Boris Johnson was out to pull the wool over people’s eyes again yesterday after claiming it was he who gave Matt Hancock the boot.
Unfortunately, many of us are old enough to remember last Friday, when Downing Street said the prime minister accepted the health secretary’s apology and “considered the matter closed”.
At the time, Hancock appeared to have dodged a bullet, with Mirror reporter Pippa Crerar highlighting a clear appetite to bury the bad news.
NEW: No 10: “The Prime Minister has accepted the Health Secretary’s apology and considers the matter closed”.
— Pippa Crerar (@PippaCrerar) June 25, 2021
???
No 10 repeatedly refuses to deny that Matt Hancock broke the law, as opposed to social distancing rules, by conducting an affair indoors when indoor mixing was illegal unless explicitly for work reasons.
— Pippa Crerar (@PippaCrerar) June 25, 2021
After Hancock resigned, the PM set out to try rewrite history in front of our very eyes.
Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner accused Mr Johnson of trying to take credit for the resignation and said that “serious unanswered questions” remain.
And Peter Stefanovic was in no mood to let our charismatic, truth-twisting leader get away with it.
Having treated the public with contempt on Friday by saying he considered the ‘matter closed’ Boris Johnson, hoping the entire country has suffered collective amnesia over the weekend, now implies he sacked Matt Hancock! pic.twitter.com/2dsbnN8qhy
— Peter Stefanovic (@PeterStefanovi2) June 28, 2021
Reactions
The PM took quite the pasting on social media too.
Here’s what people had to say:
1.
Silly me. When I heard a series of cabinet ministers say on Friday that @MattHancock hadn’t broken the rules & should be allowed to get on with his job & Downing Street say the matter was now closed I assumed that meant @BorisJohnson was not sacking him https://t.co/aqH1AovnDn
— Nick Robinson (@bbcnickrobinson) June 28, 2021
2.
Johnson becoming the pound shop Paul Nuttall… https://t.co/sQQ7gIUx2M
— Ahmer Wadee (@ahmerwadee) June 28, 2021
3.
Johnson becoming the pound shop Paul Nuttall… https://t.co/sQQ7gIUx2M
— Ahmer Wadee (@ahmerwadee) June 28, 2021
4.
Erm I know I got a bad memory @10DowningStreet but I can remember last bloody week!
— *Meli* LFC (@Melanieh32) June 28, 2021
5.
Two problems. First, the slightly ludicrous suggestion that Johnson sacked Hancock and second, the absolutely ludicrous suggestion that he only heard about the affair on Friday!? pic.twitter.com/rAuB8UCxCX
— Brexitshambles (@brexit_sham) June 28, 2021
6.
He’s doing that thing again where he just claims things are true which we know to be false. Like that time when he was accused of using a hospital visit as a press opportunity, so he pointed at the TV camera filming him and said “There’s no press here.”https://t.co/mFFL2JV5Og
— Nicholas Pegg (@NicholasPegg) June 28, 2021
7.
He’s doing that thing again where he just claims things are true which we know to be false. Like that time when he was accused of using a hospital visit as a press opportunity, so he pointed at the TV camera filming him and said “There’s no press here.”https://t.co/mFFL2JV5Og
— Nicholas Pegg (@NicholasPegg) June 28, 2021
8.
Boris Johnson actually sacked Matt Hancock hey? In other news, Wales beat Denmark on Saturday.
— Ken Clarke (@MrKennethClarke) June 28, 2021
9.
Friday: “I consider the matter closed, Matt Hancock has my full support”
— Parody Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson_MP) June 28, 2021
Saturday: *Matt Hancock resigns*
Monday: “I sacked him on Friday” pic.twitter.com/08HFPr3dpm
10.
Also claims to have invented the hovercraft and had trials for Rangers https://t.co/peVi5itx47
— Marina Hyde (@MarinaHyde) June 28, 2021
11.
Boris Johnson claiming he sacked Matt Hancock will really anger the man who said the matter was closed, Boris Johnson. pic.twitter.com/fhuqdsSZn9
— David Schneider (@davidschneider) June 28, 2021
12.
— Kevin Oliver (@Loddonite59) June 28, 2021
13.
Er, yes…but no…but, er, yes… pic.twitter.com/1bZZY86Gcs
— Mike Abbott (@MikeAbbott2) June 29, 2021
14.
He would womanize; he would drink; he would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Sometimes, he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy pic.twitter.com/MvlwiZqOFy
— David Griffiths (@munkeyboy7) June 28, 2021
15.
— Bob Goodword (@RWoodwa31597327) June 28, 2021
Related: Alternative Hancock resignation video is ‘almost as cringeworthy as original’