Southport's Conservative MP challenged over Boris Johnson "about-face".

Southport's Conservative MP has been challenged about his late change of stance over support for Boris Johnson with claims of "hedge-betting", "hypocrisy" and a warning that it may anger both fans and foes of the Prime Minister alike.

Previously regarded by many as a strong Johnson supporter, Damien Moore went public with a call for him to resign last week. It came as the PM's popularity plunged further after he was caught out misleading the public again over yet another Tory MP sex scandal. 

Opponents say the Southport MP's recent stance though has come far too late and claim it's little more than an attempt to save his own political skin. Labour's Norwood Councillor Greg Myers explains:

"Damien Moore has strongly supported Johnson for years but is suddenly trying to disentangle himself from the scruffy-haired albatross around his political neck." 

"Not only did he finally call for him to go last Wednesday but now wants everyone to know that he actually voted no confidence in the PM in June's secret ballot." 

"The was news to many unless you’d managed to catch a BBC Radio Merseyside interview a few days after the vote where he said he'd done so but rather oddly he then basically kept quiet about it locally for a month." 

"There was nothing on his official Facebook page about it, despite multiple requests on it from residents asking him to make clear how he'd voted. There was nothing in the Southport media either - in fact, he actually refused to tell The Champion when they contacted him to discover how he voted." 

"All of which is really surprising given his publicity machine is possibly the hardest working aspect of his office. It is all very odd and one can only wonder why Southport was essentially kept in the dark until the chaos of last week? 

"Some may have to suspend a lot of disbelief to accept the account now being presented by him but even taking it at face value I can see at least two real problems that arise from it." 

"Firstly, in that interview last month he stressed that his no-confidence vote resulted from complaints by residents - so it rather seems at the very least he was pushed into it, not led there by his own outrage at the PM's behaviour." 

"Secondly, a few weeks doesn't change that he supported Johnson for years. Despite scandal after scandal and lie, after lie, after lie - Mr Moore was highly supportive and regarded by many as a Johnson devotee." 

"Through murky waters like the Owen Paterson sleaze affair and Covid scandals such as Barnard Castle; the abandoning of the vulnerable in care homes and the billions of public money wasted - neither the highest inflation in 40 years nor the highest tax increases in 70 years seemed to make much difference to his support either." 

"Even partying while others perished, breaking the law and being fined didn't result in him calling for Johnson to go, instead Mr Moore delayed further saying he wanted to see the Sue Gray report." 

"Then even after that damning report and his apparent no-confidence vote, he still stated in the BBC interview that he wouldn't be criticising the PM and talked about giving him more time." 

"Indeed, it was only when the PM's ratings disastrously plunged, the Pincher lies became clear and the writing was very much on the wall last week that finally Damien Moore publicly called for him to go."

"We now also have the local Conservative Party Twitter account suddenly trying to claim on Friday night that Mr Moore actually gave up unpaid roles as Trade Envoy and Private Parliamentary Secretary (PPS) back in September because of concerns over the direction of Johson's Government. Once again, a bolt from the local blues - who knew that?!" 

"Certainly not local residents I'd say, nor Mr Moore's own staff it seems - as again there was no mention of this stance on his Facebook page or in the local media and nearly a year later those positions are still listed on his own website with no indication he's actually given them up." 

"Meanwhile, Southport Conservative's own website contradicts their claims as it states he carried on being a PPS after finishing as an envoy, indeed it says he still is a PPS. Such things appear jarring to the new narrative, to say the least." 

"Shortly after this claimed noble stance, Mr Moore was also supporting the PM in a sleaze scandal, voting to protect Owen Paterson after he was found guilty of paid lobbying by a standards watchdog - incongruous with concern over the Johnson Government's direction you might think?" 

"It all rather smacks of local Conservatives trying to rewrite history to me and considering the Southport MP's precarious hold on the seat, an act of naked self-preservation. It's just hypocrisy I think but others must judge for themselves." 

"I don't believe Southport residents will be fooled though - if anything Mr Moore now possibly risks being seen as rather disloyal by some, with his about-face coming as far too little too late for many others." 

A Southport Labour spokesperson commented:

"It looks to us like Mr Moore may have been indulging in a spot of hedge betting of late and desperately trying to have a foot in both camps. After years of being very much one of the Boris boys, his new political makeover comes rather in the 'lipstick on a pig' category." 

"At the next general election though, it won't just be Boris Johnson paying the price for the mess the Conservatives have made but formerly devoted backbenchers like Mr Moore who supported and cheered him along despite his appalling behaviour."