Boris Johnson’s last chance to cast off ‘bumbling BoJo’ tag – Jayne Dowle

Me and ‘Boris’ have history. We attended the same university, more or less at the same time. Here I met many people who had only ever known privilege.

I learned that very few had the faintest idea of how to connect with anyone blighted with a different social background. Not their fault, you understand.

That’s why I’ve always suspected that Johnson’s Woosterish bluster hid a deep unease about dealing with ‘ordinary people’. This is not a good quality in a modern Prime Minister.

If you actually deconstruct the way in which he answers questions, particularly from the public, you’ll find that his response is often meaningless. It’s often said that he’s a natural communicator. I disagree.

This shortcoming has been a huge hurdle. It also exposed weaknesses in his own Cabinet; he must have the guts to weed out the less-than-able and find some challenging big thinkers to replace them.

You might be interested to learn that I have actually spoken to him, face to face. It was more than 20 years ago, in the play park at Highbury Fields, north London.

This was way before he became a political figure. He was a broadsheet hack back then. I was there with my young nephew. He was there with his children. He mumbled something to me about how easy it was for children to enjoy themselves, without a care in the world.

I’ve often thought of that moment as I’ve watched him struggle through his first year at Number 10. If he felt weighed down by cares back then, on a sunny afternoon in the park, what must he be thinking now?

When he took office a year ago tomorrow, he couldn’t possibly imagine what the next 12 months would bring.

Mr Johnson then won an overwhelming majority that smashed through previous ‘Red Wall’ constituencies, especially in the North of England on the strength of his “Get Brexit Done” mantra.

However, as subsequent events have proved, the highest office of government demands more than mastery of slogans and soundbites.

His refusal to seek an extension to the Brexit transition period, given the state of world affairs and the economy, is a big mistake. He promised to mastermind a “new and exciting partnership” with the EU. By no stretch of even the most loyal Tory imagination is this process is underway; it’s a dereliction of duty that can’t be excused.

He also promised to “level up” the country, bringing investment, jobs and prosperity to the North. Obviously, it’s been impossible to advance this agenda with the entire country under lockdown, but we’re facing a national debt unmatched since the Second World War. Forget levelling up, we’re all going to be levelling down.

As the strictures of lockdown have wearied us all, his once-mesmeric populist grip looks unsure. So many people are simply ignoring what his government says and following their own rules.

Mr Johnson is fond of evoking the glories and achievements of past Conservative Prime Ministers, most notably Winston Churchill.

As he reflects upon his first year in office, perhaps he might be wiser to consider Harold Macmillan. When asked, by a journalist, what he thought was most likely to blow a government off course Macmillan is reputed to have replied: “Events, dear boy, events.”

His precise words may have become a little mangled over time, but the inference remains. No Prime Minister can stop fate getting in the way.

This arrived without warning for Mr Johnson in the shape of a global pandemic. We must be fair and accept that no Prime Minister could have made the right decision every time.

However, as we (hopefully) begin to move out of lockdown, and hopes of a credible vaccine seem optimistic, ‘events’ are no longer an excuse.

Mr Johnson could have turned this terrible pandemic into his own political crucible, an unmatched opportunity to cast off bumbling ‘BoJo’ once and for all.

A stronger, wiser and more confident Prime Minister would emerge as a figurehead, commanding respect for the next four years, whether we voted for his party or not.

If this first year has been interesting, who can possibly imagine what will happen in the next 12 months?

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