Boris Johnson

Readers have their say on politics in Germany, and make comparisons to Britain. The German people believe Angela Merkel will tell them the truth (“Trust helps Germany through its crisis”, TNE #215). The biggest issue with our government is a lack of faith.The trust in Boris Johnson and his uninspiring crew has been systematically undermined […]

Readers have their say on the silence of Baroness Dido Harding, who is overseeing the government’s test and trace scheme. I can’t help wondering why, if Diana ‘Dido’ Harding is that capable, confident and articulate (“Test of her life”, TNE #215), she doesn’t seem to do more media interviews: after all, who better to report […]

Boris Johnson and Priti Patel have been urged to end their “hostility” towards lawyers who defend asylum seekers in a letter signed by more than 800 legal professionals. The letter, published in the Guardian by former and current lawyers, barristers, and UK justices of the Supreme Court, have called on the government to apologise for attacking the legal profession. The […]

I read that Dame Julie Walters, having recently turned 70 and survived a brush with cancer, has said that she’s considering retiring from acting, although she might be tempted back to do Mamma Mia 3 if it happens. What’s perhaps interesting about this announcement is the fact that it’s considered newsworthy at all… A woman […]

Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre was the biggest winner in the government’s cultural bail-out scheme in England, with a whopping £999,999 coming its way. This made it the envy of far more acclaimed, but less generously supported venues, such as the Bristol Old Vic, and, in London, the Almeida and the Kiln, where the great Indhu Rubasingham, […]

LIZ GERARD on how the Daily Star became the voice of the people – while The Sun speaks for Boris Johnson alone. The Daily Star speaks for the nation. Who would have thought it? Fleet Street’s most downmarket tabloid is the country’s acknowledged expert on giant mutant rats, psycho seagulls and lager lout wasps. It […]

As the election results came in from New Zealand I was lucky enough to be able to celebrate with a small (fewer than six!) group of Kiwis, close friends and former colleagues of victorious Jacinda Ardern. With so much bad news around, it was great to be able to enjoy a stunning Labour victory; a […]

Did you hear the door slam on Britain’s post-Brexit trade negotiations with the EU27 after Boris Johnson declared them broken off last Friday night? No, neither did deaf old me. But nor did BBC One’s News at Ten which opted to lead its bulletin on Whitehall’s parallel standoff with Covid-hit Manchester, also going badly for […]

Once anticipated as a key milestone on the road to an agreement, this month’s European Council and its aftermath have instead led to greater uncertainty about the prospects of a deal. The signs are not encouraging. With EU leaders standing firm, an expression of disappointment by the UK chief negotiator, Lord Frost, on Friday was […]

The latest phase of Brexit stumbles towards a predictably shambolic end. As with earlier episodes the familiar deluded posturing from the British government is part of the stumbling. After the EU summit, a deadline set by Boris Johnson for a trade deal, Number Ten proclaimed with the usual discordant swagger that the EU negotiators need […]

A Tory minister has suggested his government is not responsible for the rising number of children going hungry in the UK and deflected the blame on Labour instead. Paul Scully, a junior cabinet minister, provoked outrage when he said the government would not extend free school meals during the holidays because “children have been going […]

A German MEP has told Boris Johnson to “stop blaming others for your own actions” as she blasted the prime minister’s handling of the Brexit process. Theresa Reintke, an MEP for the Greens–European Free Alliance in the European parliament, accused Johnson of lying to the British public during a stinging assessment of his management of Brexit trade […]

Sir Keir Starmer has called on Boris Johnson to impose a nationwide “circuit breaker” lockdown after criticising the government’s three-tiered system. In a turbulent session of Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs), Sir Keir claimed the prime minister’s latest lockdown approach was ineffective. “Yesterday, the prime minister produced heat maps of the country showing infection rates going up in […]

MARTYN SLOMAN on the furore over an advert which revealed an underlying political issue. Rarely does an issue on skills training cause public controversy.  There has however been a recent exception.   A high-profile government-sponsored advertising campaign suggested that a young ballerina’s next job could be in cyber (“she just doesn’t know it yet!”). It […]

Former House of Commons speaker Betty Boothroyd has delivered a devastating assessment of Boris Johnson’s government in a speech in the House of Lords. Baroness Boothroyd, who previously said she could not trust Johnson to even run a bath, said in 47 years in parliament she has “never seen trust in a government fall so far […]

A Labour MP has called for an apology from the government over its “false promises” of delivering an “oven-ready” deal with the EU. Appearing before Michael Gove at the despatch box, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi said: “The prime minister promised the nation an oven-ready deal and it was avowedly the easiest trade deal in history to […]

A Brexiteer has been accused of “unintentional honesty” after he told a radio presenter that he believed the term “Australia-style” was designed to “pull the wool over voters’ eyes”. Trying to explain to James O’Brien why Boris Johnson was not using the term “no-deal Brexit”, caller Alastair said that it was just a continuation of […]

The EU expects the deadlocks over Brexit talks to last just a matter of days, with the expectation there will be a resumption next week. The Times says EU officials are briefing that a “time out” of no more than a week will give a “cooling off” period after the conclusions of the EU Council summit […]

A Brexiteer has attempted to pin the blame for Boris Johnson failing to secure a good Brexit deal on Remainers. LBC Radio caller Steve called David Lammy’s show was a Labour supporter but moved to the Brexit Party over its policy for a second referendum. Asked how he felt about the current situation, he said […]

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 […]