Moscow says Boris Johnson’s dislike is mutual
Journalists outside the British prime minister’s residence in London, UK, July 7, 2022. © Justin Tallis / AFP
The feeling of resentment between UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Russia is mutual, the Kremlin said, amid reports that Johnson would step down as Tory leader and PM. He has since resigned from party leadership but not as PM.
“The government crisis [in Britain] is wide-ranging, we see that,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday.
Johnson tendered his resignation on Thursday after more than 50 senior government officials, including secretaries and ministers, resigned over disagreements with the PM.
“As for Mr. Johnson, he really doesn’t like us, and we [don’t like] him either,” Peskov said.
The British PM has been a strong voice for supplying Kiev with weapons and imposing sanctions on Russia over its military campaign in Ukraine.
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Johnson released a statement last month, saying that “Ukraine is on a knife-edge and we need to tip the balance of the war in their favor.”
Johnson was appointed prime minister in 2019 and survived a no-confidence vote in Parliament last month. His government has been embroiled in several high-profile controversies, including an investigation revealing that cabinet officials, including Johnson himself, routinely broke Covid-19 social distancing rules.
