THE appointment of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister has not met with universal acclaim among leading North Wales Conservatives.
The view that he is the right man for the current times was expressed, and he was described as being a good friend of Wales. But he was also labelled as not being fit to be Prime Minister.
David Jones, MP for Clwyd West, said: “Boris Johnson has been elected leader of the Conservative party by a two to one majority. As such, he has the decisive support of his own party, which underlines his credibility as a leader.
“I have no doubt that Boris will bring his own unique style to the office of Prime Minister. He understands that his first priority must be to secure the UK’s departure from the European Union on the best possible terms. He will need to exert all his energy and talents in that exercise, but I am confident that he is the right person to lead this country at this historic moment.”
A different view was stated by Guto Bebb, MP for Aberconwy, who said: “I have made no secret of my belief Boris Johnson is not fit to be Prime Minister. His lurch to the extreme right illustrated by his new Cabinet was predictable. This Government will serve in a narrow, partisan manner at odds with the concept of One Nation Conservatism."
The AM for Clwyd West, Darren Millar, said: “I am absolutely delighted Boris Johnson has been elected as the new leader of the Conservative Party. He had a thumping victory and is surely the Prime Minister the UK needs for such a time as this.
“Boris has always been a good friend of Wales. He respects devolution and the understands the urgent need to kick Labour out of Government in Cardiff Bay. Labour’s dangerous lurch to the far left in Wales and across the UK is a cause for concern for all of us and Boris is well placed to take this on when election time comes.
“Boris has my full support as he seeks to fulfil his promise to deliver Brexit by October 31 so we can crack on and turn our attention to getting to grips with the other challenges facing the country.”
His fellow AM, Janet Finch-Saunders, who represents Aberconwy, said: “Boris is the right man for our United Kingdom. His experience of Government and leading London really does give me great hope for our nation and democracy’s future.
“Having met with him recently, I am confident that he has understood clearly that Conwy and Wales voted decisively to leave the European Union, and that the will of the people must be fulfilled by the end of October.
“He will deliver for democracy and on domestic dilemmas, such as areas in which the Welsh Labour Government continue to fail Wales, like superfast broadband and education. Indeed, I know that Wales and the interest of every corner of the Union will always be at the heart of his agenda”.
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