Why Does Boris Johnson Get a Free Pass?

The Prime Minister hides his obvious flaws in plain sight, so why are so many people willing to ignore them?

Confronted by an angry father, Boris Johnson was accused of coming to the hospital merely for a press opportunity. As the cameras flashed and the confrontation became heated, Boris Johnson said something remarkable, but revealing.

“Well actually, there’s no press here,” he mumbled.

The father looked stunned as he turned to the gathered press and pointed at the row of cameras that were filming and taking pictures of the confrontation.

“What do you mean there’s no press here?” he said, “who are these people?”

It was a striking moment because Johnson immediately realised that the mask had momentarily slipped. His casual disregard for the truth was notorious in his journalistic career. After all, he had been let go from The Times for making up a quote. But now here it was for us all to see — Johnson’s default reaction when backed into a corner was to look the man in the face and lie.

We were warned about Mr Johnson’s character. During the Conservative Party Leadership Election in 2019, his old boss, Max Hasttngs, penned a caustic comment piece about Johnson in The Guardian in…