This 2013 quote from Boris Johnson should make you question what he says during the Tory leadership contest

Boris Johnson’s leadership campaign seems to be best summed up as an operation of damage limitation and control.

While he appears to be attempting the former by simply limiting his public appearances, the issue of damage control requires slightly more radical measures.

Mr Johnson has built his brand, “Boris”, as Britain’s loveable buffoon – someone who should be taken seriously enough to be prime minister but not so seriously that his comments about burkas and imperialist gaffes should be considered menacing.

This Telegraph article, penned by Mr Johnson in 2013, shows why you should think twice about trusting anything he says when under pressure.

The contender for PM came under intense scrutiny last week, after concerned neighbours called the police over an apparent row with his partner, Carrie Symonds, at her Camberwell flat.

In light of this recent crisis, Boris Johnson’s Talk Radio interview on Tuesday took a very bizarre – and seemingly, hilarious – turn, as the bookies’ favourite for prime minister described his passion for creating buses and drawing happy passengers out of old crates and packaging.

But in light of this 2013 quote, which resurfaced courtesy of Adam Bienkov, UK political editor at Business Insider, the interview marked a notable shift towards more intense damage control tactics.

In the article, Mr Johnson writes:

Let us suppose you are losing an argument. The facts are overwhelmingly against you, and the more people focus on the reality the worse it is for you and your case.

Your best bet in these circumstances is to perform a manoeuvre that a great campaigner describes as 'throwing a dead cat on the table, mate'.

That is because there is one thing that is absolutely certain about throwing a dead cat on the dining room table – and I don’t mean that people will be outraged, alarmed, disgusted.

That is true, but irrelevant. The key point, says my Australian friend, is that everyone will shout 'Jeez, mate, there’s a dead cat on the table!'; in other words they will be talking about the dead cat, the thing you want them to talk about, and they will not be talking about the issue that has been causing you so much grief.

It's a well-worn tactic – Donald Trump is an expert at creating a media furore to deflect from more serious problems, our own government often announces terrible or unpopular news when it thinks larger news will disguise it, and has likely even used this strategy to gain and hold onto power – courtesy of former Conservative campaign chief, Lynton Crosby, who is referenced to above as Mr Johnson's "Australian friend".

But seeing Mr Johnson laying it out in black and white is still quite something in light of Tuesday's antics.

Luckily, most people saw through Mr Johnson's comments as blatant diversion tactics, with incredible results.

The BBC's Simon McCoy was also on hand to remind Mr Johnson that buses might not have been the wisest object to pick for obfuscation.

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