Should Boris Johnson Tone Down His Language?

Daniel Tuakoi, 63, is a pastor of a church in Southport and describes Johnson as “a bit of a donkey” for fuelling controversy with the things he says.

“Personally, I think people should be allowed free speech as long as it is not directly racist,” he said. “But I think Boris Johnson is making it easy for the opposition to try to create something out of the words he is using. They should be using political and diplomatic language.”

Tuakoi added that the problem isn’t just Johnson – opposition MPs are also acting like children in the playground, he said.

“Both sides act as if they are still in the public schools that they were all privileged to go to.

“It seems to me that all these people in government are playing a game, and the consequences will not affect them, but will impact people on the ground.”

Nicole Parker, a mum-of-two and a teaching assistant at a school, said that Johnson’s rhetoric is unacceptable.

“I don’t want my children to think it is OK to use such language,” she said. “Everybody is entitled to their own opinion, but I think the language Boris Johnson uses needs to be toned down if he wants to set an example to the younger generation.

“He needs to be respectful, and retaliating by using words such as ‘humbug’ is not the way to do things.”