Why the panic among Boris Johnson’s allies? Because they know Brexit is unravelling | Michael Heseltine

There is an air of desperation in attacks from those on the right and their supporters in the press. They fear if Johnson falls, the Brexit deception will crumble too

Did something change this month? Having proclaimed the Brexit referendum triumph of 2016 as the unique achievement of Boris Johnson and praised his historic success in the election three years later with the slogan get Brexit done", did the wreckers of the European dream slowly begin to realise that if Johnson goes, it shifts the sands from beneath their feet?

I'm the president of European Movement - Andrew Adonis is chair - and between us we agreed that this link needed a public airing. Learning from the direct and simple messaging of the anti-European newspapers, we felt the phrase: If Boris goes, Brexit goes" said it clearly enough. Adonis duly tweeted it, to the horror of the pro-Brexit press.

Lord Heseltine was the deputy prime minister under John Major and a member of Margaret Thatcher's cabinet from 1979 until 1986