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
-
Mars may have been habitable more recently than thought
Under the Radar A lot can happen in 200 million years
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: November 18, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku hard: November 18, 2024
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff 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
-
What is the next Tory leader up against?
Today's Big Question Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick will have to unify warring factions and win back disillusioned voters – without alienating the centre ground
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What is Lammy hoping to achieve in China?
Today's Big Question Foreign secretary heads to Beijing as Labour seeks cooperation on global challenges and courts opportunities for trade and investment
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What next for Reform UK?
In the Spotlight Farage says party should learn from the Lib Dems in drumming up local support
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Is Britain about to 'boil over'?
Today's Big Question A message shared across far-right groups listed more than 30 potential targets for violence in the UK today
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
UK's Starmer slams 'far-right thuggery' at riots
Speed Read The anti-immigrant violence was spurred by false rumors that the suspect in the Southport knife attack was an immigrant
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The Tamils stranded on 'secretive' British island in Indian Ocean
Under the Radar Migrants 'unlawfully detained' since 2021 shipwreck on UK-controlled Diego Garcia, site of important US military base
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published