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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/sep/17/boris-has-an-irrepressible-enthusiasm-said-amber-rudd-carefully
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| Version 4 | Version 5 |
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| Boris has an irrepressible enthusiasm, said Amber Rudd carefully | Boris has an irrepressible enthusiasm, said Amber Rudd carefully |
| (5 days later) | |
| Was the foreign secretary’s intervention on Brexit helpful? If only to expose how the EU referendum was a project to further his own political ambitions | Was the foreign secretary’s intervention on Brexit helpful? If only to expose how the EU referendum was a project to further his own political ambitions |
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| Sun 17 Sep 2017 17.49 BST | Sun 17 Sep 2017 17.49 BST |
| Last modified on Wed 14 Feb 2018 15.33 GMT | |
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| While Boris Johnson was spending Friday writing his 4,000 word leadership bid for the Daily Telegraph, the home secretary, Amber Rudd, was otherwise engaged, dealing with the aftermath of the Parsons Green bomb. So her answer to Andrew Marr that she hadn’t got round to reading much of it did at least have the ring of truth. Though for someone who was claiming to be rather in the dark about Boris’s latest narcissistic outburst, she did seem rather well clued up on it. There again, most people would have only had to read the first few paragraphs to have got the general idea. Like everything Boris does, it was all about him. Me, me, me. | While Boris Johnson was spending Friday writing his 4,000 word leadership bid for the Daily Telegraph, the home secretary, Amber Rudd, was otherwise engaged, dealing with the aftermath of the Parsons Green bomb. So her answer to Andrew Marr that she hadn’t got round to reading much of it did at least have the ring of truth. Though for someone who was claiming to be rather in the dark about Boris’s latest narcissistic outburst, she did seem rather well clued up on it. There again, most people would have only had to read the first few paragraphs to have got the general idea. Like everything Boris does, it was all about him. Me, me, me. |
| “Do you think the foreign secretary’s intervention was helpful?” asked Marr towards the end of his interview with Rudd on his Sunday morning BBC1 politics show. Rudd looked stoney faced. Probably because she was doing her best not to laugh. Since when had Boris done anything that might be described as helpful? | “Do you think the foreign secretary’s intervention was helpful?” asked Marr towards the end of his interview with Rudd on his Sunday morning BBC1 politics show. Rudd looked stoney faced. Probably because she was doing her best not to laugh. Since when had Boris done anything that might be described as helpful? |
| “Boris has an irrepressible enthusiasm,” she replied, choosing her words carefully. She must have felt like one of Prince Andrew’s teachers trying to find something nice to say about him in a school report. You could hardly tell the Queen that her favourite son was a bit thick, rude and badly behaved, so irrepressible enthusiasm would have to do as code. | “Boris has an irrepressible enthusiasm,” she replied, choosing her words carefully. She must have felt like one of Prince Andrew’s teachers trying to find something nice to say about him in a school report. You could hardly tell the Queen that her favourite son was a bit thick, rude and badly behaved, so irrepressible enthusiasm would have to do as code. |
| Marr let that one go and reminded Rudd that during the referendum campaign she had said she wouldn’t trust Boris to drive her home after a party. Presumably because he couldn’t be trusted not to be over the limit or make a pass. “What I meant by that is I don’t want him managing the Brexit process,” she backtracked hastily. “What we’ve got is Theresa May managing that process. She is driving the car.” | Marr let that one go and reminded Rudd that during the referendum campaign she had said she wouldn’t trust Boris to drive her home after a party. Presumably because he couldn’t be trusted not to be over the limit or make a pass. “What I meant by that is I don’t want him managing the Brexit process,” she backtracked hastily. “What we’ve got is Theresa May managing that process. She is driving the car.” |
| There was the briefest of pauses as both Marr and Rudd considered the implications of that analogy. The only way the Maybot could possibly be thought to be driving the car was if she were asleep at the wheel. Otherwise she would have done what any normal prime minister would have done and sacked Boris for speaking out of turn. | There was the briefest of pauses as both Marr and Rudd considered the implications of that analogy. The only way the Maybot could possibly be thought to be driving the car was if she were asleep at the wheel. Otherwise she would have done what any normal prime minister would have done and sacked Boris for speaking out of turn. |
| “Boris was just doing a bit of back-seat driving,” Rudd explained, a remark that did little to inspire any confidence that there was anyone in charge of the country. Not least when she went on to add that “Boris does say he is right behind the prime minister”. The last place anyone wants the foreign secretary is somewhere he can knife you in the back. Far better to have him in plain view with his hands in the air. | “Boris was just doing a bit of back-seat driving,” Rudd explained, a remark that did little to inspire any confidence that there was anyone in charge of the country. Not least when she went on to add that “Boris does say he is right behind the prime minister”. The last place anyone wants the foreign secretary is somewhere he can knife you in the back. Far better to have him in plain view with his hands in the air. |
| Rudd then went on to list all the ways Boris was being supportive. When he had said he wanted a hard Brexit that had as little to do with the EU as possible and that the 48% who had voted to remain should take lessons in patriotism, what he had really meant was that he wanted to avoid a cliff-edge Brexit and to have an immigration policy that continued to attract the people Britain needed. For the first time, a trace of a smile passed the home secretary’s lips. She was beginning to enjoy sticking the stiletto into Boris. Even at the expense of exposing how split the government was over Brexit. | Rudd then went on to list all the ways Boris was being supportive. When he had said he wanted a hard Brexit that had as little to do with the EU as possible and that the 48% who had voted to remain should take lessons in patriotism, what he had really meant was that he wanted to avoid a cliff-edge Brexit and to have an immigration policy that continued to attract the people Britain needed. For the first time, a trace of a smile passed the home secretary’s lips. She was beginning to enjoy sticking the stiletto into Boris. Even at the expense of exposing how split the government was over Brexit. |
| “So was Boris’s intervention helpful?” Marr enquired. Time would tell, Rudd answered gnomically. It was an answer open to multiple interpretations. If it was to finally make the public aware that Brexit was only ever a project to further Boris’s personal ambitions and to finish off his political career for good, then it would have been an extremely helpful intervention. | “So was Boris’s intervention helpful?” Marr enquired. Time would tell, Rudd answered gnomically. It was an answer open to multiple interpretations. If it was to finally make the public aware that Brexit was only ever a project to further Boris’s personal ambitions and to finish off his political career for good, then it would have been an extremely helpful intervention. |
| Marr pressed her one last time. Could this bring the government down? Absolutely not, Rudd insisted. The government had never been more united. United in its incompetence. United in its confusion. United in its lack of leadership. “Boris has an incredible enthusiasm,” she repeated. Just in case anyone was still in any doubt about how useless and self-indulgent she believed him to be. “I enjoy working with him.” Everyone in the cabinet did. Boris was the one person they could all rely on to make them look as if they vaguely knew what they were doing. | Marr pressed her one last time. Could this bring the government down? Absolutely not, Rudd insisted. The government had never been more united. United in its incompetence. United in its confusion. United in its lack of leadership. “Boris has an incredible enthusiasm,” she repeated. Just in case anyone was still in any doubt about how useless and self-indulgent she believed him to be. “I enjoy working with him.” Everyone in the cabinet did. Boris was the one person they could all rely on to make them look as if they vaguely knew what they were doing. |
| “But is this a leadership bid?” Marr concluded. Rudd hesitated. Was he talking about Boris’s article or this interview? | “But is this a leadership bid?” Marr concluded. Rudd hesitated. Was he talking about Boris’s article or this interview? |
| Amber Rudd | Amber Rudd |
| The politics sketch | The politics sketch |
| Boris Johnson | Boris Johnson |
| Brexit | Brexit |
| Foreign policy | Foreign policy |
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