Section:OBS 2N PaGe:32 Edition Date:190804 Edition:01 Zone: Sent at 3/8/2019 17:24 cYanmaGentaYellowbla
- The Observer
32 04.08.19 Focus
B
ooed in Scotland.
Confronted by
farmers in Wales.
Chided over the
future of the union
in Northern Ireland.
Hit by damaging leaks and warned
about the risk of recession by
the Bank of England, all amid a
tumbling pound.
The turbulence that has struck
Boris Johnson’s administration was
more reminiscent of an ageing gov-
ernment fi ghting for survival than
one embarking on its fi rst seven
days in offi ce. Yet such is the per-
petual turmoil of British politics
amid the Brexit impasse that many
in Westminster regarded the week’s
events as a gentle opening to an
inevitable crisis.
Figures in Johnson’s team do notpretend his early visits to the four
corners of the union were easy. His
aides, who admit to an “intense”
transition to life in Downing St, also
insist there is one vital positive at
the end of his UK tour: “It’s over.”
Their sense of relief is under-
standable. Johnson’s fl urry of activ-
ity in the hostile territories of
Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast saw
him repeatedly confronted over his
willingness to back a no-deal Brexit.
Nicola Sturgeon , Scotland’s fi rst
minister, described him as “danger-
ous”. In Wales, having kept both the
media and public at a safe distance,
he was accused of “playing Russian
roulette” with farmers’ livelihoods.
By the time he reached Belfast,
the head of the SDLP, Nichola
Mallon, accused him of having “lit-
tle understanding of the complexi-Boos, leaks, snubs ...
then fl oods. PM hits
early turbulence
He toured the union and rushed to an emergency, but
there is little sign the tide is turning in the Tory leader’s
favour on Brexit, report Michael Savage and Chris Bradford
Boris Johnson’s week
Tuesday
Johnson visits a chicken
farm near Newport, but
no amount of his egg
puns can dampen its
owner’s concerns about
a no-deal Brexit. Mark
Drakeford , the Welsh
fi rst minister, later tells
Johnson that leaving
Europe without a deal
will be “catastrophic ”.Monday
Johnson is booed in
Scotland before an
awkward handshake
with Nicola Sturgeon
and an even more stilted
conversation with the
Scottish fi rst minister.
Th e pair concede they
have had a “lively” chat.
Once Johnson has gone,
Sturgeon denounces his
Brexit policy, saying: “ Th is
government and the path
that it is pursuing I think
is dangerous.”Wednesday
Johnson runs into
trouble as he heads
to Northern Ireland.
Sinn Féin leader Mary
Lou McDonald , above
centre, says it will
be “unthinkable” if a
no-deal Brexit is not
followed by a poll on Irish
reunifi cation. Damien
McGenity , leader of NI
Border Communities
against Brexit, dismisses
Johnson’s strategy as
“nonsense”.РЕЛИЗ
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