London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 21, 2026

BoJo says ‘nothing wrong with being WOKE’ after being pressed on Joe Biden’s set of values

BoJo says ‘nothing wrong with being WOKE’ after being pressed on Joe Biden’s set of values

In an unlikely admission from a man once dubbed the “British Trump,” Boris Johnson has admitted that he thinks there’s “nothing wrong with being woke,” before quickly describing himself as a man of tradition.

In an interview following the inauguration of President Joe Biden in Washington, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was asked whether he considered Biden “woke.” In the middle of a rambling and typically Johnsonian answer, the PM slipped in that he thought there is “nothing wrong with being woke.”

Johnson didn’t elaborate further on whether he considered the new US president “woke,” but hastily added that he himself certainly isn’t. “I would put myself in the category of people who believe that it’s important to stick up for your history, your traditions, and your values and things you believe in.”


So Johnson won’t be spray painting war memorials or kneeling for ‘God Save the Queen’ any time soon. If the interview is anything to go by, he also won’t make any brash statements about the newly elected American president, a man whose favor is vital to Johnson following the UK’s departure from the EU.

But is Biden woke?

His political career beginning all the way back in the 1970s, Biden likely didn’t come across the term until his most recent run for office. During the primaries, progressive stalwart Bernie Sanders pandered to the Democratic party’s “woke” wing while Biden sought to recapture the center. “This phrase everybody’s been ‘woked’,” he mused during an ABC interview last Summer, “well, guess what? The rest of the working-class people in America have been awakened.”

His policies, however, can certainly be interpreted as “woke” when it comes to virtue signalling. Biden has pledged to pass the Equality Act, which would add sexual identity to the Civil Rights Act’s list of “protected classes,” and has nominated a cabinet that ticks more diversity boxes than any of his predecessors.’ He’s pledged citizenship for illegal immigrants, peppered his inauguration speech with references to the Black Lives Matter movement, and spoke of his belief that there should be “zero discrimination” against children choosing to be transgender.

Woke or not, Johnson congratulated Biden on his inauguration, saying on Wednesday: “when you look at the issues which unite me and Joe Biden, the UK and the US right now, there is a fantastic joint common agenda. For us and America, it is a big moment.”

Comments

gtr 6 year ago
Johnson "...describing himself as a man of tradition".
Since when has being a fabulist and a cockwomble been the traits of a man of tradition?

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
British Museum Faces Questions Over Peter Thiel’s Private Bayeux Tapestry Viewing
Earl Spencer Memoir Excerpts Renew Public Debate Over Diana’s Death
Liberal Democrats Gather in Brighton for Autumn Conference
Mothercare Shares Plunge as Middle East Store Closures Threaten Long-Term Solvency
Kent Police Treat Folkestone Hotel Fire as Suspicious
Caribbean Governments Advance Reparations Campaign Seeking Engagement With Britain
Scottish Labour Leader Backs Rosebank and Jackdaw North Sea Projects
FCA Urges Young Adults to Trace £1.5 Billion in Unclaimed Child Trust Funds
UK Competition Regulator Opens Inquiry Into McCormick-Unilever Foods Deal
Public Inquiry Into Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys Mental Health Failings Set to Begin
Nigel Farage Looks to US Immigration Enforcement Model for UK Border Policy
Chiltern Railways Moves Into Public Ownership
Security Review Raises Concerns Over Sensitive UK Police Data Stored on Microsoft Cloud
Burnham Government Warns of Difficult Autumn Budget as Fiscal Headroom Narrows
Bank of England Holds Rates at 3.75% as Inflation Rises to 3.1%
Ed Sheeran Tour Faces Backlash After Macklemore Is Removed Over Pro-Palestinian Remarks
Vandalism of Traffic Cameras Intensifies Across Parts of England
Nearly 300 Evacuated as Fire Hits Grand Burstin Hotel in Folkestone
King Charles Warns AI Executives About Risks From Uncontrolled Technology
Church of England Apologises for Role in Historical Forced Adoption Practices
UK Debate Over Online Speech Intensifies After Arrest Figures Draw Scrutiny
Oxfordshire Village Holds Symbolic Independence Vote Over Asylum Accommodation Plan
Nigel Farage and Richard Tice Sue National Crime Agency Over Alleged Banking Data Leaks
Apple Introduces Stricter Age Checks for UK Accounts
BBC Cash Reserves Fall 66% to £125 Million as Broadcaster Restructures
McLaren Announces £500 Million UK Investment and Plans 1,000 Jobs
Green Party Wins Historic Gorton and Denton By-Election as Labour Falls to Third
Burnham Government Prepares October Budget Under Growing Fiscal Pressure
UK Energy Suppliers Pull Fixed-Price Deals as Wholesale Markets Turn More Volatile
Bank of England Holds Rates at 3.75% as Middle East Energy Shock Raises Inflation Risks
Addison Lee Founder Loses £20 Million UK Tax Tribunal Case
BrewDog Creditors Face Losses on About £190 Million of Debt
Harrods Seeks to Recover Abuse Compensation Costs From Mohamed Al Fayed’s Estate
Ed Davey Targets Reform UK as Liberal Democrat Conference Opens
Great Britain Retail Sales Rise 0.5% in August
NHS England Approves Life-Extending Treatment for Incurable Breast Cancer
Proposals to Limit NHS ADHD Diagnoses Draw Criticism From Patient Groups
Resolution Foundation Warns of Housing Cost Crunch for Low-Income UK Families
BBC Cash Reserves Fall to Decade Low as Annual Deficit Reaches £121 Million
Millisecond Software Error Triggered Major UK Air Traffic Control Disruption
Twenty Women Underwent Unnecessary Mastectomies During NHS Cancer Care
Sensitive UK Police Data Found Vulnerable to Access by Foreign Actors
British Steel Faces Renewed Pressure for a Long-Term Financial Plan
MPs Urge Government to End Thames Water Restructuring Talks With U.S. Hedge Funds
Andy Burnham Warns of Difficult UK Budget Choices as Inflation Returns to 3.1%
England Tightens School Food Standards With Restrictions on Deep-Fried and High-Sugar Foods
Oxfordshire Village Votes Symbolically to Leave UK Over Proposed Asylum Centre
Michael Marra Elected Leader of Scottish Labour
BBC Cash Reserves Fall Sharply as Financial Pressures Mount
George Osborne Calls for UK to Rejoin EU Customs Union
×