Section:GDN 1N PaGe:6 Edition Date:190906 Edition:01 Zone: Sent at 5/9/2019 21:00 cYanmaGentaYellowbla
- The Guardian Friday 6 September 2019
(^6) National
Politics
amongst a body of men and women
who know sometimes you have to
administer discipline, you have to be
very clear about your message, and
that’s what we’re being.”
As he opened his speech to mark
fresh investment in the police and the
recruitment of 20,000 more offi cers,
the prime minister clumsily attempted
to quote the offi cial police caution,
sought help with it from the ranks of
police recruits standing behind , and
then appeared to lose his thread.
Johnson later faced criticism
for politicising the police by using
uniformed offi cers as the backdrop
for a heavily partisan speech.
John Apter, who chairs the Police
Federation of England and Wales,
said: “I am surprised that police
offi cers were used as a backdrop for a
political speech in this way. I am sure
that on refl ection all concerned will
agree that this was the wrong decision
and it is disappointing that the focus
has been taken away from the recruit-
ment of 20,000 offi cers. This is what
we should be talking about, this is what
is important.”
The West Yorkshire police and
crime commissioner, Mark Burns-
Williamson, called for Johnson to
apologise. “To use police offi cers as the
backdrop to what became a political
A Brexit
extension?
I’d rather
be dead in
a ditch, says
Johnson
Kate Proctor and Peter Walker
Boris Johnson has said he would
“rather be dead in a ditch” than agree a
Brexit extension, while ducking ques-
tions on whether he would resign if
that was forced on him in a sometimes
rambling speech in West Yorkshire.
Johnson’s address and subsequent
media question-and-answer session
at a police training college began late,
appeared largely unscripted and saw a
police offi cer behind him take ill after
standing in the sun for more than an
hour.
The prime minister vowed not to go
back to Brussels to request a delay to
Brexit beyond 31 October , despite the
likelihood of him being requested to
do so by parliament via a bill expected
to pass the House of Lords today. “I’d
rather be dead in a ditch,” he said.
His answer to questions on his
brother Jo’s resignation as an MP were
also meandering and, after thanking
his sibling for his work as universities
minister and calling him a “fantastic
guy”, admitted that Brexit “divides
families”.
On the controversial sacking of
21 Conservative MPs, including the
former chancellors Ken Clarke and
Philip Hammond, after they backed
the legislation to stop a no-deal Brexit,
the prime minister said: “Discipline
is always tough, but here we are,
▲ Boris Johnson at the West Yorkshire
police training centre in Wakefi eld
PHOTOGRAPH: DARREN STAPLES/EPA
Sinking feeling
A student police offi cer appeared to
become unwell during questions to
the prime minister after his speech.
Boris Johnson had been speaking
for about 20 minutes when the
o ffi cer appeared to hold her hat and
then sit down as others around her
looked concerned. As she sat with
her head bowed, Johnson asked
if she was alright and said: “I’m
so sorry, OK that is a signal for me
actively to wind up.” PA Media
RELEASED BY "What's News" vk.com/wsnws TELEGRAM: t.me/whatsnws