I first met Boris Johnson probably around 15 years ago as the MP for Henley, but really began to know him better when our paths crossed in the run up to his Mayor of London election campaign, and then in a professional sense as he carried out his Mayor of London duties competently and with flair towards the end of the first decade of this century.
I was working in the City and had stood in Lincoln in the General Election In 2005, and I had gone on to be headhunted to run the Sir Keith Park Memorial Campaign as its Campaign Director late in 2007. I had approached Boris and his team at City Hall both before the Mayoral Election and subsequently. We went on to work closely together to achieve a remarkable feat with the SKP Memorial campaign and the installation of a temporary 4th Plinth statue in Trafalgar Square, and a permanent statue in Waterloo Place, that many in evolved in politics, in London politics particularly, and certainly amongst probably the majority of the art establishment in our capital were definitely against and willing to fail – or certainly expecting us not to succeed.
The unveiling events were amazing to be a part of along with Battle of Britain veterans and representatives of so many countries and current air forces, including our own Royal Air Force, and at these events Boris Johnson was a star, and showed he was at ease with a pivotal role and he will no doubt shine as the new centre of our political world in the UK.
I sat in meetings with Boris Johnson, our new Prime Minister, with only two or three other people in the room for a number of hours and on various occasions during that successful campaign, I saw another side to him that the public and some journalists perhaps don’t see, or know.
He was eloquent, polite, on point, direct, understanding, had empathy and was quick to spot any flaws or positive attributes to an issue that could be either ironed out, or made the most of. He was a taskmaster who knew what his own mind was, and where he wanted to be on an issue and how that would play out with wider and disparate audiences.
I also saw him at his ebullient best – playing to a crowd, speaking at times slowly but then quickening the pace with verve and vigour as he stirred the souls of his appreciate listeners and pressed the buttons that made hearts race at the positivity and optimism of whatever message he wished to convey.
The man has undergone many trials and tribulations, as have those close to him, and he has been constantly denigrated in this campaign. He has, and continues to, put his heart into the public service he has carried out, whether as a Member of Parliament, a Shadow Minister, or Secretary of State or as a very successful, twice elected, Mayor of London.
He so easily could have succumbed to the naysayers, ‘retired’ for a quieter life and more wealthy professional pursuits – he has been paid well as a journalist as he has a flair and an understanding of what galvanises his readers. But he hasn’t – he has continued to plough his own furrow.
He has already achieved many things whilst in the political arena and he has now achieved the ultimate position of service and responsibility as Leader of the Conservative Party, which he has served so well, and now as Prime Minster of a country that like so many of us, he loves dearly.
I have no doubt he will serve with distinction and a steely determination to do what is right for our country as a whole, and its people; whether in the London village of Westminster, but more importantly the wider, depth and breadth of our great nation. He will be a Prime Minster for all. The vanquished other candidates can be proud of their own performances – and I am friends and would have accepted a number of them as our Prime Minister, but they were all up against an individual who is a one-off.
If you had put the formal front runners of the Conservative leadership campaign on Lincoln High Street, by the Stonebow or in Castle Square, I can guarantee after 10 minutes only one of the candidates, Boris, would have had a gaggle of 200 plus people round him wishing him the best, wanting selfies and/or his autograph.
He is a celebrity figure in a political age where that matters, as Tony Blair following Clinton and David Cameron followed them, showed. But Boris is slightly different. I will use a phrase used about me by Conservative city and county Cllr Hilton Spratt when I was first selected as the Parliamentary Candidate to fight to represent the Conservative Party in Lincoln, and then Lincoln in Westminster. Hilton has oft repeated the phrase, ‘…he has the common touch’.
My maternal grandfather, a plasterer, might have termed that a ‘backhanded compliment’ but as Boris Johnson seeks to Deliver Brexit, Unite the Country and Defeat Jeremy Corbyn – with energy and an energised Conservative party behind him – that common touch is going to go a long way with the ‘ordinary voters’ – maybe some who might not have voted Conservative before too, or perhaps have not ever voted for anyone before.
Boris understands the democratic process and whilst Delivering Brexit is important, so is Uniting our Country positively – and thirdly we stand together then as a [arty with a very credible record on the economy and all the other issues that matter in a general election, to ensure we defeat the far left Corbynites led by Jeremy Corbyn.
The acronym is ‘DUDE’ as Boris himself pointed out in his acceptance speech – …and DUDE – am I happy with this result.
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Karl McCartney was the Conservative Lincoln MP between 2010 and 2017. He is now the Conservative candidate for the city for the next general elections.
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Grimsby voters say they’re losing faith in Boris Johnson – despite MP Lia Nici’s claims the town backs him.
Many of those our Local Democracy Reporter spoke to said it was time for him to go.
Revelations about lockdown parties in Downing Street were too much for some who gave the embattled Prime Minister the benefit of the doubt when he was first elected.
Grimsby MP Lia Nici has thrown her full support behind him, recently claiming he was the ‘best prime minister places like Great Grimsby have had in generations.’
However, voters on the street are less enthusiastic.
One man who said he distrusts both main parties said: “People have been fined for holding those parties in lockdown – he seems to get away with it.
“Lia Nici said that everyone she has spoken to is behind Boris. I don’t know where she’s polled, but she can’t have spoken to anyone around here.
“Conservatives definitely won’t be getting my vote in the next election – I’m not sure who I can trust.”
Paul Fleming said: “He did some good things for Grimsby at the start, but this has overshadowed everything else.
“There’s not a chance I would vote for Conservatives now.”
Sophie said: “He just looks silly now getting caught out. I am sure that he has only relaxed the coronavirus restrictions because of all the news about what he did in lockdown.
“I’m still wearing my mask because I know COVID hasn’t gone away.
“I really doubt the idea that he was the best Prime Minister that Grimsby has had.”
Some still backed him regardless of the recent scandal.
Hayley Clarke said: “He’s got a really tough job and he’s doing his best. Without him, Brexit never would have happened – Teresa May was too much of a ditherer.
“He has done well under the circumstances. We should let him get on with it.
“I’m not a fan of Kier Starmer – did he come to Grimsby this week just because Boris has before?”
However, the new revelations have been a deal-breaker for other voters.
“I’m not happy at all with him. While we couldn’t go to funerals or visit loved ones in hospitals, he was having parties,” one woman said.
“I thought he was alright at first – he handled the first lockdown well and I liked the grants and help for the self-employed he gave.
“Finding out what was actually going on makes you look at him differently.”
A report into the parties is expected to be published within days, and the Metropolitan Police have confirmed they are also looking into potential breaches of COVID rules.
Lia Nici said the outcome of the report wouldn’t change her mind, telling a BBC interviewer this week: “I’ve already decided whether I think Boris Johnson should continue [as prime minister] or not.
“I think he’s the best prime minister places like Great Grimsby have had in generations and he has my whole-hearted support.”
A father was mistakenly mailed hundreds of addresses of parents with young children by North Lincolnshire Council.
The man received more than 200 letters intended for families with three-year-old children.
Instead of being sent separately to the correct addresses, all 208 letters were sent to his home.
They were all for parents with three-year-old children informing them they were eligible for funding, and had the intended addresses printed on them.
The North Lincolnshire dad is worried the details of so many people with young children could have accidentally ended up in the wrong hands.
He said: “I couldn’t believe that little kids’ information was sent out by mistake like this.
“I have two young girls, and I would hate to know that their information had been sent to someone else.
“The envelope was a huge package with my address on, so I assumed it was from work.
“I couldn’t believe when I opened it up and saw the identical letters with over 200 addresses on them.
“As soon as I realised what it was, I considered shredding it. In the end, I contacted North Lincolnshire Council to report it.
“How could a mistake like this happen? I dread to think if it has happened before.”
Letters with addresses of over 200 parents with three-year-old children were mistakenly sent to one home Credit: Submitted Approved for use by all partners
He has arranged to hand the letters back to North Lincolnshire Council to ensure that they are disposed of properly.
A spokesperson has promised that the way letters are posted has been changed to ensure it can’t happen again.
They said: “We take data protection very seriously and successfully send hundreds of thousands of letters each year.
“Changes have been made to the post system to ensure no such technical issues happen again and all the correspondence was eventually returned.”
The discussion was almost scuppered by a complaint, however progressed only to be deferred as members wished to visit the site.
Recommending approval, officers said the plans, which will include a mix of houses as well as bungalows for over 55s along with 12 homes classed as affordable, would provide “effective” use of the land and not create “unacceptable harm”.
The site is allocated for housing in the Central Lincolnshire Local Plan.
Mark Foster, land and planning director at Lindum Homes told the previous meeting the quality of houses was “vitally important” and the layout of the development was “extremely low density – incorporating more open space than required by planning policy”.
How the site could be laid out.
Objectors to the plans, however, said they presented a risk of overdevelopment and would have a long-term risk to the village infrastructure as well as biodiversity, residential amenity, the character of the village and highway safety.
Resident Nigel Heward, said existing infrastructure was “not fit for purpose” and that a lack of footpath provision at the proposed entry was “an accident waiting to happen”.
Lincolnshire County Council, as statutory consultees on highways, had not lodged any objections, but councillors wanted to see the situation for themselves.
As part of the plans the developers will be asked to make a £30,992.50 contribution to Welton Surgery so it can reconfigure its existing layout to create a larger clinical space and more flexibility to manage the projected patient increase.
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