George Osborne: why the Evening Standard says vote Boris Johnson in general election 2019

In the Evening Standard’s editorial today the paper urges voters to support Boris Johnson’s Conservatives on Thursday.

George Osborne – himself a veteran of multiple elections as both senior politician and editor of the Evening Standard – joins The Leader podcast to discuss why the paper supports Mr. Johnson for Prime Minister.

In the podcast, George Osborne reveals who he will be voting for – and why he might be tempted to vote for Independents David Gauke, Dominic Grieve or Anne Milton if he lived in their constituencies.

Subscribe to The Leader podcast for the best in election comment and analysis. We’re releasing an election results special on Friday, in which our senior editors will dissect the result and ask – ‘What happens next?’

TRANSCRIPT

PRESENTER:                       

From the Evening Standard in London, this is the Leader. 

PRESENTER:                      

 The Leader speaks to our editor George Osborne about how the newspaper came to its decision, and how he personally will vote in an election like no other

PRESENTER:                      

In the very first episode of the Leader podcast, we spoke to the Standard’s Associate editor Julian Glover about the history, and purpose of the Editorial column – “It carries clear, sharp, opinions on key news stories of the day,” he told us. “to inform you and make you think…” And it was all leading up to this. On the eve of the General Election, this newspaper has traditionally backed a candidate to be Prime Minister – In December 2019… here’s what the Evening Standard thinks:

ES COMMENT:

This newspaper speaks for London when we say we’re unhappy with the two paths presented to us: Brexit under the Tories or national bankruptcy under Labour. 

Jeremy Corbyn is manifestly unfit to hold the highest office in the land. That has been obvious since Labour made the suicidal decision to choose him as their leader four years ago.

The other person who could be PM on Friday is already in Downing Street. As with all prime ministers, the traits that propelled Boris Johnson to the highest office will inevitably be the ones that eventually force him from it.

While he says he wants to “get Brexit done”, he knows that cannot happen: we are condemned to years of agonising negotiation which will end in us following EU rules we no longer control.

But since Mr Johnson took office this summer, he has been more focused and more serious than anyone expected. And, just maybe, he can restore to the country the optimism and confidence that was lost in that referendum result he helped deliver.

When it comes to the choice between Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson, there is no contest. Corbyn would be a disaster for Britain. The Evening Standard backs Boris to remain as PM.

PRESENTER:                      

Shortly after the column went to print, I knocked on our editor George Osborne’s office door, and asked him how the Standard came to its decision:

DAVID MARSLAND

George, the Leader today starts off by saying that the newspapers unhappy with the past proposed to the people. Why is...

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