Express & Star comment: It’s time for Boris to go for jugular

The prize seemed almost within his grasp – even without the support of the slippery Michael Gove there was a good chance that he could achieve his dream of leading his party and becoming Prime Minister.

But at the crucial moment he stepped back and announced that the next leader would not be him.

So what are we to make of his eagerly-anticipated speech to a fringe meeting at the Conservative party conference yesterday?

Many expected it to be an out-an-out pitch for the top job, particularly given Theresa May’s increasingly shaky grasp on the leadership of her party.

And for much of it, Mr Johnson did what was expected; he talked of proper Conservative values, no tax rises, stiffer law and order and turning the tide against political correctness.

Little wonder that his words were cheered not only in the hall but no doubt in many homes up and down the land.

But when it came to the big finish, once again, after thundering down the runway he appeared to abort take-off by urging fellow Tories to support Theresa May.

There is little doubt that if the Conservatives are to stand any chance of taking on Jeremy Corbyn in a future general election they must fight fire with fire.

A run-of-the-mill, nondescript career politician will not carry the electoral weight needed to defeat Mr Corbyn and his commissars.

Under Theresa May, the party has drifted so far to the left it is now almost indistinguishable from the Blair and Brown years and appears to have even borrowed some policies from Ed Miliband’s doomed slab of stone.

The country desperately wants a real choice.

It must be Mr Johnson, or Jacob Rees-Mogg or someone else who genuinely believes in leaving the EU and intends to see through the Brexit referendum decision.

This is why recent pro-Leave sentiments from the likes of Jeremy Hunt and Sajid Javid come across as disingenuous. While Mr Johnson may often be accused of political opportunism, he is clearly not alone in his party.

There is undoubted widespread anger at the way the decision on the biggest plebiscite this country has ever seen has been handled by the political class. The ever-changing attitude towards Brexit from Mr Corbyn and his hard-left cabal has understandably left a sour taste in the mouths of many.

In a telling betrayal, working class Labour voters who voted Leave have been cast aside by Mr Corbyn’s Momentum intelligentsia, who put the pursuit of power ahead of principle.

They will stop at nothing in their zealous crusade to ‘smash capitalism’, ruining the economy in the process.

We need a fighter to see off this threat, so now is not the time for Mr Johnson to be backing away from the challenge.

Either he wants the job or he does not. If so, he should have the guts to say so and get on with a proper challenge.

If he wants to be the leader, the man could go down in history as forcefully, decisively and confidently leading this country out of the EU.

Now is his moment. He must seize it or retire to the backbenches forever.

If we ‘bottle Brexit’ now the people of this country will find it hard to forgive, he said in his speech. He is right, and Mrs May should heed his warning.

But if Mr Johnson ‘bottles’ going for the leadership when the country needs him most, he will be equally unforgiven.

Your time is now, Boris. Carpe Diem.