Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Boris Johnson’s confusing election stance

Does Boris Johnson want an election or does he not want an election? He managed to make both claims this afternoon at Prime Minister’s Questions, accusing Jeremy Corbyn of being a ‘chlorinated chicken’ for not wanting an election, while also continuing to insist that he didn’t want one either.

He then – apparently accidentally – told the Chamber that he did want an election. The whole effect was rather chaotic, and Johnson’s demeanour wasn’t particularly prime ministerial. He even said ‘s***’ in the Chamber, which might have been designed to get all the attention in a session where Corbyn unusually had the upper hand. When someone takes on the highest office, their stature often appears to grow a little. But the antics of the past few days appear to have made Johnson shrink instead.

This is something the rebel ex-Tories are keen to exploit.

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