Boris Johnson exclusive: Don't give SNP chance to rule us
Boris Johnson has pleaded with voters to not deliver another hung Parliament as he told of his fears that the Scottish National Party would use it to break up Britain.
In an exclusive interview with the Express & Star, the Mayor of London revealed how he wants the Conservatives to be able to dump the Liberal Democrats and bring in rules that would curb what he called 'nonsense' strikes.
The Mayor of London was in Cannock to back Conservative candidate Amanda Milling as she tries to hold on to the seat in the General Election.
Mr Johnson gave a speech to an invited audience at the Premier Suite in Cannock, where Miss Milling was holding a fundraising lunch for her campaign.
The Mayor also practised tossing pancakes for Shrove Tuesday and posed for selfies with Conservative supporters.
He also praised the West Midlands for having grown faster even than London as he tried to wrestle back the concept of One Nation for the Tories. The doctrine, of members of society having an obligation to one another, was invented by Conservatives but has been adopted by Labour.
Mr Johnson, who worked briefly as a journalist for the Express & Star in the late 1980s, also said David Cameron, who he referred to as 'Dave', was the only person who lead a re-negotiation of Britain's place in the European Union.
He said: "The truth is there have been things where it's been difficult to get things moving because of the Liberal Democrats and there have been some reforms that we've wanted that haven't been deliverable.
"To give you one small example from my experience in London, some elements of the Tube unions are very militant and are inclined to strike for reasons we don't think are sensible.
"I want some changes brought in that introduce a reasonable ballot threshold. The Conservatives are offering that this time around, that we would stop this kind of nonsense.
"You would still be able to strike if you have a big enough turnout. We're not taking away the right to strike. We're protecting the rights of union members being bullied by a minority. But the Lib Dems haven't been letting us. That's the sort of example where Lib Dem delay and Lib Dem dither have stopped us doing things in the economic interest of Britain. I want us to win outright.
"I also think a Conservative majority government wouldn't have to govern at the behest of the SNP. I am concerned about the prospect of a coalition between Labour and the SNP.
"Labour would be endlessly feeding the beast, stoking the nationalistic aspirations of division in our country. It would be terrible. It's an emotional thing. I feel we are better together. Britain is a great, great United Kingdom. Why would you want to split it up? I worry about that. And I want us to have a good solid majority and work to put that behind us.
"Similarly on Europe, the frustrations we have about some of the regulations could be multiplied many, many times over. Now the Lib Dems have a kind of congenital love of everything that emerges from Brussels and think it's all brilliant. Nick Clegg in particular, he served in the Commission, he thinks that we're all wrong about this. I don't think we are wrong. You can reform the EU. It would be a positive thing but you have to go in there with a lot of guts and determination to pull it off and I think only Dave has got that."
Praising the West Midlands, he added: "People in this part of the world understand that this is the heartland of the UK economy.
"The West Midlands is and always has been one of the driving forces of UK success. It's growing now faster even than London.
"Unemployment is falling faster here. It's the only other place in the country where it's happening at that rate.
"So I think the story of the West Midlands over the last few years and what's happening in Cannock is about private enterprise.
"But it's private enterprise that's there not just to fill the wallets of the fat cat, but delivering for the whole country and everyone in society.
"The way to win and hold a seat like Cannock Chase is to deliver solid, One Nation Conservatism for all society. That's my view."
Cannock Chase is a key marginal seat and one of the major battlegrounds of the General Election.
The Tories won it from Labour in 2010 with the largest swing anywhere in the country.
The current Conservative MP for Cannock Chase, Aidan Burley, is standing down after just one term.
