Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson has been told he has “no mandate” for a no-deal Brexit after a petition was handed in urging him to strike a deal with the EU. More than 100,000 people signed the petition organised by European Movement UK, a grass-roots campaign group focused on Britain’s relationship with Brussels. Signatories claimed that “a damaging No Deal […]

Boris Johnson has hinted Scotland could be offered a second independence referendum in the ‘future’ but warned that citizens would end up voting to stay in the union. The prime minister said the SNP’s “sheer incoherence” would see union supporters win a future referendum. Johnson’s response came after Glasgow MP David Linden had asked why polls have […]

Labour MP Chris Bryant has been rebuked by the House of Commons speaker after taking exception to apparent “disgraceful” behaviour while Boris Johnson spoke at Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs). Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle called out the Labour former minister for alleged “heckling” in the middle of Johnson’s answer. It saw Bryant storm out of his seat at PMQs in […]

SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford has challenged Boris Johnson to explain why Scotland is “being shafted” by not having a Brexit arrangement in place similar to Northern Ireland. Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions, he said: “Yesterday, by this government’s own admission, it was confirmed that Northern Ireland is getting the best of both worlds – […]

Sir Keir Starmer has mocked Boris Johnson’s “Get Brexit Done” slogan while taking a dig at trade talks during this week’s Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs). Sir Keir took the opportunity to question the prime minister on Brexit negotiations via teleconference after having been forced to self-isolate. He said: “12 months ago, he told the British people […]

Ireland’s deputy leader said he believes Boris Johnson would be willing to make concessions to get a post-Brexit trade deal, claiming his politics is closer to the “liberal” view he took as mayor of London. Leo Varadkar said the European Union and the UK have “more to gain and more to salvage” from an agreement […]

Boris Johnson has scrambled together a new unit in Downing Street to manage the government’s response to the “nightmare scenario” of a no-deal Brexit. The winter control and co-ordination cell, based in No 10, will report daily confidential briefings to the prime minister about emerging threats such as a surge in Covid-19 cases and extreme […]

Sir Keir Starmer will grill Boris Johnson from home as he takes part in Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) remotely while isolating after a member of his office staff contracted coronavirus. The Labour leader will appear on screens in the Commons, weeks after the first virtual PMQs took place while Johnson self-isolated. This time, the prime […]

Tory Brexit hardliners have issued a fresh warning to Boris Johnson ahead of his meeting with EU leaders in Brussels. Sir Bill Cash, chairman of the European Scrutiny Committee, told the prime minister that they will be “watching” with “great diligence” over what he proposes and they hope their confidence in him will be justified. The MP […]

Tory claims that Boris Johnson’s “oven-ready deal” only referred to the Withdrawal Agreement have been disproven by the re-emergence of a video from the last general election. MPs on the government’s benches have scrambled to dismiss questions about the prime minister’s claims of an agreement “ready to go” by claiming it only referred to the […]

The European Commission has said no date had yet been fixed for a Brexit meeting in Brussels between prime minister Boris Johnson and president Ursula von der Leyen. Commission spokesman Eric Mamer told reporters in Brussels the call had focused on the “sticking points” in the negotiations but said it was a “very cordial” call. There will […]

Boris Johnson has said he is still hopeful about reaching a Brexit deal with the EU but that it was proving “very, very difficult” to make progress. Later this week Johnson will head to Brussels for face-to-face talks with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen in an attempt to salvage a deal, with time […]

A joke about Boris Johnson’s former aide Dominic Cummings has topped the list of the top Christmas cracker jokes in the UK. TV channel Gold’s eight annual rankings – chosen by a panel chaired by critic Bruce Dessau – saw 2,000 voters choose a gag about the Vote Leave mastermind. “What is Dominic Cummings’ favourite Christmas song? […]

Shadow chancellor of the Duchy Rachel Reeves has put down James Cleverly over his claim that the “oven-ready deal” promised at the last general election had been delivered. Cleverly, appearing on BBC Breakfast earlier, said that Boris Johnson’s comments only related to the Withdrawal Agreement and not a Brexit deal overall. He said: “That ‘oven-ready’ that […]

Boris Johnson’s official spokesperson has said that the prime minister has accepted that food prices will rise if the UK leaves the post-Brexit transition period without a trade deal in place. He referred reporters to environment secretary George Eustice saying there would be a less than 2% rise on some products as a result of […]

Former BBC politics presenter David Dimbleby has rated Boris Johnson’s government the lowest of the low. Dimbleby, who covered every general election for the broadcaster between 1979 and 2017 as well as hosting the EU referendum coverage, said it had been the worst administration he had witnessed since he was born in 1938. Asked by Krishnan […]

Nigel Farage has been reminded of his poor record of attending fisheries meetings as an MEP after slamming Boris Johnson’s potential Brexit deal climbdown. The Brexit Party leader was criticised for a tweet he made slamming news of a potential compromise over fishing rights in UK waters, which has been a stumbling block in trade talks. Responding to […]

A leading MEP has given his backing for Scotland rejoining the European Union – and believes Nicola Sturgeon could become president of the European Commission if it does so. Philippe Lamberts, a Belgian MEP and co-president of the Green Party in the European Parliament, gave his backing for an independent Scotland returning to the table […]

Boris Johnson is reportedly preparing to pull out of Brexit talks in the next 48 hours if the European Union does not agree to his demands. The Sun reports that Johnson will end the negotiations between the United Kingdom and European Union by the middle of the week if there is no further progress. It […]

Piers Morgan had the perfect response to government minister James Cleverly after he was questioned about ministers preparedness for a no-deal Brexit. Answering questions from Morgan on Good Morning Britain, Cleverly dismissed questions about a document showing “reasonable worst-case scenarios” surrounding no-deal Brexit. He was asked who would be held accountable if the document, first […]

Foreign Office minister James Cleverly has insisted that Boris Johnson has delivered his “oven-ready” Brexit deal, and that the UK still “holds all the cards” in talks with the EU. Cleverly appeared on BBC Breakfast amid questions over whether Brexiteers were right with their predictions that it would be the “easiest deal in history” and that the […]

Readers have their say on the on-going Brexit and coronavirus crises. The pandemic has highlighted the need to compromise, cooperate and collaborate. Without compromise a balance cannot be struck between saving lives and livelihoods. Without cooperation communities will not work with the authorities keeping people safe and the economy supplying essential commodities and needs. Experts, including […]

Readers respond to Rishi Sunak’s latest spending review. The biggest public sector debt in history! What sickens me is the failure to acknowledge the outright lies of the coalition government in cutting back services now seen as essential. Health and social care, police, youth clubs, mother and toddler groups and all the multitude of services […]

Donald MacIntyre on how Britain’s reputation is changing in the eyes of the world Although he was one of the most celebrated British diplomats of the era, few now remember how explosive was the leaking of the farewell telegram the UK ambassador to Paris Sir Nicholas (Nico) Henderson wrote about Britain’s international standing for his […]

In the 12 months since the 2019 general election, Boris Johnson has seen his party’s poll lead drop from double-digits to level-pegging with Labour. The Tories had opened up a large gap in the polls by the end of 2019, boosted by the personal appeal of Johnson and a successful election campaign message of Get […]

Conservative Party members have rated Boris Johnson as one of the least popular figures in cabinet, according to a new survey. The monthly poll by ConservativeHome found Johnson, polling at a satisfaction rating of 2.6, was only slightly more popular than health secretary Matt Hancock (0.4) and housing minister Robert Jenrick (-1.8). Party chair Amanda Milling received -14.6 while education […]

The Brexit deal we end up with won’t be worth the paper it’s written on, and Boris Johnson is to blame, writes LUISA PORRITT, the Liberal Democrat candidate for mayor of London. Like many Brits, I have been on a streaming spree of The Crown over lockdown. For those who haven’t been watching, the latest series […]

Boris Johnson’s majority in “Red Wall” seats could be “wiped-out” at the next general election, new polling has revealed. The Tories could lose as many as 36 out of the 45 “Red Wall” seats it won in last December’s General Election. Voters said mishandlings around the coronavirus and Johnson’s decision to stand by Dominic Cummings following […]