Boris Johnson given 24 hour police protection for Tory leadership contest

BORIS Johnson has been given 24 hour police protection for the duration of the Tory leadership contest, The Sun can reveal.

The Met’s Protection Command decided to issue the Tory leadership frontrunner with his own armed officers after carrying out a review of his personal security.

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High profile Boris is not thought to be under any specific threat.

But there was concern that the huge amount of attention that the race for No10 is generating could spark a random attack on the campaign trail.

Senior cops took the decision after talks with Tory HQ.

It was decided to offer both of the two final contenders a protection team, as well as police drivers and vehicles.

As Foreign Secretary, Boris’s rival Jeremy Hunt already has a round the clock team of armed bodyguards.

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But in a blow for Boris, it means he has again been forced to give up moving around central London on his beloved bicycle.

A friend said: “Boris loves his bike, but he’s also very used to having police officers around as they were with him through out  two years in the Foreign Office”.

The Met Police refused to comment last night, saying they do not discuss protective security matters.

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