“The impression I got is that Prince Charles at the time was squirming, trying to deny he’d said this."
Bigoted charlatan Boris Johnson was so angry that the King had dared to criticise the government’s inhumane Rwanda asylum policy that he decided to square up to him, it has been alleged.
The former Prime Minister’s director of communications, Guto Harri, claimed that Johnson had told him he “went in quite hard” on the then-prince at a Commonwealth summit in the east African country in June 2022 after reports that the royal had described the plan to deport people travelling across the Channel to Rwanda as “appalling”.
Describing the encounter between Charles and Johnson, Hari told LBC: “The impression I got is that Prince Charles at the time was squirming, trying to deny he’d said this.
“If you are the prince, or you’re the prime minister, you’ve got an army of people who can go out there and ring newspaper editors and say, ‘this is not true, take it down’ and they will if it’s not true.
“So the fact that the story was allowed to stand and could not be denied meant that he had actually described government policy as appalling,” Harri said.
Harri also wrote about the alleged incident in the Daily Mail, where he said: “I went in quite hard”, he told me at the time, essentially squaring up to the prince and confronting him about what he – as unelected royalty – had said about the actions of a democratically elected government.
“Prince Charles was busted. He had obviously expressed some criticism, and though he tried to play it down, Boris pointed out the obvious, (saying): ‘If you didn’t say it we both know your people could ring the newspapers and kill the story. The fact they haven’t done that says it all’.”
A source close to Johnson said: “Boris Johnson does not recognise this account and it is inaccurate. It does not accurately reflect any conversation
“We would never comment on these matters and Mr Johnson deplores any attempt to do so.”
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
As you’re here, we have something to ask you. What we do here to deliver real news is more important than ever. But there’s a problem: we need readers like you to chip in to help us survive. We deliver progressive, independent media, that challenges the right’s hateful rhetoric. Together we can find the stories that get lost.
We’re not bankrolled by billionaire donors, but rely on readers chipping in whatever they can afford to protect our independence. What we do isn’t free, and we run on a shoestring. Can you help by chipping in as little as £1 a week to help us survive? Whatever you can donate, we’re so grateful - and we will ensure your money goes as far as possible to deliver hard-hitting news.
