Tory backstabbing over Boris, Brexit and a mystery blonde
Downing Street denies it is behind a 'black ops' campaign against Johnson, but his leadership ambitions are the biggest threat to Theresa May. By Tim Shipman and Caroline Wheeler
The Sunday Times, September 9 2018, 12:01am
A little after 5pm on Thursday one of Boris Johnson's closest allies stepped into the bar of the Amba hotel above Charing Cross station in central London. It was a grey day and the rain was coming down. The weather was reflective of his mood. "Have you heard about this dirty tricks campaign against Boris?" he asked a friend gloomily.
Five hours later, 300 yards away across Trafalgar Square, most of Theresa May's Downing Street staff had gathered in the humid basement of The Admiralty tavern for a leaving do.
Aides stared at their phones as news broke that Johnson's wife, the QC Marina Wheeler, had left him after he had admitted a new infidelity.
The Sun reported how Johnson's daughter Lara had been overheard…