Northern Ireland issues show Johnson’s lack of foresight

IS there no limit to the brass-necked effrontery and dishonesty of our Prime Minister?

At Prime Minister’s Questions Sir Jeffrey Donaldson of the DUP raised the issue of the 27 per cent increase in the cost of sending goods from the British mainland to Northern Ireland. The cause is the existence of the Irish Sea border that is part of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

That border is in place because

Northern Ireland remains within the EU customs union. Putting a border in the sea was Johnson’s solution of how to dispense with May’s “Backstop” arrangement. Now the paperwork and other impediments required by the sea border have caused 200 firms to cease supplying Northern Ireland.

Johnson was quick to respond that he “supported passionately” Donaldson’s request that the Protocol and sea border be done away with. Since it was the Prime Minister who “fathered” the sea border solution, Johnson’s comments strike me as rich.

Our PM next sought to lay all blame on the EU for something he had agreed as part of his “oven ready deal”. At one point he began a sentence with the fatal words “I never thought...”.

That’s the trouble in a nutshell, Boris. You never think ahead of possible consequences.

From: Edward Grainger, Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough.

IT is clear that there is a drinking culture at the heart of government, not to mention a partying one.

While right across Britain, the population were being instructed to stay at home, our Prime Minister, in a party atmosphere, chose to surround himself with staff raising a glass in celebratory mood as it in suited them.

And the consequence is Ministers and top civil servants being distracted from the British public’s expectation for good government.

From: John Allen,

Temple Close, Welton.

I WOULD think that irrespective of what political party they support, most people think that Boris Johnson should resign as PM.

So it doesn’t need four columns (Tom Richmond, The Yorkshire Post, January 27) to say why.

Boris also achieved two main things – he got Brexit done (though only half the people wanted it) and got a vaccine available very quickly.

I think the key decision there was to take it away from the NHS, who are not very capable of dealing with major issues.