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news
Boris Johnson on Sophie Ridge.PNGBoris Johnson claims pavement cycling is the ‘naughtiest thing’ he’s ever done (and will admit to)
Four days before the general election, Boris Johnson has said that the naughtiest thing he has ever done (and is prepared to admit) is cycling on the pavement.
The Prime Minister made the claim when he was interviewed this morning by Sophy Ridge on Sky News. You can watch the pair's exchange here.
The journalist’s question echoed a similar one in 2017 in which the then occupant of Number 10, Theresa May admitted to “running through wheat fields” as a child.
Ridge had put the same question to Johnson last time she interviewed him, but on that occasion, he declined to provide a response. Asking him today if he now had an answer or whether it was another “broken promise,” he said, “Oh no, not this again.”
Addressing his advisors in the studio, he said: "You need to interrupt this now!" but Ridge told him he had had "lots of time to think about it."
Johnson tried to swerve the question, making a reference to what has become his catchphrase during the general election campaign. "I did promise to think about it, but I've been so busy trying to get Brexit done ... naughtiest thing I've ever done? God ..."
He told Ridge, "Look I think ... Sophie ... I'm going to have to come up with ..."before pleading with his advisors for help again.
"Come on folks help me out here!" he said, adding, "What's the naughtiest thing you think I've done?"
Finally, he gave Ridge an answer. "I think I may sometimes when I was riding a bicycle every day, which I used to do, I may have sometimes not always obeyed the law on cycling on the pavement," he admitted.
“But I want you to know,” he added, raising his voice and wagging his finger to emphasise his point, “I firmly and strongly disapprove of people who cycle on the pavement.
“I think it’s wrong and I feel bad about it, but I might sometimes have scooted up onto the pavement rather than dismounting before.”
The Sky News broadcaster, rather incredulously, replied: "The naughtiest thing you've ever done is to cycle on the pavement?"
"No, no, no, no, no, no," Johnson said. "You asked me the naughtiest thing I've ever done that I'm prepared to admit."
There were plenty of suggestions on social media about other answers that Johnson could have given, and during the same interview Johnson was forced to acknowledge that the much promised figure of 50,000 new nurses for the NHS was in fact incorrect and that the true number was 31,000.
So pavement cycling, it seems is ‘naughtier’ than deliberately misleading the electorate on one of the key issues in what is seen as the most important general election of the post-war period.
The Mirror, meanwhile, has come up with its own list of Seven things Boris Johnson has done which are worse than cycling on the pavement.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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18 comments
Does Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson honestly (yes, I know...) believe that if he ruffles his hair a bit and says, "Um" a lot, that he can get out of answering any question?
Why wouldn't he believe it - it's worked this far.
I think this sums everything up neatly
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So cheating on his first wife with the woman who'd become his second wife wasn't naughty? And then cheating on his second wife with several women (it's unclear just how many) wasn't naughty? Being sacked for making up a quote wasn't naughty? Being sacked as an opposition minister for lying to the then Tory party leader about an affair wasn't naughty? Lying to the queen's face wasnt naughty?
He's led a blameless life .... not!
I do wonder why Ridge didn't throw back a few suggestions to him.
Wow. Lefties out in force tonight. And it's Sunday too. I could have understood it if this had been posted on a weekday, when people were at work. I don't pretend to like Boris, but look at the rest of the bunch. Corbyn government? Prime Minister Swinson? Sturgeon? Jesus. Let me finish by putting down four words which should strike fear into any sane person.
Home Secretary Dianne Abbott
Eight words that strike fear into me
Home Secretary Dianne Abbott
Home Secratary Priti Patel
I consider myself sane, but responding to this may cast doubt.
Is it just me, or does Priti Patel always have this vibe of "Wears a white lab coat and carries a Gladstone bag of very scary/pointy implements for - er - 'asking questions'"?
That the rest aren't great doesn't suddenly mean boris isn't an utter twat.
Meh. I don't find Abbott impressive, but we've had a very long string of unimpressive or down right appalling home secretaries (*cough* windrush * cough* hostile enivronment *cough* police cuts * cough), it's nothing new.
Still doesn't compare to the amoral, principle-free, moderately-incompetent, and racist Johnson.
Also this thread is about something Johnson just said, in case you didn't notice, what does any of what you said have to do with it?
He didn't mention the improperly procured garden bridge and concquent loss of public funds, then? Or the little business with offering to help his pal have a journalist beaten up?
Or all the blatant racist comments? (I continue to find it astonishing how he. and the rest of the Tory party, gets such an easy ride for that from the same media that covers every possible example of anti-semitism in Labour with a 24/7 outrage-fest.)
"Austerity to blame for 130,000 'preventable' UK deaths". Johnson in it up to his neck.
And the lying b@st@rd claims the "naughtiest thing" he's ever done, is ... f*cking cycling on the f*cking pavement.
Wotashit.
Tory-bashing over-drive tonight. Boris is pro-bike, always has been - as for everything else - save it for the DailyMail.
Bikes-Rule.
...oh and Epstien didn't kill himself.
Perhaps the prime minister and claimed cycling advocate should at least know that cycling on the pavement isn't specially illegal or wrong.
Also perhaps the condition he keeps his bicycle in, which couldn't be called road legal, is something worse he has definitely done.
Boris Johnson lies like the rest of us breath oxygen. Of course he doesn't think it is naughty to do so. Even when it is fucking up the economy and politics of the country.
I get the impression that as long as he can keep in power and funnel as much money to his pals as possible, then he's not really bothered how the country fares.
Unlawful prorogation of parliament, refusing to publish the report into Russian interference in UK elections, conspiring to have a journalist beaten up, fired twice for lying, suspected misuse of public funds on several occasions, dodging the Andrew Neil interview, constant lying during the election campaign but, yeah, cycling on the pavement. Just fuck off, Johnson.
One of the major partys' manifestos says they'll be spending £50 per head per year on active travel, and the other promises £1.18 per head per year. Use your vote wisely.
Isn't misleading the queen (his boss) a bit dodgy too, he is after all leader of her Maj's government.
And didn't he twice lose his job for lying.
There may be a pattern developing here.