Boris Johnson’s first week - in pictures
Prime minister is on whirlwind tour to the four corners of the United Kingdom
It has been a week since Boris Johnson entered the door of 10 Downing Street as the UK’s new prime minister.
Since then, he has made a number of speeches, overseen the biggest Cabinet cull in almost 60 years, and embarked on a tour of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that has included visits to a chicken farm, a naval base and the site of an under-construction tram line.
The new PM has also been holding talks with political leaders across Britain. Today, he has been meeting with the five main Stormont parties in a bid to restore the power-sharing government in Belfast.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
As Johnson gets into the swing of things, the Tories are celebrating a “Boris bounce” in the polls, with an Opinium survey for The Observer giving the party a gain of seven points in the past fortnight - putting the Conservatives two ahead of Labour. And Johnson has a 21-point lead over Labour rival Jeremy Corbyn when it comes to stong leadership credentials.
But it hasn’t been completely plain sailing for the nation’s new leader. The pound has sunk to a 28-month low, and hundreds of people gathered in Russell Square, central London, for a “Fck Govt Fck Boris” protest last week, with critics pointing out that he came to power on the votes of less than 100,000 people.
Johnson’s pledge to deliver Brexit by 31 October has also fuelled fears that the UK will have to leave the EU without a withdrawal agreement in place, with neither the PM nor the bloc looking likely to compromise over the Irish backstop.
In an added headache for the new PM, Nigel Farage has suggested that the Brexit Party will “vigorously oppose” him if he backs anything less than a no-deal exit. “For this reason, we are preparing for an autumn general election,” Farage says in an article for The Daily Telegraph.
Click on the gallery above for images of Johnson’s first week.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Trump vs the WHO
In The Spotlight US withdrawal from the World Health Organization could backfire by increasing China's global sway
By Elliott Goat, The Week UK Published
-
The best dystopian TV shows to watch in 2025
The Week Recommends From Severance to Silo, these 'mind-bending' shows make for disturbing viewing
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Foreigners in Spain facing a 100% tax on homes as the country battles a housing crisis
Under the Radar The goal is to provide 'more housing, better regulation and greater aid,' said Spain's prime minister
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
How should Westminster handle Elon Musk?
Today's Big Question Musk's about-face on Nigel Farage demonstrates that he is a 'precarious' ally, but his influence on the Trump White House makes fending off his attacks a delicate business
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
New Year's Honours: why the controversy?
Today's Big Question London Mayor Sadiq Khan and England men's football manager Gareth Southgate have both received a knighthood despite debatable records
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is there a Christmas curse on Downing Street?
Today's Big Question Keir Starmer could follow a long line of prime ministers forced to swap festive cheer for the dreaded Christmas crisis
By The Week UK Published
-
Is Elon Musk about to disrupt British politics?
Today's big question Mar-a-Lago talks between billionaire and Nigel Farage prompt calls for change on how political parties are funded
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will Starmer's Brexit reset work?
Today's Big Question PM will have to tread a fine line to keep Leavers on side as leaks suggest EU's 'tough red lines' in trade talks next year
By The Week UK Published
-
John Prescott: was he Labour's last link to the working class?
Today's Big Quesiton 'A total one-off': tributes have poured in for the former deputy PM and trade unionist
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Last hopes for justice for UK's nuclear test veterans
Under the Radar Thousands of ex-service personnel say their lives have been blighted by aggressive cancers and genetic mutations
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will Donald Trump wreck the Brexit deal?
Today's Big Question President-elect's victory could help UK's reset with the EU, but a free-trade agreement with the US to dodge his threatened tariffs could hinder it
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published