UK PM candidate Boris Johnson avoids questions about police visit

By Alistair Smout

 

Boris Johnson, a leadership candidate for Britain's Conservative Party, talks during a hustings event in Birmingham, Britain, June 22, 2019. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Boris Johnson, the favourite to be the next British Prime Minister, said on Saturday that party members were not interested in why police were called to investigate concerns for the welfare of a woman in his home.

 

Early on Friday, British police were called to Johnson's home after neighbours heard a loud altercation between him and his girlfriend.

 

Johnson to declined to answer questions about the incident at a hustings event in Birmingham, in central England, saying that party members would rather hear about his plans for Britain than about the incident.

 

"I don't think (audience members) want to hear about that kind of thing, unless I'm wrong," Johnson said when asked about the incident, to applause from the audience.

 

"I think what they want to hear is what my plans are for the country and for my party."

 

Police had been called to an address in south London where Johnson is living with his girlfriend, Carrie Symonds. Johnson is currently divorcing his second wife.

 

"The caller was concerned for the welfare of a female neighbour," the police said in a statement on Friday evening.

"Police attended and spoke to all occupants of the address, who were all safe and well."

 

"There were no offences or concerns apparent to the officers and there was no cause for police action," the statement said.

 

Symonds could not be reached for comment.

 

"GET OFF ME"

 

The Guardian newspaper, which first reported the story, said an unidentified neighbour had heard a woman screaming followed by "slamming and banging". At one point Symonds could be heard telling Johnson to "get off me" and "get out of my flat".

 

Despite a series of scandals in the past and criticism about his attention to detail, Brexit supporter Johnson has dominated the race to replace Prime Minister Theresa May.

 

After a series of ballots to whittle down the race to two candidates, 160,000 Conservative Party members will now chose either Johnson and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt as their next leader - and thus the next prime minister.

 

At the event in Birmingham, Johnson said that people had a right to ask questions about his character, said that his record in office showed he had the right character to be prime minister.

 

Johnson, 55, who served as London mayor for eight years, has cast himself as the only candidate who can deliver Brexit on Oct. 31 while fighting off the electoral threats of Nigel Farage's Brexit Party and Jeremy Corbyn's Labour.

 

A neighbour of Johnson told the Guardian newspaper that they had recorded the altercation from inside their flat out of concern for Symonds.

 

The Guardian said it had reviewed the recording and that Johnson could be heard refusing to leave the flat and using a swear word to tell Symonds to get off his laptop. Crashing sounds can also be heard, the newspaper said.

 

Reuters has not reviewed the audio.

 

Symonds is heard saying Johnson had ruined a sofa with red wine, according to the Guardian's account.

 

"You just don’t care for anything because you’re spoilt. You have no care for money or anything," Symonds is quoted as saying by the newspaper.

 

(Additional reporting by Hannah McKay in Birmingham, England; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge, Gareth Jones and Alison Williams)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-06-23

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he's doing a theresa may and throwing this on purpose

 

reality has set in & he doesn't want it

 

another politician looking after number 1 rather than doing his duty

Having watched it for some reason I cant explain he avoided every question even the one where he said "<deleted>" business some time ago (that will teach the BBC about live Boris interviews )???? 

10 minutes ago, GeorgeCross said:

he's doing a theresa may and throwing this on purpose

 

reality has set in & he doesn't want it

 

another politician looking after number 1 rather than doing his duty

I doubt he is doing it on purpose but no doubt that is his chances to become the most right wing Tory PM ever gone to the wind.  Irrespective of whether he was taped, overheard is beside the point, the fact is it happened and he is staying silent.  In public life even your private life must be beyond reproach in order to gain the confidence of his supporters and the country.  Whilst of course the extreme facist right wing of the party will always support him for the PM's position, irrespective of his misdemeanors, I would seriously suggest that of the 160,000 conservative members entitled to vote , then by far the vast majority will not only be appalled by his antics, they will also consider that he will drag British politics down further, if that is possible.

 

So its bye bye BJ and hello Johnson I would anticipate.

Boris appears very unstable. If he does not even have his personal life under control, how does he want to lead a whole country? The UK is in an incredible downward spiral.

Abusing women is probably a vote winner for this leadership election of the Tory Party.

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13 minutes ago, SheungWan said:

Abusing women is probably a vote winner for this leadership election of the Tory Party.

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Tittle tattle.

MSM and Remainers still milking this non event. Anybody would think that nothing else had happened in the world over the last two days.

5 minutes ago, Loiner said:

MSM and Remainers still milking this non event. Anybody would think that nothing else had happened in the world over the last two days.

You will not believe it. Millions of households are peaceful, and neighbors do not have to call the police because they worry about the lives and health of others.

 

Beware that your extreme pro Brexit attitude does not make you blind what normality and decency means. And here we are talking about the designated PM of the UK.

2 minutes ago, tomacht8 said:

You will not believe it. Millions of households are peaceful, and neighbors do not have to call the police because they worry about the lives and health of others.

 

Beware that your extreme pro Brexit attitude does not make you blind what normality and decency means. And here we are talking about the designated PM of the UK.

And when the police are not interested, and you will not believe this.....most people don't send a recording of it to the Guardian.

 

16 minutes ago, tomacht8 said:

You will not believe it. Millions of households are peaceful, and neighbors do not have to call the police because they worry about the lives and health of others.

 

Beware that your extreme pro Brexit attitude does not make you blind what normality and decency means. And here we are talking about the designated PM of the UK.

The champagne socialists were worried about the couple of neighbours they hate? Hate enough to abuse and plaster posters around the street.
"The designated PM is having a domestic, lets call the police. No, let's record it and call The Garuniad, because we are normal and decent leftie activists.

3 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Johnson to declined to answer questions about the incident at a hustings event in Birmingham, in central England, saying that party members would rather hear about his plans for Britain than about the incident.

Just what the U.K. need, a pm who decides what his country wants to hear, regardless of the questions they ask him. 

 

No wonder he’s going through divorce number 2 and having screaming rows not long after midnight with the next ex Mrs johnson. 

Edited June 23, 20197 yr by Bluespunk

46 minutes ago, Loiner said:

The champagne socialists were worried about the couple of neighbours they hate? Hate enough to abuse and plaster posters around the street.
"The designated PM is having a domestic, lets call the police. No, let's record it and call The Garuniad, because we are normal and decent leftie activists.

You didn't hear yet? They were not lefties but brexiteers that don't trust bj to deliver.

From the recording(by lefty luvvie standing out in the hall and then sending the recording to the Guardian) it seems that she was the one doing 90% of the shouting and plate breaking ,if in fact any were broken ,it seems like the sort of thing happens now and again in any normal household , nothing to see here move along , mind you not much use sending it the the gruntian unless you send some cash to keep both its readers reading .

31 minutes ago, stevenl said:

You didn't hear yet? They were not lefties but brexiteers that don't trust bj to deliver.

Link please, because from everything I've read they are remainers.

Edited June 23, 20197 yr by dick dasterdly

2 hours ago, geoffbezoz said:

I doubt he is doing it on purpose but no doubt that is his chances to become the most right wing Tory PM ever gone to the wind.  Irrespective of whether he was taped, overheard is beside the point, the fact is it happened and he is staying silent.  In public life even your private life must be beyond reproach in order to gain the confidence of his supporters and the country.  Whilst of course the extreme facist right wing of the party will always support him for the PM's position, irrespective of his misdemeanors, I would seriously suggest that of the 160,000 conservative members entitled to vote , then by far the vast majority will not only be appalled by his antics, they will also consider that he will drag British politics down further, if that is possible.

 

So its bye bye BJ and hello Hunt I would anticipate.

 

1 hour ago, vogie said:

And when the police are not interested, and you will not believe this.....most people don't send a recording of it to the Guardian.

 

 

'most people' don't have the next prime minister living next door!!

 

i certainly would lol

Me..I'd be on the piss with him[emoji2][emoji2][emoji2]

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Just now, GeorgeCross said:

 

'most people' don't have the next prime minister living next door!!

 

i certainly would lol

I've no doubt this is true - but only if you disagreed with their stance/politics etc.....

7 minutes ago, dick dasterdly said:

I've no doubt this is true - but only if you disagreed with their stance/politics etc.....

Or don't like him, or have enough of continuous noise pollution, or don't like seeing women abused, or ...

3 hours ago, geoffbezoz said:

I doubt he is doing it on purpose but no doubt that is his chances to become the most right wing Tory PM ever gone to the wind.  Irrespective of whether he was taped, overheard is beside the point, the fact is it happened and he is staying silent.  In public life even your private life must be beyond reproach in order to gain the confidence of his supporters and the country.  Whilst of course the extreme facist right wing of the party will always support him for the PM's position, irrespective of his misdemeanors, I would seriously suggest that of the 160,000 conservative members entitled to vote , then by far the vast majority will not only be appalled by his antics, they will also consider that he will drag British politics down further, if that is possible.

 

So its bye bye BJ and hello Johnson I would anticipate.

 

36 minutes ago, geoffbezoz said:

 

Wondering why you think repeating yourself (with no explanatory comment) is a good idea?

8 minutes ago, dick dasterdly said:

 

Wondering why you think repeating yourself (with no explanatory comment) is a good idea?

Wonder why you can't read it thoroughly , rather choose to bicker, then you will understand I did not repeat myself, rather made an amendment. You seem a bit like BJ,  don't bother with any details, rather shoot yourself in the foot at any opportunity. ????

Edited June 23, 20197 yr by geoffbezoz

2 hours ago, vogie said:

And when the police are not interested, and you will not believe this.....most people don't send a recording of it to the Guardian.

 

 

50 minutes ago, GeorgeCross said:

 

'most people' don't have the next prime minister living next door!!

 

i certainly would lol

 

46 minutes ago, dick dasterdly said:

I've no doubt this is true - but only if you disagreed with their stance/politics etc.....

 

38 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Or don't like him, or have enough of continuous noise pollution, or don't like seeing women abused, or ...

Agree entirely with your first point "Or don't like him"  ???? - as this seems to be the case. 

 

The rest of your suggestions are pure imagination with no evidence at all.

 

Much like your post that the neighbours were brexiteers.....

 

 

 

Edited June 23, 20197 yr by dick dasterdly

This seems entirely appropriate IMO:

 

What a <deleted>. About to be made PM and a 'domestic'?  what was he thinking?  bad, bad choice for UK

4 minutes ago, BobBKK said:

What a <deleted>. About to be made PM and a 'domestic'?  what was he thinking?  bad, bad choice for UK

But it won't put the Brexiteers off. In fact if he is an example of someone with emotional instability then he could well be something that they ( the Brexiteers) have empathy with

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1 hour ago, bert bloggs said:

From the recording(by lefty luvvie standing out in the hall and then sending the recording to the Guardian) it seems that she was the one doing 90% of the shouting and plate breaking ,if in fact any were broken ,it seems like the sort of thing happens now and again in any normal household , nothing to see here move along , mind you not much use sending it the the gruntian unless you send some cash to keep both its readers reading .

 

10 minutes ago, evadgib said:

This seems entirely appropriate IMO:

 

It says a lot about people when they consider such behavior as a normal incident that happens “on a regular basis” in every household. Even more concerning that they seem to abuse their partner over issues such as “the central heating or who turned the thermostat up or down”. I’m wondering how they deal with real problems. Not surprised this is coming out of the mouth of a cheapish dressed bird who looks like she’s on her walk of shame while visiting a Donald Dumb rally. 

 

No, this does not happen between civilized people. Only the riff-raff considers this normal. 

58 minutes ago, dick dasterdly said:

 

Wondering why you think repeating yourself (with no explanatory comment) is a good idea?

I think even you knew the answer to that one...

Too easy to press the quote instead of edit by mistake, but you chose to belittle a poster whos views you do not like.  

Don't blame him one bit on his stance also his response he was correct in what he did say, this was a personal incident and not one that people really want to hear about at this particular time.