Boris Johnson heckled over private life and told 'Sandi Toksvig should be Prime Minister' while campaigning in Somerset
It pays to keep the public at the centre of any election campaign story
Originally published: November 14, 2019
Boris Johnson has been heckled by opponents who told him 'Sandi Toksvig should be Prime Minister' on his visit to Somerset.
Boris was met by Taunton MP Rebecca Pow as he arrived at West Monkton CEVC Primary School , in Bridgwater Road, Taunton, as part of his campaigning in the West Country today (Thursday, November 14).
Liberal Democrat, Labour and Extinction Rebellion supporters turned up with placards to voice their concerns over a number of political issues, from Universal Credit to climate change.
Natalie Clayton, a member of the Women’s Equality Party who was waving an Extinction Rebellion flag when Boris arrived, said: "Sandi Toksvig should be PM.She shouted: "Would you send your kids here Boris? Do you know how many kids you’ve got?"
Read the full story here.
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Boris Johnson chose to visit Somerset early on in the general election campaign, giving his backing to Defra minister, loyal supporter and Taunton Deane candidate Rebecca Pow. High-profile visits like this are usually highly choreographed affairs in which the press are given minimal time with the figure in question - something which was half-true in this case. While Boris ultimately chatted with me and other journalists for around 20 minutes after touring the school, we had to wait in a small, closed-off room during his arrival and his visit. There was also no signal, so my plans to exhaustively live-tweet his visit took a hit.
I was aware that a number of protesters had gathered outside the school gates to protest his presence, including groups supporting both the Labour and Lib Dem candidates in the same seat. Not knowing how long we would have to wait for the prime minister, I took the liberty of walking outside to chat to some of them. After taking down their comments, I phoned them through to the office and we live-blogged them.
Mr Johnson's visit produced several different articles - along with the live blog I wrote pieces about the dementia tax, deals with the Brexit Party and his "just add water" quip while discussing flooding. But this one resonated most with our readership (being shared nearly 500 times) since it featured ordinary people putting their concerns across, rather than letting the politician set the agenda. Having taken time to ensure the comments about Mr Johnson's family were not defamatory, we decided this was the strongest line for the article, while making sure we gave voice to a wide range of opinions.
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