Boris Johnson

John Sentamu is expected to get a life peerage imminently, it has emerged, after the government was accused of “institutional prejudice” over Britain’s first black archbishop not being automatically ennobled. It was expected that Sentamu, 71, who retired as the Archbishop of York on June 7, would be given a life peerage so he could […]

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called on Boris Johnson to deliver the “oven-ready” Brexit deal he had promised. Sir Keir told the BBC’s Politics Wales show the UK gGovernment should sit down and talk to the EU about differences on fishing quotas and state aid. “I think it is very important that the remaining […]

Fresh newspaper reports have fuelled the belief that Boris Johnson will resign in the spring once he has achieved Brexit. According to the Sunday Mirror, Tory MPs are gearing up for the prime minister to step down, after privately complaining about the salary of £150,402, which is reportedly not enough for him to live on. […]

Jennifer Arcuri has reportedly admitted having an affair with Boris Johnson after allegations he used his position as London mayor to get the businesswoman favourable treatment. The prime minister avoided a criminal investigation after the police watchdog found no evidence he influenced the payment of thousands of pounds of public money to her, or secured […]

The UK has rebuffed Brussels’ offer of intensified trade talks next week, telling the European Union’s chief negotiator there is “no point” him coming to London on Monday. After Boris Johnson accused European leaders of having “abandoned the idea of a free trade deal” the UK’s chief negotiator, Lord Frost, spoke with his counterpart Michel Barnier […]

Boris Johnson appears to have got his coronavirus rules wrong again after advising single parents they may not be able to see their children if their area goes into heightened restrictions. The prime minister told a father living in a different county to his son “there may be restrictions”, despite all levels of Covid-19 controls […]

Boris Johnson has said the UK is developing the capacity to manufacture millions of new fast turnaround tests for coronavirus in a move not yet replicated by any other country in the world. The prime minister told a No 10 news conference that some of the saliva tests could deliver results in just 15 minutes. […]

I must take exception to Phil Green’s letter “Bodge job” (TNE # 214) comparing the prime minister to beloved sitcom character Captain Mainwaring of Dad’s Army.  The Home Guard leader may have at times been “blustering, incompetent, pompous and inept”, but he was also patriotic, courageous, inclusive and humane, not to mention capable of inspiring […]

The coronavirus pandemic will magnify the impact of a no-deal Brexit, new research suggests.  The Institute of Directors (IoD) has warned of a potential “double hit” from Covid-19 and leaving the EU without a trade deal. A survey of almost 1,000 company directors found only one in 10 does not believe the pandemic will magnify […]

Spar UK has warned suppliers that it must take the hit associated with increased costs from the Brexit transition period ending to avoid price rises for consumers.  As Boris Johnson warned that the UK is preparing for a no-deal Brexit on January 1, a letter seen by the Grocer, the retailer has warned it will […]

Boris Johnson has ended a Brexit summit between the UK and European Union with an ultimatum – threatening a no-deal Brexit at the end of 2020.  The prime minister issued a statement saying that it was time for the UK to “get ready” for the prospect of the UK leaving the EU without a deal on […]

Pubs chain boss Tim Martin has criticised the media and politicians as the Wetherspoon firm sunk to its first loss in 36 years.  The loss is the first time the chain has sunk into the red since 1984, with Martin criticised those who reported that the company was considering withholding wages at the start of […]

Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP could force Boris Johnson’s hand in negotiations over Brexit, preventing the prime minister from carrying through his threat of a no-deal outcome. Sky News’ deputy political editor Sam Coates has suggested that the political situation in Scotland will cause the prime minister to compromise with Brussels. Coates pointed to the […]

The Green Party has joined calls for the UK to retain membership of the single market and customs union, as Boris Johnson looks set to abandon his self-imposed deadline for a trade deal. The party wants to see freedom of movement retained, particularly for young people who have the most to gain from working and […]

Believe it or not, I try not to yield too often to the temptation to join the dots between the stance politicians took on Brexit to the ones they now advocate on the appropriate government response to the global Covid-19 pandemic. It’s a bit mean, especially to voters in deprived areas who voted Leave in […]

When Boris Johnson announced Tier Three restrictions for the Liverpool City Region earlier this week it appeared that one of the longest running battles in British politics had been brutally re-opened: The Tory party versus Merseyside. The Region’s mayor Steve Rotheram rejected the suggestion that he had agreed with government plans to lockdown saying the […]

A week is a long time in politics. In this Covid crisis – it’s a lifetime. Or more accurately, it’s the difference between life and death. Tragically, this government’s inability to act swiftly has led to untold thousands of deaths. They dithered in March. And now we know if Boris Johnson had instructed the full […]

If the definition of insanity – apocryphally attributed to Einstein, though he never said it – is repeating the same thing and expecting different results, then the definition of idiocy must surely be facing an existential crisis and doing… nothing. Coronavirus was an international crisis in March and remains an international crisis seven months on. […]

A pub in the Wirral has temporarily renamed itself ‘The Three Bellends’ in protest at the government’s coronavirus restrictions for Merseyside. The James Atherton in New Brighton, the Wirral, has renamed itself “The Three Bellends” – with a sign featuring the faces of prime minister Boris Johnson, his close adviser Dominic Cummings and health secretary […]

Normally perfectly attuned to what right-wing newspaper press barons want, Boris Johnson made an uncharacteristic blunder when he announced he wanted to see offshore wind farms generating enough electricity to power every home in the UK within a decade. “He had no idea the Daily Mail owner Lord Rothermere, a substantial landowner, considers wind farms […]

Boris Johnson has incorrectly claimed that “whatever happens” furloughed workers were entitled “93% of their current income”. The prime minister told the Commons on Wednesday that workers under a tier 3 lockdown can expect to receive a significant portion of their salary. Addressing MPs during Prime Minister’s Questions, Johnson said misleadingly that “whatever happens, a combination of the Job Support Scheme […]

The Tory leader of Bolton Council has said he is “absolutely disgusted” that Sir Keir Starmer “misrepresented” him in the Commons by claiming he supported a circuit-breaker to control coronavirus. David Greenhalgh said it was “absolutely untrue” that he backed the proposal for a short nationwide lockdown – which Labour is calling for – and […]

Boris Johnson has been told to “keep up” with the latest lockdown announcements after he appeared to lose track during Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs). Defending his three-tiered lockdown approach, the prime minister said: “The disease is appearing much more strongly in parts of the country than in others. “In Liverpool, for instance, alas, the figures are […]

SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford has taken a swipe at Boris Johnson over the government’s scheme encouraging people to “retrain” and “reskill” themselves to stay in work. Blackford told the prime minister that he will never be forgiven if he refuses to U-turn on the ending of the furlough scheme, before referencing a series of […]

Sir Keir Starmer has labelled Boris Johnson an “opportunist” after he tried to attack Labour for not supporting the government’s latest Covid-19 strategy during Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs). Sir Keir accused Johnson of ignoring Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) advice on introducing a nationwide two-week “circuit breaker” lockdown put forward on September 21. The […]

Boris Johnson is under pressure to implement a “circuit-breaker” lockdown, which scientists calculate could save thousands of lives by the end of the year. Downing Street is understood to be keeping the idea on the table, after Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said a two to three-week national lockdown over the October half term was needed to […]

Former Tory prime minister Theresa May has reportedly told prime minister Boris Johnson that business-minded experts should be added to the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage). May told the 1922 committee of backbench Tory MPs that she is keen that more business-minded people appeared at the meetings to give scientists more of an understanding about the […]

A Conservative MP has resigned as a ministerial aide over coronavirus restrictions, saying the “attempted cure is worse than the disease”. Chris Green, who represents Bolton West, said the Greater Manchester lockdown had “failed to control the number of positive tests” within his borough. In a letter to prime minister, Green said he was resigning […]