Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Mail Opinion

Boris Johnson's PR stunts can't mask his failures as Prime Minister

The differences in the two men couldn’t be more striking.

One is a selfless family man on a desperate mission to save his pregnant daughter-in-law from the war in Ukraine.

The other is a selfish politician who parachuted himself into a war zone for another PR stunt to rescue his ailing leadership.

Their stories merge today in the telling of the devastating Russian war on Ukraine – but their merits could not be further apart.

Michael, Oksana, Anna and little Leo in Glasgow yesterday (Mark Anderson)

Without a thought for his own safety Michael Marley took off from his home in Ardrossan, Ayrshire, to make a 3000-mile journey to the Ukrainian city of Odessa to bring back his daughter-in-law Anna and her son Leo, six.

Anna, pregnant and stranded alone with her boy, was running out of options.

But she’s now safe in Scotland and waiting for news of her husband, who had to stay and face up to the Russian onslaught.

Then you have British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

He popped up in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv yesterday in a not-so-secret visit to meet with the country’s battling leader, Volodymyr Zelensky.

But his handshakes and photo opportunities won’t do much to help the likes of Anna and Leo.

Don’t forget that this is a British PM who should have resigned over a Partygate scandal which has been masked by a war in which his impotent government is failing the refugees of Ukraine.

While he posed for pictures, delays in the UK’s visa system are still making those fleeing war wait far too long for their route to safety.

And that’s without giving a mention to the thousands at home struggling with the rising cost of living which the Conservative Government have failed to address.

Johnson needs to think more about what’s good for ordinary people and not just what looks good for him.

Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.