George Osborne hits out at Boris Johnson with bizarre comparison to Gollum from Lord of the Rings
George Osborne hits out at Boris Johnson with bizarre comparison to Gollum from Lord of the Rings
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George Osborne has hit out at Boris Johnson as he likened him the to Lord of the Rings character Gollum, in a bizarre comparison.
Speaking on his Political Currency podcast, Osborne claimed Boris Johnson was "corrupted in his pursuit of power".
The former chancellor said Mr Johnson was a "natural moderate Tory."
However, he likened him to the "corrupted" hobbit whose pursuit of the One Ring sealed his fate.
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Osborne told co-host Ed Balls his desire for power "drew him well away from what he really believed in".
He also claimed he did not think Johnson was a "man of principle".
Osborne said: "There’s a natural Tory to him. Like a Greek tragedy, it was the pursuit of the gold.
"Like Lord of The Rings the pursuit of the crown, of the ring, ultimately corrupted him and drew him well away from what he really believed in."
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Boris Johnson was compared to Gollum from Lord of the Rings
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Osborne has also claimed that he believes that "deep down" Boris Johnson is a remainer.
He added: "I look back at that period and perhaps the biggest mistake we made was not really nailing down where Boris Johnson was [on Brexit].
"And not spotting that, of course, this was going to be a vehicle (the referendum) for him to have a go at the leadership. Because David [Cameron] and myself were going to be for remain, he ultimately had to be for leave.
"Even though deep down, I believe he’s a remainer, he was someone who did not want to leave the European Union."
George Osborne said he believes Boris Johnson 'deep down' is a remainer
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Balls asked: "Did he ever actually believe in anything? Was he a man of principle?"
Osborne replied: "I’m not sure I’d call him that. I think there are core beliefs.
"At his core he’s quite moderate, centre-Right Conservative who’s patriotic, and believes in free enterprise and personal liberty. He’s quite sceptical of foreign entanglements."
A source close to Boris Johnson told GB News: "Deep down, George Osborne is a Brexiteer."