Boris Johnson

I wonder what clever slogan the ‘genius superforecaster’ in Downing Street is going to come up with as the UK hits a tipping point over the pandemic?“Get Covid Done” sounds like the best. It’s short and snappy and it’s something we can all believe in. What is brilliant about this slogan is it taps into the […]

France has hit back at the UK’s government attempts to try to secure a Brexit agreement by warning that the EU “won’t fall for a kind of intimidation at the European level”. The French have been angered by Boris Johnson’s attempts to override the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement signed this year, which is a breach of […]

In his book on Winston Churchill, Boris Johnson wrote that “one man can make all the difference”. This biographer still had faith in the “great man” theory of history. In his admiration for a charismatic and controversial figure, Johnson seemed to be hinting, or perhaps thinking, that another latter-day controversialist might also make a pretty […]

Piers Morgan has predicted that Boris Johnson will resign as prime minister. Speaking on Good Morning Britain, the presenter said he “wouldn’t be surprised” if the prime minister made the decision to resign. Morgan noted that many publications who were in support of Johnson as prime minister had now turned. Piers Morgan predicts Boris Johnson […]

Nigel Farage has been called out over a tweet slamming Boris Johnson’s government as “the worst ever”. Farage lambasted Downing Street on plans to create a “border” in Kent after Brexit. Speaking with The Times‘ Patrick Maguire, the Brexit Party leader said: “Not only an internal border with Northern Ireland but now Kent too. “Is this […]

Research by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) has found student support for Labour has risen during Keir Starmer’s leadership. The new YouthSight data on voting intentions found that Labour was the most popular party among students, with 62% saying they would vote for the party. Labour’s student backers have risen considerably under Starmer, after […]

The government has criticised the BBC for allowing Keir Starmer a “right of reply” broadcast on prime time television. The leader of the opposition was allowed to speak to the nation a day after Boris Johnson’s address was broadcast on all of the major television channels. Under BBC guidelines it is standard for the Labour […]

Ofcom has received 181 complaints about The Great British Bake-Off, after comedian Matt Lucas performed an impression of Boris Johnson on the opening episode of the series. The regulator says the majority of complaints made about the episode refer to Matt Lucas’ impersonation of the prime minister, which saw him wear a blonde wig and […]

In a Britain where Gavin Williamson is education secretary, Suella Braverman is attorney general, Liam Fox is our candidate to lead the WTO and Priti Patel is home secretary, it comes as little surprise to hear of Boris Johnson’s supposed choice as the new chairman of the BBC Board. As the Mail on Sunday asked, […]

Boris Johnson made a rare foray into the Commons tea rooms last week to calm backbenchers’ nerves about the party of law and order breaking the law. It left at least one suspecting the PM might not see out his full term of office. “What was interesting was that to him it was all about […]

No 10 has narrowed the number of candidates to fill the role of Downing Street’s press briefing spokesperson to five. The role was created in the summer as part of an overhaul of the government’s communications strategy. Guido reports there are five final candidates in the mix to take up the role which will consist of […]

In July 1995, Tony Blair flew halfway around the world in his attempts to detoxify the brand of the organisation he had just taken over. The Labour leader decided that he needed to do whatever it took, wherever it took, to convince those with power and influence that his party had shed the extremism of […]

Now that the Tory press is finally turning against Boris Johnson, the contrarian in me wants to start making excuses for his feckless, over-entitled incompetence. It’s not easy running a hand-picked second-rate government, you know. Not during the twin Brexit and Covid crises, only one of which is your own fault. Both your own fault […]

Chauffeur-driven cars will be exempt from new laws forcing passengers to wear masks in taxis to slow the spread of coronavirus, Downing Street has said. Boris Johnson announced that passengers in licensed vehicles would have to wear coverings under new restrictions in England aimed at preventing a resurgence of Covid-19. But No 10 said the […]

Sir Keir Starmer has accused Boris Johnson of being “out of touch” on the issue of coronavirus testing in schools during the latest round of Prime Minister’s Questions. Sir Keir pressed the prime minister to explain why more school children were not being tested for Covid-19. Taking to the despatch box, he said: “Many cannot get tests […]

Fresh polling has show Sir Keir Starmer outperforming Boris Johnson on a number of leadership qualities. The latest Ipsos MORI Political Monitor survey found 50% of respondents viewed Sir Keir as ‘more understanding’ of the problems facing Britain than Johnson, who only received 43%. Sir Keir also trumped Johnson on the scale of who was the more […]

Nicola Sturgeon has criticised UK government ministers for their boycott of Good Morning Britain, saying the move is “disgraceful”. The Scottish first minister told hosts Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid that leaders must be held accountable during the ongoing crisis. She said “Right now, communicating directly with the public is a real public duty on the […]

Dominic Raab has admitted the government is struggling to get the coronavirus “under control”. The foreign secretary said he hoped the government could get Covid infection rates stable by Christmas. Speaking with BBC Breakfast‘s Charlie Stayt, Raab said: “A stitch in time saves nine. We want to make sure that as we go into Christmas that we’ve […]

Failure to reach an agreement with the EU in post-Brexit trade talks could hit Britain’s economy three times harder in the long term than coronavirus, a think tank has warned. Queues at the border, shortages of fresh food and medicine as well as more “hassle” travelling to the continent are also possible, according to the […]

Germany’s minister for Europe has pleaded with the UK to “stop playing games” and produce a fairer basis for negotiations. Michael Roth said time was running out for both sides to reach a deal before the end of the Brexit transition period in December. Speaking with DW News, Roth called on Downing Street to ditch controversial provisions […]

Wetherspoon pubs founder Tim Martin has claimed the government’s 10pm curfew is a ‘PR’ stunt and claimed lockdowns “do not work”.Martin said pubs were not behind the rise in infections and the government was imposing the 10pm shutdown on pubs and restaurants to be seen to be doing something. Martin, a Brexiteer who founded the […]

Tory ministers have joined backbenchers in predicting that Boris Johnson will not last the full parliament through until 2024. Tory ministers doubt Boris Johnson’s ability to last until 2 BBC Newsnight reports that ministers have joined disgruntled backbenchers in doubting Johnson’s ability to lead the UK through until 2024, saying he is now in a […]

Keir Starmer has attacked Boris Johnson’s track-record of ‘incompetence’ and ‘bendy banana’ myth-making during his first party conference speech as Labour leader. Keir Starmer attacks Boris Johnson over history of lies to s Starmer gave a scathing assessment of the prime minister’s handling of the pandemic and of his Brexit “bluster” as he attempted to […]

Boris Johnson’s chief adviser Dominic Cummings has been seen flouting coronavirus guidelines once again. Cummings was spotted heading to Downing Street walking side-by-side with his assistant Cleo Watson, ignoring the “one metre plus” rule set by his government. The breach of rules was reported on Good Morning Britain as the footage aired. “Is he off to Barnard […]

With Keir Starmer self-isolating, it was the turn of Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner to face Boris Johnson at the despatch box. It could all have been so different. Had the Labour deputy leadership election gone the Corbynistas’ way, it would have been Richard Burgon facing Boris Johnson at prime minister’s questions today. Richard Burgon, […]

Boris Johnson has agreed to a compromise with Tory rebels over Boris Johnson’s controversial Brexit bill. The proposals would give MPs a vote before Downing Street tries to use powers to break international law, a joint statement from Downing Street and Conservative MPs Sir Bob Neill and Damian Green said.  The joint statement reads: “Following […]

Boris Johnson has refused to say when his government will launch a coronavirus inquiry. The prime minister said it would “not be a good use of official time” to launch an inquiry. Appearing in front of the all-powerful Liaison Committee, Johnson said: “Of course, we will have an inquiry into everything that has gone wrong […]

Northern Ireland minister Brandon Lewis has dismissed claims that Boris Johnson’s Brexit bill will not break international law, adding the government’s legal advice states it clearly will. Speaking to a Commons committee on Northern Ireland, Lewis contradicted home secretary Priti Patel and Tory peer Richard Keen – the Tory advocate general for Scotland – over […]