Boris Johnson told his new director of communications Guto Harri, “I will survive,” by singing him lines from the Gloria Gaynor song as he appointed him to the post.
Mr Harri was hired after a string of resignations from No. 10 amid turmoil over parties held during lockdowns. The aide told a Welsh news website he saw the PM on Friday afternoon. He also stated his new boss was “not complete clown, he’s a very likeable character.”
Mr Harri told Golwg 360 that after exchanging lines from the 1970s disco hit and “a lot of laughing,” he and Mr Johnson “sat down to have a serious discussion about how to get the government back on track and how we move forward.” He added: “90% of our discussion was very serious but he’s a character and there is fun to be had. He’s not the devil like some have mischaracterised him.”
Mr Johnson has been under increasing pressure from his party – including calls to resign from MPs – after revelations that numerous rule-breaking gatherings were held in Downing Street during COVID lockdowns. An initial report into parties by senior civil servant Sue Gray stated that there had been “a failure of leadership,” leading to the PM promising a shake-up of staff. Mr Harri was one of the first new appointments to fill the roles along with Cabinet Officer Minister Steve Barclay, who has taken the chief of staff role.
