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Johnson ‘squared up’ to the king over Rwanda
plan, claims former press chief
Pair disagreed over reports King Charles called
deportation plan ‘appalling’, says Guto Harri
Nadeem
Badshah and agency
Mon 8 May
2023 18.56 EDT
Boris
Johnson confronted King Charles, “essentially squaring up” to him for
describing the Rwanda asylum policy as “appalling”, according to No 10’s former
director of communications Guto Harri.
The pair
are said to have had a disagreement at a Commonwealth summit in the east
African country in June 2022 after reports that the monarch, who was then
Prince of Wales, had criticised the plan to deport people travelling across the
Channel to Rwanda.
Writing in
the Daily Mail, Harri said Johnson told him that he “went in quite hard”
against Charles over his reported criticism of the policy.
Johnson
disputed his longstanding ally’s account as “inaccurate”, with a source saying
he “deplores” any commentary on conversations with royals.
Harri added
the former Conservative leader also warned Charles against making a speech
expressing regret over slavery over concerns that it could result in demands
for financial reparations. Charles went ahead with the speech.
At the
time, Johnson described his discussion with the Prince of Wales as a “good old
chinwag” that “covered a lot of ground”.
Harri, a
former BBC journalist who joined the Number 10 press team in February 2022 and
left in September, wrote: “What actually happened was less amicable. ‘I went in
quite hard,’ he told me at the time, essentially squaring up to the prince and
confronting him about what he – as unelected royalty – had said about the
actions of a democratically elected government.
“Prince
Charles was busted. He had obviously expressed some criticism, and though he
tried to play it down, Boris pointed out the obvious, [saying]: ‘If you didn’t
say it, we both know your people could ring the newspapers and kill the story.
The fact they haven’t done that says it all.’”
Johnson
attended the king’s coronation on Saturday with his wife, Carrie, along with
other former prime ministers including John Major, David Cameron and Liz Truss.
Harri, who
has detailed his time in Downing Street for a new podcast series for Global
Player, claimed that Charles and Johnson had a fractious relationship which
stemmed from the latter being accused of being late for a meeting with the
prince while he was mayor of London.
“Relations
never fully recovered and Charles will be relieved that Boris had left No 10
before he ascended to the throne,” he added in his piece for the Mail.
A source
close to Johnson told the paper: “Boris Johnson does not recognise this account
and it is inaccurate. It does not accurately reflect any conversation.
“We would
never comment on these matters and Mr Johnson deplores any attempt to do so.”
PA Media
contributed to this report
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