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Politics

09th Aug 2022

Johnson once described his time as foreign secretary as like being ‘imprisoned in a steel condom’

Jack Peat

Johnson was in the role between 2016 and 2018 

Boris Johnson once remarked that his role as Foreign Secretary was like being “imprisoned in a steel condom”.

Speaking at an Edinburgh Fringe event, former Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson revealed he had made the comments during his time in the position under Theresa May.

She said: “I found it odd because I hadn’t asked him”, suggesting that it could relate to the “amount of attention he had from civil servants to make sure he didn’t say anything”.

“I’ve never heard that as a phrase… it would certainly affect performance, but this is not my area of expertise as I think you’ve already covered”, Davidson added.

Johnson became foreign secretary in 2016 and resigned in 2018 over Theresa May’s Brexit plans.

In his time in the role, he manage to enrage Richard Ratcliffe who said he “enabled a propaganda campaign” against his British-Iranian wife Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe who was being held in Tehran.

He also headed to Afghanistan to dodge a crucial vote on approving a third runway at Heathrow.

The Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP had previously told voters he would lie down in front of bulldozers to prevent expansion.

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