Photo: PA
European press has tore into Boris Johnson amid a series of controversies engulfing the prime minister over recent months.
It comes amid voters increasingly losing interest in the Tory party leader over recent weeks, because of allegations of Christmas parties held by government officials in lockdowns last year, previous sleaze controversies and the handling of the Covid pandemic.
Spanish newspaper El País said the rise of the Omicron variant “points to a tough winter, combined with public outrage to weigh on the credibility of a prime minister that is currently in tatters”.
And German news outlet Der Spiegel acknowledged the “apparently glorious election” of “political entertainer” Boris Johnson in 2019.
But it went on to roast him further, saying he looks like a “a fire-eater who’s run out of fuel: no more sparks, no flickering flames, only cold smoke rising over Downing Street.”
The website went further to accuse the prime minister of having “a Pinocchio-like relationship with the truth” and that he “never made a secret of the fact that he only knows one moral code: his”.
It then described Johnson as invincible but noted the striking comparison between him and the Naked Emperor, to suggest a collective ignorance of officials surrounding the prime minister.
Der Spiegel concluded Johnson “shaped the Tories in his own image” and replaced veteran Conservatives with “young loyalists who owe their election solely to Johnson.”
But the publication expressed doubts over whether Johnson will resign, arguing that if the Tories were to kick him out of the party, they would “first have to recover the decency it largely lost when it surrendered to its election winner”.
Daily French newspaper Libération, also highlighted Johnson has surrounded himself with “yes” men and added “he is the only actor of the Boris Johnson show.”
“Many of those around him, mediocre politicians now drunk with the unexpected power that an ill-prepared referendum has bestowed upon them, have supported him because they saw it as a formidable opportunity for their careers,” the newspaper read.
Meanwhile, Johnson has suffered another blow as polls showed his personal ratings reaching a new low.
According to YouGov research, voters who think Johnson is performing well amount to only 23 per cent, and those who think the opposite have increased to 71 per cent.
The net rating of minus 48 is the lowest since he became prime minister.
In May, he had an overall positive score with 48 per cent admiring his performance, whilst 47 per cent disapproved of it.
Earlier this month, Labour registered its highest lead in polls since 2014.
At the time, the opposition party had a nine-point lead ahead of the Tories.
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