Boris Johnson’s memoirs were received coldly by the British press, all because of the scandal during the coronavirus lockdown.
A book of memories of the former prime minister, former foreign minister, former mayor of London and one of the most loyal supporters of Ukraine in the war against the Russian Federation, Boris Johnson, is officially on sale in the UK. The book is called Unleashed (“untied, liberated”), is full of the politician’s trademark irony and has 738 pages.
Almost died from the coronavirus
In his book, Johnson wrote that he could have died from COVID-19 if not for two nurses who worked through the night in the intensive care unit to monitor whether he had enough oxygen.
The former prime minister recalled that in his case, the picture of the disease COVID-19 reached such a state when the doctor told the politician that it could go either way – either recovery, or it would be “sudden and dramatic worse.” After this, Johnson was forced to be hospitalized.
Describing his condition, the politician wrote that he was too tired even to walk, that he had not even read Tintin comics, that he could barely think, and that the sounds of music seemed too harsh. to him. Even after she left the hospital, she still felt “physically dizzy, like she’d been in an accident.”
Johnson also recalled that when he was still in the hospital, former US President Donald Trump gave him drugs that at the time had not been approved in Britain.
Relations with the royal family
Johnson said Queen Elizabeth II had been diagnosed with bone cancer. He recalled the last time he saw the monarch at the end of his premiership in 2022, two days before the Queen’s death.
“At that time, a year or so I knew that he had bone cancer, and his doctors were worried that at any moment his condition could deteriorate significantly,” the politician recalled.
“He appeared pale and more stooped, and had dark bruises on his arms and wrists, likely from IVs or injections,” Johnson said. At the same time, he emphasizes that the queen maintains a sharp mind and clear awareness.
The British press emphasizes that with such stories about the Queen’s illness, Boris Johnson broke the unspoken code of silence about the personal life of the royal family. Until now, other former prime ministers have followed suit: if they mention interactions with the queen in their memoirs, they have never disclosed such sensitive details.
In his book, Johnson also described the prime minister’s weekly audiences with the monarch as a “privilege” and a “balm”.
Also in his book, Johnson talks about a meeting with Prince Harry, with whom he spoke in “something of an inspirational speech for men”, trying to convince him not to leave Britain with Meghan.
Nicknames for world leaders
“A sharp girl, known for her sly sense of humor,” is how Johnson called former German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in his opinion, is “a sporty girl who insists on swimming in the fresh Atlantic Ocean.” An exchange student from France, “small, delicate and worried that freckles might appear on his nose,” French President Emmanuel Macron.
However, the school’s “biggest sensation” was a new girl who arrived in “the biggest and most luxurious car of all, with monogrammed luggage and a tennis racket from Harrods (a London department store and one of the largest and most famous store in the world) .” Johnson chose this analogy for US President Joe Biden.
Putin and Ukraine
Johnson tells how he tried to stop Vladimir Putin from invading Ukraine. “Nobody suggested putting NATO missiles on Ukrainian soil,” recalled the former British Prime Minister. “But Putin keeps coming back to this issue. According to him, it will take some time for a missile launched from Ukraine to hit Moscow.
As Johnson recalls, at a certain point in these talks, Putin made “a kind of terribly funny statement about the danger of miscalculation – an accidental exchange of nuclear strikes on between Russia and NATO.” That is, the Russian dictator actually threatened a nuclear strike.
According to Johnson, Putin said: “I don’t want to hurt you, Boris.”
“The Kremlin later denied this statement. Never believe anything Moscow says until it is officially denied,” Johnson quipped in his memoirs.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.