TUC president and POA leader STEVE GILLAN speaks to Ben Chacko on the eve of Congress 2026
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Johnson Unleashed: A bloated legacy of lies and failed vanity projects
Boris Johnson’s poorly written memoir confirms his reputation as a prolific liar and deluded fantasist — bringing to mind striking parallels with George IV, from narcissism to womanising, observes STEPHEN ARNELL
EMBARRASSMENT: An 1824 cartoon of a gouty, obese George IV relaxing before nine flattering portraits
DOUG NICHOLLS welcomes a turning point at this year’s Congress, where many motions call for a co-ordinated plan to revive British industry, a perspective outlined in his new book
HOPE VIRGO of campaign Dump the Scales warns MPs voting today they should be alert to the threat legalised assisted death poses to people with eating disorders
The Together Alliance is hosting two summits, North and South, to build power and plan action against the scourge of racism peddled by the right. DANIEL KEBEDE urges mass participation
The drift toward militarisation in Europe is not inevitable, left-wing and peace movements can preserve sovereignty and prevent war, says DÁIRE HUGHES MP
Whatever differences exist among international sympathisers of the Bolivarian revolution about its current trajectory, they should unite against the imperialist power that is the source of an enforced retreat, argues ROGER D HARRIS
Trade unions need to step up and force a turn in the policies of the labour movement to effectively confront the far-right threat, argues NICK WRIGHT
ALEXANDER Boris de Pfeffel Johnson’s autobiography Unleashed invites comparisons between the disgraced former prime minister and George IV, also famously a notorious fantasist.
Unleashed’s poorly written catalogue of self-serving falsehoods, deluded wish fulfilment, indiscretion, exaggeration and sheer bunkum confirm (if needed) our worst fears regarding his suitability for high office. Or, in fact, any office.
As Rory Stewart put it: “Johnson is … the most accomplished liar in public life — perhaps the best liar ever to serve as prime minister. He is equally adept at the ironic jest, the fib and the grand lie; the weasel word and the half-truth; the hyperbolic lie, the obvious lie, and the bullshit lie — which may inadvertently be true. I think he’s one of the most terrible human beings imaginable. He’s a terrible human being as well as a terrible prime minister.”
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