Boris Johnson sings 'I Will Survive' to his new communications director
February 7, 2022, 5:01 pm

Boris Johnson sings 'I Will Survive' to his new communications director

Levelling up means giving everyone, no matter where they live, the opportunity to flourish-UK PM Boris Jonhson official Facebook page

The National News reported, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson sang "I Will Survive" during his first meeting with his new communications director Guto Harri who was appointed to help reset his flagging premiership.

The PM has weathered a number of scandals in recent weeks, including the publication of a report into 'Partygate' which found an unacceptable level of alcohol consumption at Downing Street while the UK hunkered under stringent lockdown measures.

Mr Johnson's team has also been hit by a raft of senior resignations, while the role of his Carrie Johnson on policy within Number Ten has come under increased scrutiny from the media, leading to accusations of 'misogyny' from her supporters.

Guto Harri, who was appointed on Saturday, said in his first interview that the pair launched into a rendition of Gloria Gaynor's hit song after he asked the prime minister if he could survive.

American singer Gloria Gaynor/Official Facebook page

Mr Harri, a former BBC journalist who worked for Johnson when he was Mayor of London, told the Welsh-language news website Golwg360 that the prime minister is "not a complete clown" and described their meeting on Friday.

Boris Johnson's wife says she is target of brutal briefing campaign

"I walked in and I made a salute and said 'prime minister, Guto Harri reporting for duty' and he stood up from back to his desk and started taking the salute," Mr Harri said in comments translated from Welsh to English.

"We were both laughing. Then I asked 'Are you going to survive Boris?' And he said it in his deep voice, slowly and purposefully and started singing a little while finishing the sentence and saying 'I Will Survive'."

He invited me to say 'You've got all your life to live' and he replied, 'I've got all my love to give', so we had a little blast of Gloria Gaynor.

The prime minister's spokesman refused to comment when asked about Mr Johnson's conversation with his new communications director and if they sang the song.

British lawmaker submits a letter of no confidence in Boris Johnson

The Prime Minister made other new appointments to his team over the weekend, with Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Steve Barclay becoming his chief of staff.

The Times reported No 10 was hoping to announce the return of Dame Emily Lawson as the new permanent secretary this week.

Dame Emily, who currently runs NHS England’s vaccination programme, was seconded to Downing Street’s delivery unit – a team in charge of ensuring the Governm ent delivers on its policies – in April last year before returning to the health service in October.

Meanwhile, Sajid Javid, the UK's Health Secretary, branded the attacks on Carrie Johnson 'misogynistic' following revelations made in a new soon-to-be published book by billionaire Lord Ashcroft.

Boris Johnson is taking charge after lockdown parties row

Mr Javid said: “”I just think as a general rule, a politician’s partner – any politician, any party – should be off limits.

“It’s the politician that has chosen to have a public life… I think the, this whole focus on Carrie Johnson in some of these reports, I think it’s very undignified and very unfair.”

Source: thenationalnews

Dubai to charge fee on plastic bags, aiming of outlawing them in 2 years UK defence minister to send a further 350 troops to Poland

Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.