Boris Emma Thompson Excuse Busted

Over the past week, the question has been asked time and again: why did London’s increasingly occasional Mayor Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson go against what so many believed were his political instincts and decide to campaign for Britain to leave the EU? And the answer kept coming back that this was a crude and calculated attempt by Bozza to put himself in pole position to succeed Young Dave as Tory leader.

A total Muppet. And a character from Sesame Street

This has clearly got to Bozza - suggesting that all those answers might have been uncomfortably close to reality - and so it has come to pass that he has let the Super Soaraway Currant Bun in on the real reason for his decision, which he claims is not the one that all those other folks already figured out. No, his real motivation, he now says, is not just the personal advancement of Himself Personally Now.

In a moderately creative article, the Sun’s Sunday political editor David Wooding, someone who would be welcomed back to his native Liverpool if only for target practice, has told “Real reason Boris Johnson backed Brexit: Emma Thompson ‘cake’ slur tipped London Mayor over the edge … EXCLUSIVE: Film star’s jibe convinced him to become standard bearer for Leave campaign”. And to that I call bullshit.

But do go on. “The London Mayor was incensed by the Leftie luvvie’s sneering attack on his country and told friends: ‘I’m not going to allow that’ … He had spent weeks wavering over whether to join the In or Out camp until actress Emma ridiculed Britain as ‘a cake-filled, misery-laden, grey old island’”. Yeah, right. He could have dealt with his ire by calling her out in his “chicken feed” generating Telegraph column. Job done.

In any case, who has been the bearer of this highly dubious apologia? “Close pals said her outburst was the tipping point that convinced him to become standard bearer for the Leave campaign … One said: ‘The image of a defeatist modern Britain articulated by Emma Thompson finally convinced him where his heart lay … He believes Britain is a great country. And her remarks made him want to prove we could go it alone and make it work’”.

We also hear “Another source confirmed: ‘Emma Thompson’s remarks were what finally swung him … Boris seemed to get all stirred up as soon as the cake remarks hit the front page of The Sun’”. Right. We get one “close pal”, plus “another source”, both of which could have been concocted within the Baby Shard bunker. This “exclusive” may have had Bozza’s approval, but it is thinner than a weak pint of supermarket lager.

An off-the-cuff remark by an actor, however great their stature, is not going to sway any politician from his or her principles - if they have any. Either Bozza is being seriously economical with the actualité here - or he really is a principle-free charlatan of no fixed political orientation. Either way, he comes out of this ridiculous story with his reputation diminished yet further, and no serious prospect of ever gaining office.

The popularity of Boris Johnson was for a time, but not for all time. Bye bye Bozza.