People on Merseyside have a long history of protesting the actions of Prime Minister Boris Johnson who today resigned as British Prime Minister.
After being hounded by many in his own party, with mass resignations including senior cabinet members, the PM has finally stepped down. A torrid few days for Boris Johnson saw him vow defiantly to carry on in yesterday's House of Commons.
But with increasing loss of support from his own party, including newly appointed Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi urging him to go just days into his new role, has signalled the end of his Boris Johnson's time as leader. With little choice or support left, the PM has now succumbed to the pressure of calls to resign by his once greatest allies.
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But it's not just on a national and parliamentary level that Boris has caused controversy over the years. Mr Johnson has a history of outraging people on Merseyside enough to call his actions and words to account. And rather than just accept it, many have chosen to make their anger known and protest, even if it's in bizarre and amusing ways.
So with news of Boris' resignation, the Liverpool ECHO has put together some of the best moments when Merseysiders have pushed back.
The Three B*****ds pub
Back in October 2020, while Britain was still suffering with the worst elements of the coronavirus pandemic, one pub owner made his dissatisfaction with how the PM and his government were handling the crisis in the most hilarious way possible. After Merseyside had been placed under Tier 3 coronavirus restrictions one pub, formerly The James Atherton, on Victoria Road in New Brighton, appeared to change its name to The Three B***ends.
The pub's crest also changed from a regal portrait of James Atherton, the founder of New Brighton, to an unflattering collage of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, his then adviser Dominic Cummings and Health Secretary Matt Hancock with bells on their heads.
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The trio had been roundly criticised for failing to control the coronavirus pandemic and damaging hospitality businesses due to the imposed restrictions. Daniel Davies, chief executive of pub owners Rockpoint Leisure, said: “The government has unequivocally blamed our sector for being fundamental in the spreading of Covid-19, despite there being overwhelming evidence to prove otherwise.
“Our business has been decimated and their lack of action has compounded the problem. Westminster’s further decision to pick and choose which types of venue may open, based on those serving meals for example, is mind-boggling.”
In another dig at the PM and his government, the pub later rebranded as The Two Helmets in June 2021. The pub's crest changed for a second time with an image of Mr Johnson and Mr Hancock with white hard hats on with a red cross in the middle.
Scarecrow Boris
Okay, maybe not a direct protest at the PM but certainly far from flattering was a stuffed Boris Johnson erected as a scarecrow in a farmer's field. The bizarre, tongue-in-cheek vision was actually part of a celebrity scarecrow trail created by Merseyside farmer Olly Harrison.
The Prescot farm which opened a popular sunflower maze over the summer of 2020 launched a celebrity scarecrow trail where you could spot celebs standing in a field such as 'Holly and Phil', 'Boris Johnson' and Disney's Elsa. The unique day out also gave families a chance to pick their own veg along the way.
Protests against suspending Parliament
Boris Johnson was one of the major players behind the Brexit campaign even before he became Prime Minister. In August 2019, thousands of protesters gathered in Liverpool city centre to protest against Boris Johnson's decision to suspend Parliament.
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Large crowds gathered at the Wellington monument next to St George's Hall to voice their opposition to the prorogation of Parliament in September before the Queen's Speech. The decision had been seen by many as reducing Parliament's ability to shape the Brexit process.
Critics have argued that the move was a cynical ploy by Mr Johnson to bypass the scrutiny of Parliament to push through a no deal Brexit. Many of the protesters held up home made banners attacking the Prime Minister for his actions.
One local councillor who spoke at the Stop The Coup protest, Ann O'Byrne, said the PM's actions were more akin to the actions of a sovereign than a servant of the people. While Bootle MP, Peter Dowd, the keynote speaker, echoed Cllr O'Byrne's comments about Mr Johnson thinking he was a 'king' and called on him to 'abdicate.'
Boris Johnson in Liverpool apologising for past remarks
Mr Johnson travelled to Liverpool in 2004 to apologise to the people of the city following remarks printed in The Spectator while he was editor. The current affairs magazine printed an editorial in 2004 which said Hillsborough was “undeniably” a tragedy, but continued: “That is no excuse for Liverpool’s failure to acknowledge, even to this day, the part played in the disaster by drunken fans at the back of the crowd who mindlessly tried to fight their way into the ground that Saturday afternoon.”
It continued: “The police became a convenient scapegoat, and The S*n newspaper a whipping-boy for daring, albeit in a tasteless fashion, to hint at the wider causes of the incident.” Talking about the attitudes of Liverpudlians, the article added: “They see themselves whenever possible as victims, and resent their victim status; yet at the same time they wallow in it.”
The article managed to smear the entire city of Liverpool, the Hillsborough victims and their families and Ken Bigley, the Liverpool engineer murdered in Iraq in 2004 in one go.
Although the words were not written by Mr Johnson, he was in a position of editorial control over the words that were published. During his trip to Liverpool to apologise for the article in 2004, he faced a tough crowd on his arrival while his apology was rejected by Hillsborough Family Support Group chairman Margaret Aspinall.
Do these awaken any memories for you? Let us know in the comments section below.
Following the publication of an independent report into the Hillsborough disaster in 2012, which cleared Liverpool found that South Yorkshire Police and the emergency services made "strenuous attempts" to blame the victims, Mr Johnson - then Mayor of London - repeated his apology. He said: "I’m very, very glad that this report does lay to rest the false allegation that was made at the time about the behaviour of those fans.
"I was very, very sorry in 2004 that the Spectator did carry an editorial that partially repeated those allegations, I apologised then and I apologise now. I do hope the families of the 96 victims will take some comfort from this report and that they can reach some sort of closure."
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