Tag Archives: boris johnson

Boris Johnson Blasts Trump’s ‘Sick-Making’ Welcome For Putin

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Boris Johnson has condemned the “sick-making” spectacle of Donald Trump welcoming Vladimir Putin to America.

The US president literally rolled out the red carpet for his Russian counterpart ahead of the pair’s summit in Alaska last month.

The talks were aimed at paving the way for the end of war in Ukraine, but broke up without any agreement and Russia’s bombardment of its neighbour has continued unabated ever since.

Speaking to GB News, Johnson praised the “absolutely heroic” Ukrainians for fending off Russia’s attempts to take over their country since his invasion in 2022.

He said he welcomed Trump’s attempts to end the war, but added: “Ukraine is a completely innocent wronged party. We all know that it was…sick-making to watch Putin being welcomed to America like that. We all know that.

“But Trump, to be fair to him has actually continued to let the weapons go to Ukraine, which is the most important thing.”

The former prime minister also insisted that the Russian economy is in crisis, and that the war could be over by the end of the year.

“I think that Putin is in a much, much weaker position than people say,” Johnson said. “I mean, Russia is getting really mauled on its hydrocarbon production by Ukraine. I think the problems they’ve got in the refineries are very serious.

“You’re seeing a 10% reduction in Russia’s output of gasoline. You’re seeing shortages of fuel. Inflation is going up, as I say. Couple that with failure on the battlefield, Putin’s position, and what I would say to President Trump, and sometimes I do communicate this, what I would say is, look, Putin’s position is much, much weaker than people think, I think probably weaker than Putin’s advisors are telling him.

“And I think if, if Donald Trump applies the pressure that he can and he’s then backed up by Britain and Europe, you know, I think that there can be a real change here, and I think this war could be over by the end of the year.”

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Nigel Farage Modestly Claims Starmer Is ‘Completely Obsessed With Me’

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Nigel Farage has accused Keir Starmer of being “completely obsessed with me” in a new jibe at the government.

His remarks come after technology secretary Peter Kyle hit back at Reform UK for saying they would repeal the Online Safety Act – and alleged Farage would have been on the same side as Jimmy Savile, the late prolific sexual predator.

The Reform UK leader has subsequently called for an apology from the government over the claim.

Speaking about the incident again on LBC today, he said it was all “absolutely appalling” – and suggested Labour were “completely obsessed” with him.

The MP for Clacton-on-Sea said: “I thought [the Savile comment] was incredibly badly judged.”

He pointed out that Labour was outraged when ex-Tory prime minister Boris Johnson attacked Starmer in 2022 by saying he failed to prosecute Savile when he was the director of public prosecutions – although there was no evidence to support Johnson’s claim at the time.

Still, Farage said: “The levels of moral indignation that we got from Labour on this, ‘how dare Johnson do this’ – and yet they use this Savile analogy.”

The LBC presenter said: “The papers are all reporting it was authorised by No.10, that line. Can you believe that?”

Farage paused, then replied: “I think they’re losing the plot in every way, yes, and I think we’re at a place where, the PM in particular, and others, they’ve become completely obsessed with me.”

Labour have repeatedly pivoted to treating Reform UK as their main competitors instead of the Tories, who are the second largest party in parliament and the official opposition.

After Reform secured hundreds of council seats in May’s local elections, Labour’s political director Claire Reynolds told the party’s MPs: “Reform voters are not necessarily right wing. They are our people and they are pissed off.”

Starmer himself told his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney that they should be targeting Reform UK as the “real opposition” that same month.

And the party has been consistently leading in the polls, even securing a record nine-point lead over Labour in June according to Ipsos.

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn – who is trying to set up his own party –even told Novara Media: “The Labour government is here to appease Reform.”

But insiders shrugged off Farage’s remark, suggesting what he really meant was he does not like scrutiny.

The Labour Party has declined to comment.

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Could Boris Johnson Really Ride To The Tories’ Rescue By Making A Dramatic Return To Politics?

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Few political utterances have been as over-analysed as Boris Johnson’s final words as prime minister in the House of Commons.

“Mission largely accomplished – for now,” the then Tory leader told MPs on the day he left Downing Street, before adding: “Hasta la vista, baby.”

The literal translation of that Spanish phrase, which was made famous by Arnold Shwarzenegger in ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’, is “see you later”.

What did Johnson mean, numerous political commentators have pondered. Was it a typically flamboyant farewell, or was he giving notice that he would one day return to No.10?

The latter question seemed to be answered in the negative when, in 2023, he dramatically resigned as a Tory MP after the Commons privileges committee found him guilty of lying to parliament over the partygate scandal.

However, he did hint at a future return to the green benches by saying: “It is very sad to be leaving parliament, at least for now…”

With the Tories now fourth in the opinion polls, and Kemi Badenoch’s struggles as Conservative leader continuing, rumours are once again swirling at Westminster that Johnson is eyeing a comeback so he can revive his party’s fortunes.

The former PM did nothing to dampen such speculation by making a headline-grabbing intervention on Monday condemning Keir Starmer’s deal with the EU.

Starmer was, Johnson opined, merely “the orange ball-chewing manacled gimp of Brussels”.

His remarks were lapped up by the Tory-supporting press, who found less space to report on Badenoch’s own, more muted, reaction to the PM’s deal.

Tim Montgomerie, the former Tory who defected to Reform UK last year, then set more hares running when he told Times Radio that Johnson was very much on manoeuvres.

He said: “A big beast of the jungle, namely Boris Johnson, is definitely on the march. He’s always wanted to come back, but it’s in more advanced stages than most of us have realised up until now.”

Johnson, his supporters believe, is the only man who can take on and defeat Nigel Farage’s Reform, thereby allowing the party to then turn its fire on Keir Starmer and Labour.

HuffPost UK has been taking the temperature of senior Tory figures to gauge whether there is any appetite for Johnson’s return.

One veteran MP said: “He had his go. He blew it. Unlike Churchill, he won’t be back.

“Even his videos now look passe. Boris is the past not the future, whatever his lieutenants hope for or might want to spin.”

Johnson supporters were buoyed by recent polling by the More in Common think-tank which suggested the Tories would be leading in the polls if Johnson was leader again.

Speculation is also rife in Westminster that some Conservative MPs would even be willing to give up their seats to allow Johnson to run for parliament again.

A friend of Johnson told HuffPost UK that the main stumbling block to his return is his fraught relationship with his former colleagues.

“There’s obviously a Boris-shaped hole at the heart of British politics – we need someone with his energy, his passion and his true belief in the future of Britain,” the friend said.

“If we had a presidential system in this country it would be much easier to see him coming back, but the only way back for him is via the Conservative Party, and it was a really bad relationship at the end.”

“He had his go. He blew it. Unlike Churchill, he won’t be back.”

It is easy to forget the circumstances in which Johnson found himself having to vacate No.10 less than three years after leading the Tories to an 80-seat Commons majority.

Dogged by partygate, the final straw came with his handling of the scandal surrounding Chris Pincher, the former Tory deputy chief whip who was accused of sexual harassment.

Dozens of Johnson’s own ministers resigned in protest, forcing him to fall on his sword.

“They took him down and as that’s the only route back for him I don’t think there’s any prospect of him doing it,” said the Johnson ally. “It was a very bruising experience for him.”

He added: “Could Boris come back? Yes, definitely. Plenty of Tory MPs would offer their seat to him if he let it be known he wants to come back, but if he thinks it through, he’d realise that it would mean having to lead the parliamentary party that took him out, and I’m not sure he has the appetite for that.”

But another senior Tory was dismissive of the prospect of a Johnson return.

“In a crowded field of irrelevant former MPs he has to be pretty much at the top,” she said. “The country has changed and moved on and anyone who thinks they have a safe seat these days needs to give themselves a shake.”

Polling released by Ipsos this week contained good and bad news for Johnson.

Johnson has the second-highest favourability rating of any UK politician, with 26%. He is only beaten by Nigel Farage, who is on 31%.

However, more than half the public – 52% – have an unfavourable view of him, demonstrating just how divisive he remains with voters.

Keiran Pedley, director of UK politics at Ipsos, told HuffPost UK: “While Boris Johnson still has his fans, there are signs he might not be the election-winning weapon he once was.

“Also, in practical terms, any comeback would need him to deal with the legacy of partygate and immigration numbers under his watch.

“That said, if the Conservative Party continues to struggle, you would not be surprised if some Tory MPs took a good look at him anyway.”

It is hard to avoid the conclusion that if Boris Johnson really is the answer to the Tories’ problems, the party is in an even worse position than anyone possibly imagined.

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Kemi Badenoch’s Popularity Hits New Low As Tory Crisis Deepens

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Kemi Badenoch’s popularity has hit a new low as she struggles to turn around the Tories’ fortunes, according to a new poll.

The Ipsos survey shows that just 17% of the public have a favourable view towards her.

That is the lowest ever recorded for her by the pollster, and a worse rating than both Boris Johnson (26%) and Rishi Sunak (21%).

Meanwhile, 49% of voters have an unfavourable view of her, giving her a net score of minus 32.

The most popular politician in the country, according to the poll, is Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who has a favourability rating of 31%.

Boris Johnson is second, followed by Lib Dem leader Ed Davey on 25% and Keir Starmer on 23%.

Robert Jenrick, who Badenoch beat to the Tory leadership last year, has a favourability rating of just 16%, the same as chancellor Rachel Reeves.

In a further blow for Badenoch, just 20% of the public have a favourable view of the Conservative Party, putting them behind Reform, the Greens, the Lib Dems and Labour.

The Tories’ unfavourability rating of 56% is also far worse than any of their rival’s.

The findings come after a YouGov poll earlier this week put the Tories in fourth place behind Reform, Labour and the Lib Dems.

Gideon Skinner, senior director of UK Politics at Ipsos, said: “While Labour has seen a slight bump in favourability, most people still think the country is heading in the wrong direction and are critical of the prime minister and chancellor.

“In contrast, Nigel Farage and his party continue to be buoyed by very high approval ratings among their own base, even though they are more divisive among Labour, Lib Dem and Green supporters.

“The Conservatives, though, face perhaps the toughest picture, with Kemi Badenoch’s rating dipping to its lowest level as Conservative leader and the party’s overall favourability continuing to be the lowest of any party polled.

“The Conservatives are finding it particularly difficult to rebuild after their losses in the 2024 election, but both the main two parties are struggling with public disillusionment with the established political order, and a potential appetite for alternative voices in British politics from both sides of the spectrum.”

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Boris Johnson Criticised The UK-EU Deal And People Reacted Exactly As You’d Expect

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The prime minister has said the agreement – which ensure closer ties with the bloc – will be “good for our jobs, good for our bills and good for our borders”.

But Johnson used typically flowery language to condemn the agreement, which rips up the deal his own government negotiated with the bloc.

In a post on X, Johnson said Starmer was “the orange ball-chewing manacled gimp of Brussels”.

He added: “Starmer promised at the election that he would not go back on Brexit. He has broken that promise as he broke his promise on tax.

“This deal should not be signed, should not be ratified and should never come into force and if it is, the next Conservative government should kick it out forthwith.”

Unfortunately for Johnson, the internet has not forgotten the role he played in the disastrous implementation of the 2016 Brexit referendum result.

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Boris Johnson Is Charging £121 Per Person For A Meet And Greet

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Boris Johnson is charging people more than £120 for a meet and greet in Scotland this September.

The former Conservative prime minister is already charging between £53.90 and £159.50 for tickets just for the public to attend “An Evening with Boris Johnson”, a live show at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall on September 2.

As discovered by The Scotsman newspaper, people can get a face-to-face with the ex-MP along with a photo together for an additional £121.25.

According to the event page, Johnson is known for “enacting the will of the British people” over Brexit and unleashing a “visionary agenda of domestic policy reform”.

Johnson also helped to “protect the union of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland,” the advert on Usher Hall’s website says – although the Brexit vote actually helped to elevate the cause of Scottish independence.

Johnson, now a columnist for the Daily Mail, is then described as a “pre-eminent global leader in the effort to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian invasion”, and “considered by the Kremlin as enemy number one”.

He is also praised for leading the UK “through the darkest days of the pandemic” on the event page.

The former prime minister was ousted from office halfway through his term when ministers from his own government started to resign en masse over his leadership.

Johnson was ejected in July 2022 for a number of scandals, including being fined for breaching his own government’s social distancing rules during the Covid lockdown.

He resigned as the Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP the following year, shortly before an investigation into the partygate scandal found he had deliberately misled MPs by alleging Covid rules were followed at all times in Downing Street.

There are reports that Johnson is now eyeing up a political comeback, although the former politician has denied the claims.

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Nigel Farage Squirms As He Admits He ‘Did Not Make The Cut’ To Key Part Of Trump Inauguration

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Nigel Farage had to admit he did not “make the cut” to sit in the Capitol rotunda to watch Donald Trump’s inauguration yesterday – but Boris Johnson did.

The Reform UK leader has long cast himself as a close friend to the US president, even offering to be the UK ambassador to Washington for the second Trump administration.

However, he had to admit the limits to that friendship on GB News last night.

When presenter Chris Hope asked if Farage was in the prestigious room in the middle of the Capitol building where Trump was sworn in, Farage haltingly replied: “No, no, no… didn’t make the cut, sadly.

“I had a good seat… but, no, I mean, look. Frankly, err, it… you know.”

Hope said: “I saw Boris Johnson in there, in rotunda, is he now the person Trump speaks to more than you?”

“No, he’s a former prime minister of the nation,” Farage said, slightly angrily. “He’s an occasional friend of Donald Trump.

“He supports Donald Trump when he’s going up and he doesn’t support Donald Trump when he’s going down. And I’ve supported him consistently now for almost a decade.”

Johnson has quite the on-off friendship with Trump, having slammed him in 2015 for “betraying a quite stupefying ignorance” for falsely saying there were “no-go zones” in London and claiming that he was “unfit” to become president.

While they spoke highly of one another while Trump was in office for his first term, Johnson then said the outgoing president was “completely wrong” for encouraging his supporters to storm the Capitol in 2021.

But by January 2024, Johnson – no longer PM or MP – said Trump’s return could be a “big win for the world”.

Meanwhile, Farage has been an avid Trump supporter for years, speaking at multiple rallies and flying over to the US repeatedly to back the Republican, despite critics asking why he is not more dedicated to his constituency.

The MP for Clacton was also a robust supporter of Trump’s new right-hand man, tech billionaire Elon Musk – until the world’s richest man turned on him earlier this month.

Hours after Farage told the media the X CEO was a “hero”, Musk claimed Reform needed a new leader because the current one “doesn’t have what it takes”.

The sudden split came after the Reform leader tried to distance himself from imprisoned far-right activist Tommy Robinson, whom Musk claimed should be released from jail.

Farage later said he wanted to “mend” his relationship with Musk.

Johnson was not the only former PM to fly to the US for the inauguration as Liz Truss also attended.

Current PM Keir Starmer was not invited, although that is in line with tradition – no serving UK prime minister has ever attended the swearing-in ceremony of a US president going back to when records began in 1874, according to analysis from the Press Association.

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Chris Hope, \"You watched the inauguration, where were you, were you in the Capital rotunda?\"

Nigel Farage, \"No.. No.. No.. Didn’t make the cut.. I had a good seat.. But.. No.. I mean look.. Frankly.. Err.. It.. You know\"

Chris Hope, \"I saw Boris Johnson in there, is he now the… pic.twitter.com/SsIEmMUodM

— Farrukh (@implausibleblog) January 21, 2025

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Chris Hope, “You watched the inauguration, where were you, were you in the Capital rotunda?”

Nigel Farage, “No.. No.. No.. Didn’t make the cut.. I had a good seat.. But.. No.. I mean look.. Frankly.. Err.. It.. You know”

Chris Hope, “I saw Boris Johnson in there, is he now the… pic.twitter.com/SsIEmMUodM

— Farrukh (@implausibleblog) January 21, 2025

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