Boris Johnson lacks the skills to be prime minister, says Tory chairman

London mayor Boris Johnson lacks the “right set of skills” to be prime minister, according to the new chairman of the Conservative party Grant Shapps.

Asked if the mayor is capable of being party leader, Shapps told BBC Radio 5 Live: “Boris is a great Mayor, [but] it takes a different set of skills… to be in office as a minister or indeed the prime minister.”

“You have to make decisions on both sides of the equation, how you raise the money, not just how you spend it” he added.

Shapps dismissed the possibility of Johnson becoming prime minister, saying: “For one thing, Boris is not an MP and still has his term to run all the way through to 2016, which is past the next election – so the answer is no, there.”

An aide to the London mayor said Johnson was not aware of Shapps’ remarks and “is too busy leading London” to respond.

The Tory chairman’s attack comes after two polls last week that suggested Johnson was the most respected politician in Britain and would eliminate Labour’s polling lead if he became party leader.