Boris Johnson Loves Marmite

It’s 2019, so Boris Johnson’s first “election broadcast” was distributed last night through his personal social media channels. It is notable for a number of reasons — most importantly, though, for the number of food references he manages to wedge between the more orthodox and vacuous political sloganeering regarding Brexit, the economy, the NHS, and police.

Johnson confesses that the most shocking realisation on becoming Prime Minister was his inability to order in a takeaway Thai curry to 10 Downing Street, to being a Marmite guy, that he enjoys fish and chips (ahead of a roast dinner) on a cold night on the beach (?); that the last thing he cooked was steak and oven chips, which, he says implausibly, “were very good.” He also made himself a cup of tea. Oh, and repeated his insistence that he had an “oven-ready” Brexit deal that, were his party elected with a majority, would be slammed in the microwave.

A cynic might argue that all of these “admissions”, a sneak-peak into the human behind the politician, are squarely aimed at different demographic voter pools. Someone else might argue he just made it all up.

Here they are in order of appearance:

The Thai curry not clearing security at 10 Downing Street:

Target audience: 18-30 year-old, urban
Truthometer: 3/10

Boris Johnson/Twitter

Boris Johnson/Twitter

Boris Johnson/Twitter

Fish and chips on a beach, on a cold night:

Target audience: One-Nation middle-aged Cornish male
Truthometer: 7/10

Boris Johnson/Twitter

(Sidebar: in what world is this an either-or question?)

Boris Johnson/Twitter

Boris Johnson/Twitter

Marmite: Yes or no?

Target audience: Retired Kentish female
Truthometer: 5/10

Boris Johnson/Twitter

The last time Boris Johnson cooked, he prepared steak and oven chips the night before this broadcast:

Target audience: Workington Man
Truthometer: 0/10

Boris Johnson/Twitter

Boris Johnson/Twitter

Boris Johnson/Twitter

Boris Johnson/Twitter

For posterity:

Boris Johnson/Twitter