Did Boris Johnson ‘get Brexit done’ by accident or design?
3 years, 9 months ago

Did Boris Johnson ‘get Brexit done’ by accident or design?

The Independent  

The first five months of Boris Johnson’s time as prime minister were some of the most remarkable in recent British history. Hence the decision to suspend or “prorogue” parliament, which Letwin attributed to “the genius of Mr Cummings” – Dominic Cummings, who was then Johnson’s chief adviser. But that very success made an election possible, said Letwin: “The fundamental condition that Jeremy Corbyn had laid down for a general election, namely the fact that having an election wouldn’t precipitate us into leaving without a transitional arrangement during the election, was therefore met. Even if Corbyn hadn’t capitulated, the government might very well have been able to get an election simply by having the SNP, the Liberal Democrats and certain Labour members voting with it.” In the end, Letwin succeeded in averting a no-deal Brexit, at the cost of ending his parliamentary career and being expelled from the Tory party. And he ended up with a harder, Johnsonian Brexit than he thought was necessary – which he blamed squarely on the Corbyn-led Labour Party: “I thought that the likely outcome of a general election was that Corbyn would be massacred.

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History of this topic

Jeremy Corbyn would have been better PM than Boris Johnson, Keir Starmer claims under grilling from voters in crunch Question Time debate - as Rishi promises to send election date betting Tories packi
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Jeremy Corbyn would have been better PM than Boris Johnson, Keir Starmer claims under grilling from voters in crunch Question Time debate - as Rishi promises to send election date betting Tories packi

Daily Mail  

Jeremy Corbyn would have made a better prime minister than Boris Johnson, Sir Keir Starmer claimed last night. Sir Keir became flustered as he was pressed to say whether he had genuinely believed his claim at the 2019 election that Mr Corbyn would make a 'great prime minister'. Sir Keir became flustered as he was pressed to say whether he …

Boris Johnson lives for attention – but his latest gig won’t stop him being a busted flush
1 year, 2 months ago

Boris Johnson lives for attention – but his latest gig won’t stop him being a busted flush

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. We know that enough Tory members …

Opinion: Why won’t Boris Johnson and Donald Trump just go away?
1 year, 6 months ago

Opinion: Why won’t Boris Johnson and Donald Trump just go away?

LA Times  

Being bad has always come good for Boris Johnson. Scandals over plagiarism allegations, multiple affairs, an “Avatar”-length blooper reel of public blunders — disgrace is a boon for Britain’s Donald Trump, who is now well-versed in turning recklessness into riches. Politics is a popularity contest, and Johnson — to use Trump’s parlance — always comes out “winning.” Like his U.S. …

Boris Johnson’s current crisis of leadership is of his own making
2 years, 11 months ago

Boris Johnson’s current crisis of leadership is of his own making

Live Mint  

There he goes again, the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is described by his newly- appointed communications director as “not a complete clown”. But like with the Joker in the comic series Batman, there often seems a sinister aspect to Johnson’s cynical manipulation of rumours that reaches almost Trumpian sophistication of innuendo. In apparent desperation to deflect blame over …

The Boris Johnson Party is over. But the hangover is just beginning
2 years, 11 months ago

The Boris Johnson Party is over. But the hangover is just beginning

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Rosa Prince is the editor of The House magazine. In a wild two hours in Westminster which saw one party leader thrown out of the chamber for calling the PM a liar, and with several MPs in tears as they described bereavements during the pandemic, Johnson reached repeatedly for the one word he used always to avoid – …

‘Partygate’ could finish Boris Johnson – and boot the Tories out of No 10
2 years, 11 months ago

‘Partygate’ could finish Boris Johnson – and boot the Tories out of No 10

The Telegraph  

It was the moment when Boris Johnson channelled his hero, Winston Churchill, in a bid to win the Conservative Party leadership in 2019. The wartime Prime Minister famously said: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Yet as far as the Conservative faithful are concerned, there is only so much “buggering …

Victory for Boris shows how tired Brits are of Brexit limbo
5 years ago

Victory for Boris shows how tired Brits are of Brexit limbo

Deccan Chronicle  

With vision 2020, as the last year whizzes past, one realises that while Theresa May as Prime Minister had done all the groundwork on Brexit, it is Boris Johnson who will walk off with all the accolades. So perhaps opinion polls which showed the two parties literally running neck-to-neck actually compelled voters to brave the cold and make Brexit a …

The day of Boris: On U.K. polls
5 years ago

The day of Boris: On U.K. polls

The Hindu  

The decisive victory the Conservative Party clinched in Thursday’s elections to Parliament gives British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who built his campaign around the promise to “get Brexit done”, a clear mandate to take the U.K. out of the European Union without further delay. He turned the poll into a de facto Brexit referendum, arguing that only a stable Conservative …

Key takeaways from Boris Johnson’s sweeping election victory
5 years ago

Key takeaways from Boris Johnson’s sweeping election victory

Associated Press  

LONDON — Prime Minister Boris Johnson has led his Conservative Party to a landslide victory in Britain’s election that was dominated by Brexit. But throughout the five-week election campaign, he rarely strayed from three simple words: “Get Brexit Done.” The easily digested message was clearly designed to woo voters from both sides of the political spectrum who have grown weary …

Johnson victory means Brexit is coming, tough talks loom
5 years ago

Johnson victory means Brexit is coming, tough talks loom

Associated Press  

LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson campaigned on one theme alone — “Get Brexit done.” His sweeping victory in Thursday’s election means that could now happen within weeks. Even before his Conservative Party had officially crossed the winning line Friday, Johnson said it looked like his party had “a powerful new mandate” to complete Britain’s divorce from the European …

From punchline to political star: the rise of Boris Johnson
5 years ago

From punchline to political star: the rise of Boris Johnson

Associated Press  

LONDON — Boris Johnson’s many critics have often dismissed him as a political clown. As a child, Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson’s goal was to become “world king.” At the elite private school Eton he was clever, though not diligent; one teacher complained to Johnson’s parents about his ”disgracefully cavalier attitude.” At Oxford University, Johnson was president of the Oxford …

Boris Johnson Wins Majority In UK General Election, Hails Powerful Mandate
5 years ago

Boris Johnson Wins Majority In UK General Election, Hails Powerful Mandate

ABP News  

New Delhi: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has won a clear majority in UK general election deemed as one of the country's most crucial and decisive elections, as his Conservative Party crossed UK crossed the 326-mark required for a majority in Parliament, media reports said on Friday. Exit polls, revealed on Friday, that the UK's Conservatives have taken a string …

Boris Johnson wins parliamentary majority in UK election
5 years ago

Boris Johnson wins parliamentary majority in UK election

Live Mint  

Boris Johnson won a decisive victory in the U.K. election, putting the country on course to leave the European Union next month after the biggest shift in British political allegiances for decades. First results showed the Conservatives taking some districts from Labour for the first time ever as Johnson’s “Get Brexit Done” mantra resonated with voters. Johnson’s projected majority -- …

How Boris Johnson went from political caricature to delivering a Margaret Thatcher-like election win
5 years ago

How Boris Johnson went from political caricature to delivering a Margaret Thatcher-like election win

CNN  

London CNN — Boris Johnson’s journey from political novelty act to most powerful British Conservative since Margaret Thatcher is nothing short of astonishing. As news broke that he’d secured the parliamentary majority needed to pass his Brexit deal, Johnson’s transition from controversial Euroskeptic media personality to serious statesman was complete. A former Downing Street advisor told CNN that while Cameron’s …

Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party wins majority in UK election
5 years ago

Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party wins majority in UK election

CNN  

CNN — Boris Johnson has done it. The result is a vindication of Johnson’s strategy to campaign on a single promise to “get Brexit done.” Related: Full UK election results It was a crushing defeat for the opposition Labour Party, whose leader, Jeremy Corbyn, said he would step down after a “process of reflection.” And the leader of the pro-Remain …

UK election is the continuation — not the end — of this toxic chapter of British politics and history
5 years ago

UK election is the continuation — not the end — of this toxic chapter of British politics and history

ABC  

Ahead of today's British general election, the polls appear to indicate a victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Boris Johnson. Over the past weeks of the British election campaign, Boris Johnson's promise to "get Brexit done" has tapped into the British electorate's deep frustration with the seemingly interminable and confusing debates about leaving the European Union. Boris …

Johnson seeks to focus UK election on Brexit, not his flaws
5 years, 1 month ago

Johnson seeks to focus UK election on Brexit, not his flaws

Associated Press  

LONDON — Prime Minister Boris Johnson struggled Friday to move Britain’s election debate away from questions about his character and onto Brexit, promising to bolster protection for British businesses and farmers once the country has left the European Union. He said that if the Conservatives won the Dec. 12 election he would take the U.K. out of the European Union …

An unrepentant Boris Johnson faces raucous Parliament
5 years, 3 months ago

An unrepentant Boris Johnson faces raucous Parliament

Associated Press  

LONDON — An unrepentant Prime Minister Boris Johnson brushed off cries of “Resign!” and dared his foes to try to topple him Wednesday at a raucous session of Parliament, a day after Britain’s highest court ruled he acted illegally in suspending the body ahead of the Brexit deadline. He said Johnson “thinks he is above the law” and has shown …

Brexit: Parliament Rejects Boris Johnson's Call For New Elections
5 years, 4 months ago

Brexit: Parliament Rejects Boris Johnson's Call For New Elections

NPR  

Brexit: Parliament Rejects Boris Johnson's Call For New Elections Enlarge this image toggle caption Jessica Taylor/House of Commons via AP Jessica Taylor/House of Commons via AP Updated at 7:15 p.m. ET Britain's Parliament failed to give Prime Minister Boris Johnson the two-thirds necessary to hold snap elections next month — leaving him with little choice but to go back to …

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