Boris Johnson at the COVID inquiry: sullen, evasive and a danger to democracy: Boris Johnson has lost his bounce. As he gave evidence before the COVID inquiry, his body language arguably said far more than the often rambling statements that came out of his mouth. Slumped in terms of physicality, slow in terms of intellectual …
COVID inquiry heard Boris Johnson ‘struggled’ with graphs – if you do too, here are some tips: In March 2020, the UK government’s chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance, presented to the nation a graph showing “the shape of an epidemic”. The red line depicting the number of predicted COVID cases rose to a steep peak …
Boris Johnson Q&A: why report into misleading parliament still matters, even after he resigned as an MP: A photo of Johnson and staff submitted as evidence to the committee. House of Commons Committee of Privileges The House of Commons Committee of Privileges has released a damning report on former prime minister Boris Johnson, ruling that …
Boris Johnson: freed from the constraints of office, the former prime minister could be even more dangerous: The House of Commons committee of privileges has published its long awaited report on the conduct of Boris Johnson and the conclusions are damming. If Mr Johnson were still a Member he should be suspended from the service …
Boris Johnson has triggered a bumper byelection bonanza – I studied 148 past contests to find out what we can expect: The UK is facing three byelections in constituencies all vacated within 24 hours of one another. Former prime minister Boris Johnson announced he was leaving parliament with immediate effect on June 9, leaving his …
Boris Johnson resignation: why Rishi Sunak can’t afford to lose more than one of three impending byelections: The turmoil in the Conservative party unleashed by Boris Johnson’s abrupt resignation from parliament has triggered three separate byelections. The first is in the former prime minister’s London seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip, where he had a …
Boris Johnson’s claims about being ‘forced out’ of parliament are simply false – here’s why: In characteristically dramatic fashion, Boris Johnson let the world know he would be standing down as an MP by publishing a letter claiming he was the victim of a witch hunt and establishment stitch up. Ahead of the publication of …
Why learning to smile like Boris Johnson should be top of Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak’s to-do lists: Alamy/PA/Jordan Pettitt Personality is not everything in politics, but it can go a long way. The UK’s next general election, set to take place in 2024, is already shaping up to be a “battle of the dull”. …
Boris Johnson’s evidence to MPs’ partygate investigation: the key points of disagreement explained: Last year, noted philosopher Rebekah Vardy remarked of fellow scholar Coleen Rooney: Arguing with Coleen is like arguing with a pigeon. You can tell it that you are right and it is wrong but it’s still going to shit in your hair. …
Boris Johnson to face MPs over partygate – but what is ‘misleading parliament’ and why is it so serious?: The House of Commons Committee of Privileges has released new images of parties in Downing Street during lockdowns. The House of Commons Committee of Privileges In the UK, misleading parliament is a serious offence. The clearest …
Boris Johnson no longer has the political capital to get away with giving his dad a knighthood: As an academic specialising in part in why political corruption happens, the tenure of Boris Johnson (and its aftermath) has provided me with much to consider. Indeed, over the past 18 months, it has felt like I’m getting …
Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Theresa May (and soon Nicola Sturgeon): the strange backbench lives of former national leaders: UK Parliament/Flickr, CC BY-NC Former prime ministers are currently making a habit of intervening in government policy. Boris Johnson deployed sources to urge current prime minister Rishi Sunak not to abandon his Brexit policies and to send …
Boris Johnson’s pandemic legacy – where he went wrong managing COVID (and some things he got right): The UK sees a change of leadership on September 6 2022, with Liz Truss selected by Conservative Party members to replace Boris Johnson as the UK prime minister. Johnson’s term of course coincided with the emergence of the …
Liz Truss to become British prime minister: a laser-like focus on delivery is needed after the chaos of the Boris Johnson years: For his recent book on the role of the British prime minister, contemporary historian Anthony Seldon chose the title: The Impossible Office? Liz Truss will soon find out just how impossible the office …
Liz Truss: who is the UK’s new prime minister and why has she replaced Boris Johnson?: Clicksbox / Shutterstock The United Kingdom’s next prime minister will be Liz Truss. After a two-month contest, Conservative Party members have chosen her as their new leader. All that remains is for Truss to travel to Balmoral in Scotland …
Boris Johnson: four ways this controversial prime minister tested the British parliament to its limits: Flickr/Number 10, CC BY-NC-SA Boris Johnson’s tenure as British prime minister is nearly over, ending a fractious period for parliament and the wider political system. His two and a half years in Downing Street have exposed some of the vulnerabilities …
Five quotes that define Boris Johnson’s time as prime minister: Lingtren.com / Shutterstock Boris Johnson’s time as prime minister comes to an end next week, giving us all a chance to consider what his legacy will be. More than his predecessors, Johnson owed his premiership to his reputed ability to persuade audiences other Conservatives couldn’t, …
Boris Johnson is a bit like Churchill – but not in the ways he might want: Parallels don’t usually make for good history. They can overly flatter or excuse those involved, or imply a historic figure would act today as they did in the past. Sometimes, though, politicians themselves invite comparisons with a famous predecessor. …