Ken Clarke calls Boris Johnson “nicer version of Donald Trump”
Tory grandee Ken Clarke has hit out at the former Mayor of London and Brexit supporter, Boris Johnson, calling him a "nicer version of Donald Trump" and accusing him of turning the Leave campaign into a leadership bid.
The comments made on the BBC's Today programme on Radio 4 on Monday morning, follow a weekend of outspoken attacks on Prime Minister David Cameron by fellow Conservative MPs.
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Clarke, the pro-Europe former chancellor said:
“I think Boris and Donald Trump should go away for a bit and enjoy themselves and not get in the way of the serious issues that modern countries in the 21st century face. He’s a much nicer version of Donald Trump but the campaign’s remarkably similar in my opinion and about as relevant to the real problems the public face. The personalities get in the way and it’s no good turning the Leave campaign into a leadership bid for Boris Johnson and anti-immigrant fears.”
Brexit supporting MP Nadine Dories, who is also a critic of Cameron, called for Cameron to quit on Sunday and accused the Prime Minister of having "lied profoundly" over comments about Turkey's membership of Europe.
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Her comments were echoed by another Conservative MP, Andrew Bridgen, who claimed that at least 50 MPs would back a vote of no confidence in the PM and that a vote after the referendum was "highly likely".
The EU referendum has caused an increasingly contentious split in the party between those who support remaining in Europe and those who wish to leave. Campaigns for both sides have ramped up in recent weeks with less than a month left to go until the vote on 23 June.