Joseph ‘Jo’ Johnson’s recent decision to resign, which came as yet another blow to his brother Boris’s premiership, may have been influenced by his wife, The Sun reports.
“The Johnsons have always been a politically diverse clan, but Amelia decided she’d had enough,” a source close to the family told the tabloid.
“Seeing Boris presiding over an increasingly fractured government, threatening to break the law and promising to drag the country out of the EU or die in a ditch – it all just got too much.”
“She confronted Jo and told him he had to choose between her and his brother.”
Jo's wife, Amelia Gentleman, is an award-winning reporter for the Guardian who covers the government’s immigration policies; she has carried out an investigation into the deportation of Caribbean nationals who legally had a right to resident in the UK but were treated unfairly or wrongly deported from the country. The exposé led to the so-called Windrush scandal, which played a role in the resignation of Amber Rudd as Home Secretary in April 2018.
Defending Marina Wheeler
Amelia, 47, is rumoured to be close to Marina Wheeler, the estranged wife of Boris Johnson. The latter is currently dating environmentalist Carrie Symonds.
An unnamed source said of Amelia-Marina relations: “She hated to see her beloved sister-in-law being put through the mill by Boris.”
“While Marina was recovering from two operations for cervical cancer, Boris was off gallivanting with Carrie Symonds.”
“It didn't sit well with her and she gave Jo a very hard time over it.”
Neither Amelia nor the Johnson brothers have commented on the speculation so far.
Jo’s Shakespearean Move
Jo Johnson resigned from his position as minister of state for universities and science and as member of parliament on Thursday because of differences with his brother over Brexit.
Jo, who voted Remain in 2016, said: “In recent weeks I’ve been torn between family loyalty and the national interest – it’s an unresolvable tension and time for others to take on my roles as MP and Minister.”
Commenting on the move, Boris Johnson said his brother “does not agree with me about the European Union because it's an issue that obviously divides families and divides everybody".
“I thank Jo (Johnson) for all the work that he has done and for the support he has given for our domestic agenda,” he added.
The Tory Rebellion
Jo’s announcement came after 21 rebel Tory MPs were purged for voting against Boris Johnson and backing a bill, together with the opposition, that would force their leader to request another Brexit delay from the European Union if he did not have a withdrawal agreement by the 31 October deadline.
Following the rebellion, Boris Johnson attempted to call a general election, but failed to win a two-thirds majority.
The lawmakers are expected to vote his motion down again on Monday, as opposition MPs say they will only support a snap election if the possibility of a no-deal Brexit is blocked.
Johnson, who is currently negotiating a withdrawal agreement, said he would defy Parliament’s instructions to seek an Article 50 extension, and vowed to take Britain out of the union by 31 October anyway.
