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Home Politics

Revulsion as PM ‘desperate’ to visit Kyiv to ‘experience what is happening’

"Yeah that’s what the people of Ukraine really want to see; a PM so desperate to score points in the UK he’ll stumble into a war zone", one person said.

Henry Goodwin by Henry Goodwin
2022-03-22 11:04
in Politics
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Boris Johnson is “desperate” to visit Ukraine – because he wants to “experience what is happening there”, a minister has said.

Conservative party chairman Oliver Dowden argued the visit to the war-zone would be important to enable the prime minister to “see what’s going on, on the ground”.

UK security officials are reportedly nervous about Johnson’s desire to visit Kyiv for talks with Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president.

‘Desperate to go’

Dowden told LBC: “Well, I think the prime minister is desperate to go to Ukraine and has throughout this conflict felt a real – as the British people have done – a real emotional connection with the suffering of the Ukrainian people.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is "desperate" to go to Ukraine to "experience what is happening there," according to Tory Party chairman Oliver Dowden.@AndrewMarr9 | Read more: https://t.co/gydMMExfw0 pic.twitter.com/JHVmFP94k0

— LBC (@LBC) March 21, 2022

Asked why an in-person visit is necessary as opposed to a phone call, Dowden said: “It’s very different talking to somebody on the phone versus actually seeing it in practice.

“But then secondly, it’s actually to experience what is happening there, to see what is happening to the people on the ground. I think that is very different to just speaking remotely.”

The Tory chair clarified that “no decisions have been taken” yet, amid reports that security officials are “having kittens” about the prime minister’s plans to visit. 

‘Exercising a freedom’

Dowden also backed the prime minister’s comparison between Ukraine’s war in Russia and the British people’s decision to vote for Brexit.

“They are exercising a freedom and the British people were able to exercise a freedom,” he told LBC.

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“The point the prime minister was making, they are exercising a freedom and the British people were able to exercise a freedom – that is a precious thing that we have, and we should be robust in defending it.”

He added: “I would argue that goes back to the speech the prime minister was making it is about free nations being able to choose their own destiny.”

Oliver Dowden tells Andrew Marr the PM's comparison between Brexit and the Ukrainian resistance was 'about free nations being able to choose their own destiny' and was not offensive.

What do you think?@AndrewMarr9 pic.twitter.com/llFkfn3PAF

— LBC (@LBC) March 21, 2022

Dowden also insisted the prime minister was confident that he would not be hit with a fine at the end of the Metropolitan Police investigation into lockdown-busting Downing Street parties, even as Scotland Yard starts interviewing key witnesses.

“The prime minister is actually, absolutely, resolutely clear that he is not going to be subject to a fixed penalty notice because he is confident that he’s not broken the law, so therefore I don’t think that situation will arise,” he said.

Reactions

A lot of people were not thrilled about the PM’s war-torn photo opp. Here’s what they had to say:

1.

Boris Johnson is so ‘desperate’ to visit Ukraine purely for the photo opportunity

He thinks a photo in front of bombed buildings will make him look powerful & important. That’s all it is.

He cares nothing about the suffering of the people. It’s only ever about him

— BremainInSpain (@BremainInSpain) March 22, 2022

2.

Defenders of Ukraine, for around 100kgs of air freight we can send one of the photo on the left or approximately 6000 of the items on the left, which would be most useful? pic.twitter.com/wJxeC2oLFn

— A Martin (+better half's ideas) (@AndrewM73985901) March 22, 2022

3.

If Johnson truly had “a real connection with the Ukrainian people”, he wouldn’t be denying them entry to UK by insisting on lengthy questionnaires and documents before granting visas, then delaying decisions for weeks.

— Veronika 🇺🇦💙 Simons 🇺🇦💙 (@VeronikaSimons) March 22, 2022

4.

https://twitter.com/KastheCat1/status/1506202216528551938

5.

He wants another chance to dress up. https://t.co/KiL1EVe3fE

— Jeremy Fisk #FBPE (@FiskJeremy) March 22, 2022

6.

Dear God – as if the Ukrainians weren’t suffering enough! https://t.co/vwYmz6TLsL

— Dr Rebecca Warren (@DrRJWarren) March 22, 2022

7.

Please send him straight away by all means. Maybe parachute him into Mariupol first? https://t.co/1NMrfqRq1V

— Jed Goode 🇺🇦 🌐🇬🇧🇨🇵🇪🇺 #FBPE (@Jed_ceramics) March 22, 2022

8.

He won't go on the ground in Glasgow or Edinburgh though…🤣 https://t.co/30yBoPJAIH

— John 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 (ceasefire now) (@bowziesfarm) March 22, 2022

9.

Yeah that’s what the people of Ukraine really want to see; a PM so desperate to score points in the UK he’ll stumble into a war zone. Effing bafoon. https://t.co/2bdf49CnLu

— Georgie Bingham (@georgiebingham) March 22, 2022

10.

Breaking : Ruth gives Boris “opportunist” tips if he doesn’t make it to the Ukraine 🇺🇦. https://t.co/2LzMbbxaPa pic.twitter.com/3QFztnLsNb

— Gazberto (@gazberto) March 22, 2022

11.

Desperate to be seen doing something that can be portrayed by his propagandists as having some use or relevance, so he can grab a few positive headlines and photo-opps to distract from gathering domestic problems, more like. https://t.co/uU1y9xvCpf

— Sean Hagan #MVM #FBPPR #FBPA (@Sean1Hagan) March 22, 2022

12.

So he can avoid partygate, delay covid inquiry, blame the war for the greedy western oligarchs raising prices of our energy, food, transport, housing bills..https://t.co/gJn2d5DEev

— amina mangera (@aminamangera1) March 22, 2022

Related: LBC caller says Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe should donate money from her ‘Hollywood blockbuster’ to charity

Tags: Boris Johnson

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