A biography for Nick Boleshasn’t been written yet.
“As Mayor of London Johnson could get away with amateur bumbling.”
“I don't think people change much over 40.”
“Alan Johnson is the Labour leader that Cameron's Conservatives fear.”
“I was elected to Parliament as a Conservative three times, most recently in 2017.”
“If universities are going to behave like a cartel, government must be assertive in standing up for consumers.”
“While offering economic continuity, Common Market 2.0 would mean we leave the political institutions of the E.U.”
“I refuse to be bullied into accepting that crashing out of the E.U. with no deal would be an acceptable course for any British government to pursue, when there is a deal on the table.”
“In every city and town let's see the red and white colours of England flying from court houses, police stations, town halls, even churches.”
“I voted Remain and believe the single market brings significant benefits to the U.K. But I do not believe that it is sustainable for a country as large as ours to stay in the EEA and EFTA indefinitely, with limited say over new single market rules and little control over freedom of movement.”
“Prime Ministers who win re-election - Cameron, Thatcher, Blair - rely on small teams of senior advisers, strong figures with independent minds who complement each other's skills and test each other's views.”
“In politics, no argument is as persuasive as electoral success.”
“When coronavirus first arrived in the U.K., the libertine instincts of our Woosterish Prime Minister seemed out of place. People wanted the reassurance of rules to abide by and an authority figure to obey.”
“I have wanted my party to be guided by liberal instincts, and inspired by progressive goals while also drawing on a deep well of conservative pragmatism and common sense.”
“Most Remainers and pragmatic Leavers have supported Theresa May's efforts to negotiate a bespoke deal based on the Chequers proposals. And most hardline Brexiters have been holding out for that Fantastic Beast of Johnsonian folklore: the SuperDuper Canada deal.”
“The crucial advantage of Common Market 2.0 is that it would keep us in the single market and a customs arrangement with a common external tariff, at least until alternative arrangements underpinning frictionless trade have been agreed with the E.U.”
“The government can't, after seven or eight years, say that the policy we had eight years ago is going to be the only policy we can offer to the British public for another eight years.”
“Of course, Common Market 2.0 doesn't give everyone what they want. It isn't perfect. But it is a deal which is negotiable with the E.U., which delivers on the referendum result and which maintains close economic ties.”
“Covid-19 has been a calamity for the U.K. It will leave a permanent stain on our country's history.”
“Those who are full of certainty are usually wrong.”
“The Scottish aren't embarrassed about their nation, or their flag. Far from it. You can't move in Edinburgh or Glasgow without seeing a blue and white saltire flapping in the wind.But the English ruling classes seem to be embarrassed about Englishness.”