Tyrone Conservative reflects on legacy of former leader

A TYRONE man who claims to have introduced Boris Johnson to Tayto crisps has spoken out about the turmoil that has engulfed the Conservative Party over the last week.

Roger Lomas, a member of the board of the NI Conservatives, has been closely watching the dramatic developments at Westminster that led to Mr Johnson’s resignation as party leader last Thursday.

After the latest in a series of scandals involving Mr Johnson, last week more than 50 MPs resigned from his government in just 48 hours.

But, controversially, while Mr Johnson has quit as Conservative leader, he announced his intention to stay on as Prime Minister until his successor is chosen, which could be months away.

Reflecting on Mr Johnson’s legacy from his Garvaghey home, Mr Lomas said that Boris was fantastic at campaigning to get into office, but had been “disappointing” once he had moved into No 10 Downing Street.

While the Tyrone man praised his former leader’s connection with the “ordinary man and woman on the street”, he also acknowledged his flaws.

Summing up his time in office, Mr Lomas said, “Boris got Brexit done, but at the cost of cutting us astray in Northern Ireland.”

Looking ahead to what the future holds for his party, the former West Tyrone election candidate believes it is time for a new generation to take the reins, adding that there was “far too much deadwood” at Westminster.

Mr Lomas said that the time of so-called career politicians was over and that real life experience was essential for prospective MPs.

He acknowledged that the Conservative Party currently had an issue in terms of “credibility and sleaze” and called for a total clear-out to get back its integrity.

But, of the MPs being talked about as potential leaders of the party, Mr Lomas said one politician who had impressed him was Sajid Javid, the former health secretary whose sudden resignation last Wednesday sparked the crisis.

The Garvaghey man said Mr Javid, whose father was a bus driver, was from a working background and was a “self-made man”.

“We don’t need another Old Etonian leader,” he added.

Looking back fondly on his meetings with Mr Johnson over the years, Mr Lomas told the Tyrone Herald that he was the person who introduced Boris to the North’s famous Tayto crisps in Belfast three years ago.

Mr Lomas later sent a box of Tayto to Downing Street when Boris was battling Covid-19 – and was delighted to receive a thank you note in return after his recovery.