Bermuda Post

Sunday, Mar 26, 2023

Boris Johnson stumbles through speech to business leaders - praising Peppa Pig and comparing himself to Moses

The speech was billed as an opportunity for Mr Johnson to set out how his green policies could contribute to the government's "levelling up" agenda.

Opposition politicians have ridiculed Boris Johnson after he struggled to get through a keynote address to business leaders, despite claiming afterwards he thought the speech "went over well".

In the speech to the Confederation of British Industry, the prime minister praised the cartoon Peppa Pig, made car engine noises, and compared his 10-point plan for a green economy to the biblical 10 commandments.

There was an awkward silence part of the way through, as Mr Johnson appeared to lose his place and was left shuffling sheets of paper. He muttered "blast it", before saying "forgive me" to the crowd.

The speech was billed as an opportunity for Mr Johnson to set out how his green policies could contribute to the government's "levelling up" agenda.

It included an announcement of a plan to require all new homes in England to have charging points for electric vehicles installed.

But events in South Shields went off at a tangent when Mr Johnson reflected on a trip he made at the weekend to a Peppa Pig World theme park in Hampshire, which he said was "very much my kind of place" but "they are a bit stereotypical about Daddy Pig".

Mr Johnson's reference to the children's cartoon was used to make a point about the importance of the private sector.

He said: "No Whitehall civil servant could conceivably have come up with Peppa", which has become a multi-billion dollar business with theme parks across the world.

Mr Johnson also mimicked the sound of a car engine as he explained electric vehicles move "off the lights faster than a Ferrari".

And when discussing his 10-point plan for a green economy, the prime minister compared himself to the biblical Moses, describing the policy as "a new Decalogue that I produced exactly a year ago when I came down from Sinai".

The PM and his wife took their son to Peppa Pig World yesterday


Labour's shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said: "The prime minister's shambolic speech today not only shows how unseriously he takes British business, but also how his government lacks any plan for growth or to propel our enterprising nations forward."

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: "Businesses are crying out for clarity. Instead, all they got was Boris Johnson rambling on about Peppa Pig."

There has been growing exasperation in the Conservative party over the prime minister's leadership in recent weeks.

Changes to his initial social care reforms, the downgrading of the HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail plans and his handling of the Owen Paterson sleaze row, have all resulted in public criticisms of Mr Johnson from his own ranks.

Asked whether the CBI speech could make matters worse, one Tory party grandee told Sky News: "It's bad, not irreversible."


After the speech Mr Johnson was asked by a reporter: "Is everything OK?"

He responded: "I think that people got the vast majority of the points I wanted to make and I thought it went over well."

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer addressed the same conference a few hours later.

He said he had heard what the prime minister had said, but made no direct reference to the speech.

Sir Keir pledged to make it his "mission" to raise the level of skills of a generation of young people entering the workplace and offered a new "contract" between business and the Labour Party.

CBI President Lord Bilimoria welcomed the Labour leader's speech, saying it "shows just how far the party has come", and pledged to offer Sir Keir advice on future policies.

"As Labour advances its new - more consultative - 'contract with business', the CBI will play its part. In providing Sir Keir and his team with expert business insight, we can help Labour's economic policies stay on the path of enabling growth rather than hampering it."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Bermuda Post
Close
0:00
0:00
In a dramatic U-turn against His Government: Judicial Overhaul Legislation Must Be Halted, Says Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant
Powell: Silicon Valley Bank was an 'outlier'
Donald Trump arrested – Twitter goes wild with doctored pictures
NYPD is setting up barricades outside Manhattan Criminal Court ahead of Trump arrest.
Credit Suisse's Scandalous History Resulted in an Obvious Collapse - It's time for regulators who fail to do their job to be held accountable and serve as an example by being behind bars.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman tours potential migrant housing in Rwanda as asylum deal remains mired in legal challenges
Paris Rioting vs Macron anti democratic law
'Sexual Fantasy' Assignment At US School Outrages Parents
Credit Suisse to borrow $54 billion from Swiss central bank
Russian Hackers Preparing New Cyber Assault Against Ukraine
Jeremy Hunt insists his Budget will get young parents and over-50s back into work
If this was in Tehran, Moscow or Hong Kong
Nashville police officer, and a female driver shooting one another
TRUMP: "Standing before you today, I am the only candidate who can make this promise: I will prevent World War III."
Mexican President Claims Mexico is Safer than the U.S.
A brief banking situation report
Lady bites police officer and gets instantly reaction
We are witnessing widespread bank fails and the president just gave a 5 min speech then walked off camera.
Donald Trump's asked by Tucker Carlson question on if the U.S. should support regime change in Russia?.
'No relation to the American SVB': India's SVC Bank acts to calm depositors amid brand name confusion.
Good news: The U.S. government is now guaranteeing all deposits, held by, Silicon Valley Bank, and the funds are available as of today
Silicon Valley Bank exec was Lehman Brothers CFO
In a potential last-ditch effort, HSBC is considering a rescue deal to save Silicon Valley Bank UK from insolvency
BBC Director General, Tim Davie, has apologized, but not resigned, yet, following the disruption of sports programmes over the weekend
Elon Musk Is Planning To Build A Town In Texas For His Employees
The Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse effect is spreading around the world, affecting startup companies across the globe
City officials in Berlin announced on Thursday that all swimmers at public pools will soon be allowed to swim topless
Fitness scam
Market Chaos as USDC Loses Peg to USD after $3.3 Billion Reserves Held by Silicon Valley Bank Closed.
A primitive judge in Australia sparked outrage when he told a breastfeeding woman to leave his courtroom for being “a distraction"
Barcelona is feeling the heat as they face corruption charges over payments to former vice-president of Spain's referees' committee, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira
Senator Tom Cotton: If the Mexican Government Won’t Stop Cartels from Killing Americans, Then U.S. Government Should
Banking regulators close SVB, the largest bank failure since the financial crisis
The unelected UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, an immigrant himself, defends new controversial crackdown on illegal migration
Old clip of Bill Gates saying Ukraine is a big, fat, corrupt sinkhole is going viral
Man’s penis amputated by mistake after he’s wrongly diagnosed with a tumour
In a major snub to Downing Street's Silicon Valley dreams, UK chip giant Arm has dealt a serious blow to the government's economic strategy by opting for a US listing
How do stolen goods end up on Amazon, eBay and Facebook Marketplace?
It's the question on everyone's lips: could a four-day workweek be the future of employment?
Is Gold the Ultimate Safe Haven Asset in Times of Uncertainty?
Spain officials quit over trains that were too wide for tunnels...
Don Lemon, a CNN anchor, has provided a list of five areas that he believes the black community needs to address.
Hello. Here is our news digest from London.
Corruption and Influence Buying Uncovered in International Mainstream Media: Investigation Reveals Growing Disinformation Mercenaries
Givenchy Store in New York Robbed of $50,000 in Merchandise
European MP Clare Daly condemns US attack on Nord Stream
Former U.S. President Carter will spend his remaining time at home and receive hospice care instead of medication
Tucker Carlson called Trump a 'demonic force'
US Joins 15 NATO Nations in Largest Space Data Collection Initiative in History
White House: No ETs over the United States
×