of the party that Boris will need to do serious work to win over.