BORIS Johnson has been working really hard. His staff have been putting in long hours. Who wouldn’t want a shot on Wilfred’s slide?
There have been no end of excuses to justify parties on Downing Street while the rest of us saps stayed cooped up in our homes.
But perhaps the least convincing of all has been provided by Tory minister Conor Burns.
He was forced to explain why it was alright for Johnson, his wife Carrie, their interior designer and around 30 other people to have a birthday bash inside No 10 during the first lockdown.
Downing Street conceded staff “gathered briefly” in the Cabinet Room following a meeting, after it was reported attendees shared cake despite social mixing indoors being banned.
Scrambling to come up with a plausible excuse, Burns told Channel 4 the Prime Minister had been “ambushed with a cake”, adding: “I don’t think most people looking at that at home would characterise that as a party.”
“He was ambushed with a cake.”
A Conservative MP says that a birthday celebration held in Downing Street for Boris Johnson wasn’t a “premeditated party”.
Conor Burns tells @cathynewman that he supports Boris Johnson and that “the public will ultimately judge”. pic.twitter.com/EGy0lcxXLA
— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) January 25, 2022
READ MORE: Ousting Boris Johnson will trigger General Election, Jacob Rees-Mogg says
Surprisingly, the man who reckons “ambushed with a cake” is a reasonable thing to say on TV hadn’t quite got to grips with the public mood.
This was evidenced when he tried to engage in friendly banter with TV chef and food writer Nigella Lawson.
She tweeted: “Ambushed by Cake: it just has to be the title of my next book!”
To his eternal regret, Burns replied: “It’s yours if you want it! Could I include my Granny’s Christmas cake recipe?”
It’s yours if you want it! Could I include my Granny’s Christmas cake recipe? https://t.co/9XGgEr6P1v
— Conor Burns (@ConorBurnsUK) January 25, 2022
Big mistake.
Lawson served his head up on a platter, commenting: “This is just too meta. Plus, you think it’s a joke? Says it all.”
This is just too meta. Plus, you think it’s a joke? Says it all https://t.co/5syf68t2N3
— Nigella Lawson (@Nigella_Lawson) January 25, 2022
Talk about egg on face.
