GLEN OWEN: Honeytrap MP… and Godfather-style hits that wiped out SEVEN Boris friends

Boris Johnson’s favorite movie scene is the ‘multiple retribution’ at the end of The Godfather, when mafia boss Michael Corleone eliminates his enemies in an orgy of bullets and bloodshed.

But for the former prime minister, who is again at the center of speculation about his political intentions, life seems to have imitated art as one by one his allies have been plucked away in often mysterious circumstances.

Johnson’s allies have long believed this series of mishaps to be more than coincidence. Their suspicions have been heightened by the revelation in last week’s Mail on Sunday that William Wragg – the Tory MP at the center of a “honeytrap” sexting scandal – was allegedly linked to a suspected sting operation which contributed to Mr Johnson’s downfall.

It was claimed that Mr Wragg helped make allegations of sexual misconduct against key Johnson ally Chris Pincher in June 2022, which led to his resignation as deputy chief whip and an eight-week suspension from the Commons before he quit as an MP last September.

Sir. Pincher had been in charge of so-called ‘Operation Save Big Dog’ to prevent rebel MPs from ousting Mr Johnson, and his fall catalysed Mr Johnson’s departure.

Johnson’s allies claim Mr Pincher’s demise was just the most dramatic of a series of political hit-jobs on friends of Boris.

Former culture minister Nadine Dorries has spoken of the ‘sinister forces’ which vetoed her nomination for a peerage. Sir. Wragg was also implicated when he used his role as chairman of the Commons’ public administration and constitution committee to ask Cabinet Secretary Simon Case during an evidence hearing whether he was aware of ‘any fairly strong communications’ sent by Ms Dorries to senior officials over the right of veto.

Sir. Case appeared to be prepared for the question, embroiling Ms Dorries in controversy by replying that he was “aware of these messages and has flagged them to both the Chief Whip and the Speaker of the House”.

Mrs Dorries admits to sending scathing messages – but only to Mr Case.

Former Prime Minister Liz Truss was also a Boris ally before she followed him into No 10. Mrs Truss was the victim of a “dirty case” circulating in Whitehall when she was Mr Johnson’s foreign secretary, which included sinister and false claims about her personal life.

Another Boris stalwart, Dominic Raab, had his political career cut short by bullying allegations last April – eight months after Mr Johnson left Downing Street.

To no avail, Mr Raab, who served as Mr Johnson’s foreign secretary and deputy prime minister, protested that the conclusions of an inquiry into his conduct were both ‘flawed’ and ‘set a dangerous precedent for good governance’. And last January, Nadhim Zahawi, whose political profile soared after he was appointed Covid vaccine minister by Mr Johnson, was sacked by Rishi Sunak for failing to disclose that HMRC had been investigating his tax affairs.

Another ally, who we are not identifying, has left politics after facing allegations of sexual abuse they say are fabricated, while former defense secretary Ben Wallace, a long-time member of Mr Johnson’s inner circle, is leaving politics because of ‘ personal burden’ on him and his family.

Although many of his loyal lieutenants have been jettisoned, Mr Johnson himself remains undeterred, teasingly failing to rule out a return to frontline British politics last week.

The former prime minister told students at Georgetown University in Washington that while his return was ‘unlikely in the short term’, it was possible at some point in the future when and if he felt he was needed again.

“I think the only circumstances in which someone should stand for election is if they have something to contribute,” he said.

Commenting last night, Mrs Dorries said: ‘In Mein Kampf Hitler described how people could be made to believe a colossal lie because they would not believe that anyone could possess the audacity required to distort the truth so notoriously .

‘To be successful, the lie just had to be repeated, over and over.

“Boris Johnson was removed from office for receiving a fixed fine for not eating a piece of birthday cake that had been brought to his desk.

“That is the only significant and truthful fact in relation to his dismissal as Prime Minister. The rest were often repeated lies, stings and double-dealing.’

She added: ‘When I was writing my book, The Plot: The Political Assassination Of Boris Johnson, I was given repeated warnings about what would happen to myself and other spearheads loyal to Boris, and one by one these warnings fulfilled.

“Almost everyone I interviewed mentioned William Wragg as a key figure who used his connections to influence events: often to be found in a subsidized Westminster bar, the Carlton Club or in front of a camera calling for someone to resign – most viciously and powerfully, Boris Johnson himself.’

Friends of Mr Wragg, who has now given up both the Tory Whip and his coveted Commons committee chairmanship in the wake of the honeytrap affair, reject any claims he played a role in Mr Pincher’s downfall.

Sir Charles Walker, a Tory MP and committee chairman, said he found all the ‘score-settling’ directed at Mr Wragg ‘so distasteful – like the childish “what about Erism” justification by those who are responsible for this ugliness’.

He added: ‘I’m mad Will got so deep into this horrible fix but didn’t ask me for help.’

One critic of Mr Wragg doubted the Hazel Grove MP was Machiavelli reborn.

He told this newspaper: ‘Will is not so much Godfather as House of Cards, and a rather hackneyed, amateur production.’

Other senior Tories see Mr Wragg as someone who ‘craves attention but then struggles with the heat’.

Just a few weeks ago, Mr Wragg led the charge to sack Sir Lindsay Hoyle because the Speaker allegedly bowed to pressure put on him by Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer over arrangements for a Commons vote on the Gaza crisis.

But Mr. Wragg’s loss is Sir Lindsay’s gain. Friends say he will not now continue his campaign against the chairman.

Long before the honey trap emerged, Mr Wragg – who is still only 36 – had announced he would be leaving the Commons at the next election.

Beyond that, his long-term future is unclear, although a post-Commons career option appears to be a casualty of the honeytrap controversy.

Sir. Wragg had planned to go into business with friend Sir Charles – who is also standing down at the election – advising people on how to give evidence to Commons committees.

However, that plan is believed to have been shelved.

Despite that, another Tory peer mischievously suggested a future consulting career for Mr Wragg was still not out of the question – on one condition.

“Namely, Will telling his clients how not to do things – that seems to be his forte,” he said.