Eddie Hughes: I'm backing the PM all the way
Eddie Hughes has poured cold water on Boris Johnson's leadership ambitions as he insisted Theresa May was 'back to her best' and ready to lead Britain out of the EU.
The Walsall North MP said Mrs May's speech at the Tory conference in Birmingham proved she was 'resilient, tough and statesmanlike'.
He also claimed Mr Johnson – who delivered his own explosive speech at a fringe event on Tuesday where he called on Mrs May to 'chuck Chequers' – was not a potential Prime Minister as he could not garner enough support from within the parliamentary party.
"Boris a great performer and he can pull a crowd, but he is not a potential Prime Minister. I don't believe that he has enough support from MPs," Mr Hughes said.
"As far as I can see it there is absolutely no enthusiasm for a leadership challenge.
"People see the Prime Minister for what she is: resilient, tough and statesmanlike."
Brexiteer Mr Hughes told the Express & Star that the Prime Minister's Chequers plan was 'not ideal' for everyone, but said it represented a realistic approach that people should 'get behind'.
"We have got to get a deal that Europe can agree on, and move it through Parliament," he said.
"Politics is about pragmatism, and while everyone has their own ideas about what Brexit should look like it is the Prime Minister's job to deliver it.
"I believe what has been negotiated is deliverable. It will enable Britain to take back control, which is what people voted for in the referendum. [In the speech] the Prime Minister was back to her best and I'm backing her all the way."
