LONDON — For months, Prime Minister Boris Johnson planned on calling a general election in Britain, figuring he could break the logjam in Parliament by taking his case for Brexit directly to the people. Instead, as he has floundered in the early stages of the campaign, Mr. Johnson has discovered that the people are taking their case to him.
“Where have you been?” asked a man angry at the government’s response to floods that have ravaged his Yorkshire town.
“You’ve got the cheek to come here,” a young woman chided him, saying that his promise of prosperity after Brexit was a “fairy tale.”
“I’m not very happy about talking to you, so if you don’t mind, I’ll just motor on with what I’m doing,” said another woman, filling sandbags.
In the voting this summer for Conservative Party leader — and, hence, prime minister — Mr. Johnson’s prime selling points were his personal popularity and skills as a campaigner. But in the early stages of the general election, exposed to hostile voices, he has seemed at times unsure, tone deaf and gaffe prone. » | Mark Landler and Stephen Castle | Thursday, November 14, 2019
