London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Nov 14, 2025

Boris Johnson’s most memorable PMQs – from Partygate to Pinocchio

Boris Johnson’s most memorable PMQs – from Partygate to Pinocchio

Outgoing PM never relished being held to account at the dispatch box, as his frequent outbursts have shown

There is much that Boris Johnson will miss when he finally leaves Downing Street in September but having to face the weekly music at prime minister’s questions is unlikely to be on the list.

The PMQs experience has frequently been a bruising one for Johnson, who has never been keen on being held to account and much less subjected to the forensic questioning of an opposition leader who honed his interview techniques as former head of the Crown Prosecution Service.

Here are some of Johnson’s memorable moments at PMQs.

*  In his first PMQs, Johnson swore in parliament, describing Labour’s economic plans as “s**t or bust”. During a session, he called Jeremy Corbyn a “chlorinated chicken”, faced down a rousing speech and demands for an apology from Labour MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi about Johnson’s “racist” comments and had to be stopped from leaving too early ahead of his own spending review.




Johnson grimaced his way through his first PMQs after he survived a bruising confidence vote in July as he was told he was “loathed” by his own party, called a “lame duck” and likened to Monty Python’s black knight who claimed his mortal injuries were just “flesh wounds” in the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.




*  After the surprise resignations of cabinet ministers Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid in June, Johnson bore the humiliation of being told 10 times in 30 minutes that he had to go. The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, told him he was haemorrhaging MPs so fast that it was like “sinking ships fleeing the rat” but the calls for his resignation didn’t come only from Labour MPs, with the most memorable line coming from the Conservative David Davis, who called for Johnson to do the “honourable thing” before it “becomes impossible for the government to do its proper job”.




Boris Johnson was put in his place by the Commons’ Speaker in November 2021 when he was told to sit down. “You may be the prime minister of this country but in this house, I’m in charge!” said Sir Lindsay Hoyle. “I’m not going to be challenged.” Johnson was attempting to avoid answering questions over former Tory MP Owen Paterson, a paid lobbyist for a company that won government contracts worth almost £600m without competition.




Johnson lost his temper four times in PMQs in April and said Starmer was out of his “tiny mind”. Johnson was rattled over questions about the Partygate scandal and claims he criticised the BBC over its coverage of the war in Ukraine. Johnson accused Starmer of being in a “Dr Who timewarp” and described Labour as being “intellectually bankrupt” but not before one SNP MP was told off for calling Johnson a “Pinocchio prime minister”.



Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Upholds Firm Rules on Stablecoins to Shield Financial System
Brussels Divided as UK-EU Reset Stalls Over Budget Access
Prince Harry’s Remembrance Day Essay Expresses Strong Regret at Leaving Britain
UK Unemployment Hits 5% as Wage Growth Slows, Paving Way for Bank of England Rate Cut
Starmer Warns of Resurgent Racism in UK Politics as He Vows Child-Poverty Reforms
UK Grocery Inflation Slows to 4.7% as Supermarkets Launch Pre-Christmas Promotions
UK Government Backs the BBC amid Editing Scandal and Trump Threat of Legal Action
UK Assessment Mis-Estimated Fallout From Palestine Action Ban, Records Reveal
UK Halts Intelligence Sharing with US Amid Lethal Boat-Strike Concerns
King Charles III Leads Britain in Remembrance Sunday Tribute to War Dead
UK Retail Sales Growth Slows as Households Hold Back Ahead of Black Friday and Budget
Shell Pulls Out of Two UK Floating Wind Projects Amid Renewables Retreat
Viagogo Hit With £15 Million Tax Bill After HMRC Transfer-Pricing Inquiry
Jaguar Land Rover Cyberattack Pinches UK GDP, Bank of England Says
UK and Germany Sound Alarm on Russian-Satellite Threat to Critical Infrastructure
Former Prince Andrew Faces U.S. Congressional Request for Testimony Amid Brexit of Royal Title
BBC Director-General Tim Davie and News CEO Deborah Turness Resign Amid Editing Controversy
Tom Cruise Arrives by Helicopter at UK Scientology Fundraiser Amid Local Protests
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson Face Fresh UK Probes Amid Royal Fallout
Mothers Link Teen Suicides to AI Chatbots in Growing Legal Battle
UK Government to Mirror Denmark’s Tough Immigration Framework in Major Policy Shift
UK Government Turns to Denmark-Style Immigration Reforms to Overhaul Border Rules
UK Chancellor Warned Against Cutting Insulation Funding as Budget Looms
UK Tenant Complaints Hit Record Levels as Rental Sector Faces Mounting Pressure
Apple to Pay Google About One Billion Dollars Annually for Gemini AI to Power Next-Generation Siri
UK Signals Major Shift as Nuclear Arms Race Looms
BBC’s « Celebrity Traitors UK » Finale Breaks Records with 11.1 Million Viewers
UK Spy Case Collapse Highlights Implications for UK-Taiwan Strategic Alignment
On the Road to the Oscars? Meghan Markle to Star in a New Film
A Vote Worth a Trillion Dollars: Elon Musk’s Defining Day
AI Researchers Claim Human-Level General Intelligence Is Already Here
President Donald Trump Challenges Nigeria with Military Options Over Alleged Christian Killings
Nancy Pelosi Finally Announces She Will Not Seek Re-Election, Signalling End of Long Congressional Career
UK Pre-Budget Blues and Rate-Cut Concerns Pile Pressure on Pound
ITV Warns of Nine-Per-Cent Drop in Q4 Advertising Revenue Amid Budget Uncertainty
National Grid Posts Slightly Stronger-Than-Expected Half-Year Profit as Regulatory Investments Drive Growth
UK Business Lobby Urges Reeves to Break Tax Pledges and Build Fiscal Headroom
UK to Launch Consultation on Stablecoin Regulation on November 10
UK Savers Rush to Withdraw Pension Cash Ahead of Budget Amid Tax-Change Fears
Massive Spoilers Emerge from MAFS UK 2025: Couple Swaps, Dating App Leaks and Reunion Bombshells
Kurdish-led Crime Network Operates UK Mini-Marts to Exploit Migrants and Sell Illicit Goods
UK Income Tax Hike Could Trigger £1 Billion Cut to Scotland’s Budget, Warns Finance Secretary
Tommy Robinson Acquitted of Terror-related Charge After Phone PIN Dispute
Boris Johnson Condemns Western Support for Hamas at Jewish Community Conference
HII Welcomes UK’s Westley Group to Strengthen AUKUS Submarine Supply Chain
Tragedy in Serbia: Coach Mladen Žižović Collapses During Match and Dies at 44
Diplo Says He Dated Katy Perry — and Justin Trudeau
Dick Cheney, Former U.S. Vice President, Dies at 84
Trump Calls Title Removal of Andrew ‘Tragic Situation’ Amid Royal Fallout
UK Bonds Rally as Chancellor Reeves Briefs Markets Ahead of November Budget
×