Martin Ivens, Columnist

Boris Johnson Is Having His Winston Churchill Moment

Where is the prime minister’s program of post-Brexit renewal and reform? Local elections on May 5 will test his luck.

April 10, 2022 at 5:55 AM UTC

Martin Ivens is the editor of the Times Literary Supplement. Previously, he was editor of the Sunday Times of London and its chief political commentator.

A moment.
Photographer: WPA Pool/Getty Images Europe

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Reflected glory is often the best way to come by extra kudos. And so Boris Johnson has been basking in Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s praise for his firm stand against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The prime minister has now doubled down on his support. As well he might. The war has saved Johnson’s leadership from a sense of downward drift. The question is whether the lull is temporary relief or a return to superhero status for a battered but resilient prime minister.