Member-only story
Boris Johnson: Britain’s Greatest Ever Shameless Liar
His removal from office is our greatest priority.
The United Kingdom has never been short of great political liars.
For those with very long memories, they will remember the Profumo scandal, when a top cabinet member lied about his extramarital affair with a woman, who was also seeing a Russian spy in Britain in the 1960s.
Once it emerged that John Profumo was less than straightforward about his dealings with the call girl, he was forced to resign in ignominy and his mendacity reverberated right across the Conservative government, so much so, the Prime Minister of the day —Harold Macmillan — was forced to resign his appointment within months.
Britain’s first woman leader, Margaret Thatcher wasn’t at all averse from telling a few porkies in her time; the circumstances surrounding the sinking of the Belgrano during the Falklands war is one that we should never forget.
Tony Blair, it was found lied about a number of things; that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, which posed a threat to billions of people around the world and that these weapons could be deployed within a moment’s notice.
And for the longest time, Blair would not divulge the legal advice published by his most senior lawyer, which questioned the legality of the Iraq war.
But it must be pointed out that the lies of Messrs. Profumo and Blair et al do not come anywhere close to the current incumbent of Number 10 Downing Street.
Boris Johnson’s entire career has been all about lying; it’s been all about telling extraordinary whoopers to his former partners, employers and now the entire nation.
Back when he was a journalist at the daily telegraph, he was sacked for making up quotes by the military historian, Max Hastings.
In 2004, he was dismissed by the then Conservative party leader, Michael Howard, for lying about his extra marital affairs.
You would be forgiven for thinking that given his history of mendacity, his political career would have been over twenty years ago.
But somehow, he got away with it.
