Last laughs before polling day: on tour with Boris and Dave
The Prime Minister laughs at all the Mayor’s jokes: why can't Boris return the compliment?
A joint appearance by David Cameron and Boris Johnson at a utilities firm in north London yesterday gave the newspaper sketch-writers a field day.
Quentin Letts in the Daily Mail:
“Boris went first, howling his way through a lively, ten-minute speech about how the capital had gone awry under Labour.
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.
"Now, thanks to the Tories, it was a magnet for ‘fin-tech, bio-tech, med-tech, Aztec’.
“The youngsters blanked his surreal Aztec joke but Boris’s wife, Marina, on a rare outing, smiled on the sidelines.
“‘Chaos, stasis, paralysis,’ was what Labour could bring, said Boris. When was ‘stasis’ last used in an election oration?”
Michael Deacon in the Daily Telegraph:
“The Mayor of London warmed up the staff with a characteristic onslaught of whimsy.
“‘We have such a dynamic entertainment sector, assisted by George Osborne’s tax breaks,’ he trumpeted, ‘that at one stage we succeeded in exporting Russell Brand to America! Although he seems mysteriously to have been returned!’
“Mr Cameron laughed at this. Indeed, he laughed at all the Mayor’s jokes. Now I come to think of it, I don’t recall the Mayor laughing at any of Mr Cameron’s.”
“Just a theory, but is there a possibility that UK productivity growth is low because Cameron brings a couple of business parks a day to a standstill so he can stage election events in them?
“Here it was workers for an energy provider being kept from their day jobs, making the PM not the only salesman in the room who wasn’t likely to hit his targets.”
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
-
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
-
Crossword: January 22, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Codeword: January 22, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff 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
-
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
-
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
-
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