Boris Johnson’s ‘lawyer not a leader’ jibe at Keir Starmer prompted the perfect response – 9 judicial comebacks
With the Sue Gray report still to be published, it was something of a phoney war at PMQs today.
With the police now also investigating the parties held at Downing Street during the pandemic, Boris Johnson was able to deflect any further ‘Partygate’ questions and instead resorted to another preferred tactic, name-calling.
Except when he called Labour leader Keir Starmer ‘Captain Hindsight’ it rather blew up in his face.
PM has referred to his “Captain Hindisght” quip about Starmer several times already
Starmer has riposte ready. “Captain Hindsight? This is the man who tells us in hindsight he was at a party…We’ve discovered the real Captain Hindsight and it was him”
— Lewis Goodall (@lewis_goodall) January 26, 2022
So Johnson tried another, calling Starmer ‘a lawyer not a leader’.
And it turned out this wasn’t the humdinger he thought it was either, prompting a pearler of a response from Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle (no, us neither).
This being the Commons, where it’s not the done thing to call liars ‘liars’, he was immediately required to withdraw his remark.
There was no shortage of responses to the exchange on Twitter and here are our favourites.
1.
When I insulted Keir Starmer by calling him a lawyer, I didn’t mean to offend any lawyers who are good at defending people against charges of misconduct in public office.#PMQs
— Parody Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson_MP) January 26, 2022
2.
Boris Johnson on Kier Starmer: “He’s a lawyer, not a leader.”
What he means is Mr Starmer is a criminal barrister, not a criminal.#PMQs— Count Binface (@CountBinface) January 26, 2022
3.
Not a great time to alienate lawyers
— Richard K Herring (@Herring1967) January 26, 2022
4.
As a lawyer, if I say something even potentially misleading, I am required to immediately apologise and correct the record.
If I say something intentionally misleading, it is serious professional misconduct, for which I could lose my livelihood.
I see why this is alien to him. https://t.co/8jICAQfl6E
— The Secret Barrister (@BarristerSecret) January 26, 2022
5.
There is something truly bizarre about hearing the Tory benches go wild as Johnson actually accuses Keir Starmer of being “a lawyer not a leader.” There must have been a hundred lawyers cheering him as he did so.
— Tom Peck (@tompeck) January 26, 2022
6.
Boris Johnson's ex-wife Marina Wheeler is a QC. Perhaps his "lawyer" jab is just his deep rooted inadequacy leaking out. Oh and Boris Johnson himself is of course not qualified for any profession. You don't have to bother with things like that when you're super posh.
— Otto English (@Otto_English) January 26, 2022
7.
"HE'S A LAWYER….NOT A LEADER!!!!"
This is Johnson's big finale in this week's #PMQs. I have no affection for Starmer but….Johnson is a fucking JOURNALIST. He's a journalist who wrote really gross articles and repulsive books. So…good one?
— Sooz Kempner (@SoozUK) January 26, 2022
8.
"He's a lawyer not a leader"…
What kind of insult does the PM think that is?
Nelson Mandela, Mahamta Gandhi, Barack Obama, even Abraham f***ing Lincoln were all lawyers first— Martyn Ziegler (@martynziegler) January 26, 2022
9.
https://twitter.com/EmmaKennedy/status/1486316888200302593?s=20
To conclude ..
Boris Johnson belittling lawyers is a curious strategy given his current predicament. #PMQs
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 26, 2022
And this.
Not sure that 'he's a lawyer not a leader' is quite the killer line Boris thinks it is #PMQs
— John Crace (@JohnJCrace) January 26, 2022
READ MORE
‘Lost all sense of proportion’ – only 9 responses you need to today’s Daily Mail front page
Source Twitter @Haggis_UK
