Boris Johnson

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 […]

Weak Labour is letting itself be led by the Conservatives on Brexit.  It’s the hope that kills you. Every football fan knows the feeling. But it’s the same in politics too. Despite being kicked out of the party a while back I so hope Labour win the next election. I so hope the venality and incompetence […]

Sir Keir Starmer has said Boris Johnson has a habit of “running away” from tough issues after being confronted over Labour’s abstention from a vote on new lockdown measures. In his first session of Prime Minister’s Questions since having to self-isolate, Johnson sought to pin some of the economic turmoil behind the collapse of clothing giant Arcadia onto Labour. Johnson […]

England is set for a strengthened tiered system of coronavirus restrictions after MPs backed the measures, despite Boris Johnson suffering the largest Tory rebellion of this parliament. Their support means 99% of England will enter the toughest Tier 2 and 3 restrictions, preventing them from mixing indoors with other households when the second national lockdown […]

Boris Johnson’s Covid-19 strategy poses a “significant” health risk and is “highly unlikely” to see restrictions eased in parts of the country before Christmas, Labour has claimed. Sir Keir Starmer accused the prime minister of “over-promising and under-delivering” by pursuing an approach of short-term decisions that then “bump into the harsh reality of the virus”. […]

Boris Johnson is bracing himself for a damaging Tory rebellion as MPs vote on a new toughened system of tiered coronavirus controls for England. The government is expected to win Tuesday’s Commons vote on the new rules – which are due to come into effect the following day – after Labour said it would abstain. Sir […]

More than a third of Tory voters who backed the party in the last general election no longer believe Boris Johnson is the best candidate to be prime minister. While 63% of Conservative voters at the last election polled by YouGov still back the prime minister, 37% no longer support Johnson over his Labour opponent.  […]

Nicola Sturgeon has vowed to stop “Boris Johnson and his band of Brexiteers” dictating Scotland’s future. The SNP leader told Good Morning Britain (GMB) viewers that Scotland would not put up with having “our future dictated to us” by Johnson and his closest allies. Speaking on the state of Brexit trade talks, Sturgeon said: “I want free […]

Boris Johnson is set to publish economic impact papers related to the coronavirus lockdown in a bid to attempt to assure Tory MPs. The prime minister will publish an impact assessment of the restrictions ahead of a crunch Commons vote on Tuesday in an attempt to win over would-be rebels. Scores of Tory MPs have […]

Nicola Sturgeon has told Boris Johnson “not to stand in the way of democracy” as she issued a call for a second Scottish independence referendum – claiming he risks being “swept away” by popular opinion if he failed to grant Holyrood a second vote. The SNP has told Downing Street that a landslide victory in next year’s national elections […]

Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin, who boasted of donating £50,000 to the Tory party ahead of the 2019 general election, has now blasted the “reckless” government for their decisions over the coronavirus pandemic. The pro-Brexit chairman has written to MPs criticising the second lockdown for their policies, which he says is hurting pubs. He wrote: “It is […]

Boris Johnson has warned there will be “disastrous consequences” for the NHS if the new tiered system proposed by government does not win the support of MPs and the country. The prime minister, who is facing a rebellion from his own MPs over the measures, urged the nation to “work together” with tiering, testing and […]

Hands up, TNE readers, if you thought Johnson would sack Patel. No takers? Hands up if you knew he wouldn’t but thought he should. Full house, I suspect. Repeat the process with the Brexit questions. Hands up if you think: we’ll be better off economically and our influence in the world will increase; we’ll be […]