Johnson at 10: The Inside Story: The Bestselling Political Biography of the Year

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His last book before the volume on Johnson was a thoughtful, heartfelt journey on foot along the western front of the great war. Transgender women will be included in legislation aimed at improving gender balance on public boards, after opponents failed to overturn a high court ruling. billion hit after scrapping two projects in the United States in a significant setback for America’s renewable energy industry.

Johnson at 10 rings with disapproval at Boris’s endless Johnson at 10 rings with disapproval at Boris’s endless

For instance, Graham Brady, chair of the Conservative Party’s 1922 Committee, tells the story of a “grovelling apology” from the PM after Cummings banned Johnson from speaking to him. He certainly has never been a great political thinker, was probably never an ideological Brexiteer, and (as the book frequently cites) is naturally attracted to grand projects that will provide a legacy and be forever associated with his name (London 2012, Crossrail, Brexit, HS2, Net zero, numerous bridges and airports). Disruptive change can work in the commercial sector because you are replacing one product or technology with another in a limited market. The first 18 months of the new government sounded like an absolute nightmare and Cummings was effectively in charge of the country, a modern-day Thomas Cromwell.

When the official enquiry into the handling of Covid eventually concludes, the government’s approach taken in September 2020 in response to the second wave of infections is very likely to be viewed harshly. The prime minister was incapable of determining what he wanted to achieve and how to achieve it and needed someone else to do the work.

Johnson at 10, review: Rings with disapproval at Boris’s Johnson at 10, review: Rings with disapproval at Boris’s

To those many people who say, ‘Of course he believed in Brexit’, the evidence is absolutely clear,” Seldon says. During one of many episodes of derangement in Downing Street, Johnson is to be found raving: “I am meant to be in control. The electorate appears to be regretting both outcomes, but there is no denying that the Johnson/Cummings partnership was at least consequential. Sixteen years ago, while he was Conservative MP for Henley but before he became London’s mayor, Boris Johnson appeared on a chat show hosted by Dame Edna Everage. UK: Britain hosts the first global summit on artificial intelligence, at Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire, with Rishi Sunak leading a discussion on safety and international co-operation to mitigate risks.Boris Johnson has never made any secret of his admiration for Winston Churchill or discouraged comparisons between himself and his predecessor as prime minister. When they ask him what plan he’s talking about and tell him, “We don’t have a plan”, his response is, “Well, we’ll have to decide which option to go for, won’t we? In 2009, he set up The Wellington Academy, the first state school to carry the name of its founding independent school. He had no clue how to be an effective prime minister and no idea what he wanted to do with the role other than satisfy his lust for its status and perks. Cummings ultimately left Downing Street in November 2020 after losing out in a power struggle with Carrie Johnson.

Johnson at 10 by Anthony Seldon, Raymond Newell | Waterstones

Based on more than 200 interviews with key aides, allies and insiders, Johnson at 10 gives the first full account of Johnson's premiership, the shockwaves of which are still felt today. One of the striking aspects of his book is that the world beyond the confines of No 10, the reality of unprecedented national crisis in millions of people’s lives, hardly ever gets a look in, so concerned are the principal actors in this drama with protecting their sorry backsides.After worrying in his first few months that he would end up being the briefest PM in history ( that honour fell to his successor, on whom Seldon is presumably only preparing a pamphlet rather than a full book), Johnson then assumed that with Brexit done, life would be relatively plain-sailing.