While crowds cheer Jeremy Corbyn, they call Boris Johnson a ‘w**ker’

Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn
Fréa Lockley


On 29 July, the people of Scotland showed Boris Johnson what they really think of him.

It’s fair to say that Johnson’s first week as prime minister really isn’t going so well. It’s also a total contrast to the way Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is welcomed.

#BackDoorBoris

Johnson met Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon at Bute House in Edinburgh. A large crowd showed up, but they didn’t cheer the latest prime minister. Instead, they jeered and booed. And a chant of “wanker” went up from some of those gathered:

Johnson, meanwhile, tried to usher Sturgeon into Bute House. But she brushed off his patronising gesture:

And it didn’t take long for people to notice that Sturgeon couldn’t even fake the grace and charm she’s managed to present to other Conservative leaders:

It seems the crowd may have actually hit a nerve. Because clearly, Johnson couldn’t face them again and he snuck out of Bute House via the back door:

And pretty soon, started trending on Twitter:

According to the National, Sturgeon challenged Johnson to a Scottish independence debate during their meeting. After he left, she reportedly called his government “dangerous” and confirmed to reporters that he was the first person to scuttle out of the back door of Bute House:

Earlier in the day, Johnson visited the controversial Trident base at Faslane.

A week is a long time in politics…

In 2015, Johnson met a similar response in Manchester. So people took delight in resharing the clip:

Johnson was back in Manchester on 27 July to give a keynote speech at the Science and Industry Museum. He pledged to fund a high-speed rail link between Manchester and Leeds. But he had to prompt the audience (of around 100 people), saying: [0.01]

Feel free to applaud, if you would.

And people have noticed the total contrast in the way people greet and support Corbyn, compared to Johnson:

In just under a week, Johnson’s led a barrage of hard-right cabinet and government appointments. He’s also promised to push Brexit through, even if this means a No-Deal situation. Indeed, even though more children than ever need to use foodbanks this summer, he’s thrown £100m into ‘No Deal’ adverts.

So the possibility of an ‘Oh Boris Johnson’ chant lifting up festivals and football grounds seems remote, to say the least. And despite what the establishment media may try to want people to think about Corbyn, that says it all really.

Featured image via screengrab and screengrab

Get involved

  • We may be heading for an early general election. Register to vote if you’ve not done so already.

We need your help ...

The coronavirus pandemic is changing our world, fast. And we will do all we can to keep bringing you news and analysis throughout. But we are worried about maintaining enough income to pay our staff and minimal overheads.

Now, more than ever, we need a vibrant, independent media that holds the government to account and calls it out when it puts vested economic interests above human lives. We need a media that shows solidarity with the people most affected by the crisis – and one that can help to build a world based on collaboration and compassion.

We have been fighting against an establishment that is trying to shut us down. And like most independent media, we don’t have the deep pockets of investors to call on to bail us out.

Can you help by chipping in a few pounds each month?

The Canary Support us

Related articles