Any regrets, Stanley? Hey ho... it’s time for drinks
PM’s dad on flying to Greece
PRIME Minister’s dad Stanley Johnson yesterday laughed off the row over his trip to Greece, chuckling: “Hey ho, it’s drinks time.”
He made the quip to the Sunday Mirror before being snapped near a beach, with a towel and swim shorts.
The former Euro MP made light of the hoo-hah about his trip – he flew via Bulgaria to beat Greece’s ban on arrivals direct from the UK.
He also failed to apologise or show remorse for apparently breaking his son Boris’s guidelines on non-essential travel.
Mr Johnson, 79, enjoyed wine and a slap-up dinner with the local mayor on Friday. And he found time for a haircut – a day before salons reopened in Britain.
His Instagram page was flooded with negative comments after he posted a snap from his trip. But he told the Mirror he
“didn’t know” about any negative reaction. Then in a scene reminiscent of his PM son, he began rambling about the Greek philosopher Socrates.
Former I’m A Celeb star Mr Johnson told us: “If you watch Celebrity Mastermind, well I did that the other day and I chose as my special subject Socrates, and you know that shows you how much I appreciate this country because I got eight out of 10 correct answers.
“The other absolutely undeniable reason I came to Greece as I did, by the back route if you like, was I just had to have a haircut you see. The first thing I did was go to the shop in Argalasti and I had a haircut. Absolutely fantastic.
“It was always absolutely clear from the Greek government the only thing they were banning was people coming on direct flights from Britain. So it wasn’t a question of breaking the law.”
Asked if the anger was about him breaking the spirit of the rules, he said: “It’s hard to say, hard to say. Sometimes you make a little bit of a… anyway, is that all your questions? Let’s move on, let’s move on, let’s move on. I didn’t have the intention of provoking anyone.
“I’m not going to say if my actions are correct or not, but in any case what happened happened and here I am. Hey ho, well listen, it’s drinks time!”
Government scientific adviser Professor Stephen Reicher said the trip could damage public trust in guidelines. He said: “One of the best ways to undermine trust is the notion there’s one law for them and one law for us. At the very best it’s not helpful.”
Last month, Boris’s sister Rachel broke lockdown rules by overnighting at her second home. And No10 adviser Dominic Cummings was slated over a 260-mile lockdown drive.
STANLEY JOHNSON PM’S DAD SHRUGS OFF TRIP ROW