Boris Johnson’s nurses pledge shows £350 million for NHS won’t exist

Boris Johnson (left) outlines a vision for Brexit watched by former Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox. Photograph: Ben Birchall/PA. - Credit: PA Archive/PA Images

Readers note the prime minister no longer talks about spending £350 million on the NHS, despite Brexit not happening yet.

Boris Johnson is going to postpone the cut in corporation tax to release £6 billion for the NHS and other ‘priorities’. But wait.

Was the NHS not supposed to be being funded by the “£350 million a week” the UK would save after Brexit – so proudly displayed on his bus? Or has he finally got around to admitting that claim was balderdash, piffle and cacas tauri (bullsh*t) as Boris might say?

Dunton Greene

Johnson has modelled his strategy on Donald Trump’s: he has no intention of giving an honest answer which makes any sense but his supporters love him for it.

Trump shows that the easy way to win elections are preposterous promises about phantom policemen and nurses in imaginary hospitals. But is it wise for Tory MPs to trust a liar? Will they also get cheated with the rest of us?

C. N. Westerman, Brynna

Here is what Johnson originally wrote in his infamous 2018 Telegraph article comparing burqa-wearing Muslim women to letter boxes: “It is absolutely ridiculous that people should choose to go around looking like letter boxes.”

In other words, he said that those women ought to be laughed at, ie disrespected for their choice. Johnson now claims “what I was really doing was mounting a strong liberal defence of the right of women in this country to wear what they choose”. He was actually doing the very opposite and causing huge offence to women everywhere.

Suzanne Martin

Labour are currently fighting what is being called ‘the Brexit election’ by trying their best not to mention Brexit.

The only possible benefit of the inevitable large Tory majority which will soon follow is that the party will have to confront their hopeless contortions on the issue over the past three-and-a-half years.

Two things could happen: A new leader closer to the centre of the party (Keir Starmer, say) could firmly establish Labour as the leading party of campaigning for what will then be a return to EU membership.

More likely, since the McCluskeyites will remain in control of the NEC, is that Labour will conclude that to regain working class votes they need to support Brexit.

If this happens, those of us who believe Brexit to be the defining issue of our age will at least know where we stand and can get in our Lib Dem membership forms.

Alice Tyler, Birmingham

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