Tory concerns grow after Johnson's faltering speech

PM asks CBI bosses about Peppa Pig in bizarre address

- ANDREW WOODCOCK

Boris Johnson was yesterday forced to defend himself publicly after his rambling delivery of a high-profile speech to business leaders led to fresh questions about his performance as prime minister.

The shambolic speech came ahead of a threatened Conservative backbench rebellion against last-minute changes to the PM’s flagship reforms to the care system which have been widely branded unfair to poorer pensioners.

Addressing the CBI’s annual conference in the Port of Tyne, Mr Johnson compared himself to Moses, made “vroom, vroom” car noises, cracked risque jokes, stumbled over his words, fell silent for almost half a minute after losing his place in his text and asked his audience of senior business executives to put their hands up if they had visited Peppa Pig World.

The speech came after more than two weeks of intensive pressure on the prime minister following his botched attempt to defend former minister Owen Paterson over sleaze, as he saw his personal ratings slump amid furious rows with his own MPs about the care reforms and proposed restrictions on second jobs.

Following the speech, one senior government source told The Independent: “It was not his finest hour. But we haven’t had many fine hours recently. We’re the party of business. This tone was just off, frankly, and a bit embarrassing.”

And BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said the address had fuelled consternation inside the PM’s inner circle, quoting a senior Downing Street source as saying: “There is a lot of concern inside the building about the PM. It’s just not working.

“Cabinet needs to wake up and demand serious changes otherwise it’ll keep getting worse. If they don’t insist, he just won’t do anything about it.”