Let’s be fair: Boris hasn’t been too complimentary about Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats in the past.
In 2003, Bozza famously retorted that “‘The Lib Dems are not just empty. They are a void within a vacuum, surrounded by a vast inanition.” And, in the 2010 general Election campaign, he described the now Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, as “cutprice edition of David Cameron hastily knocked off by a Shanghai sweatshop to satisfy unexpected market demand”.
Now, of course, Boris is having to work alongside the Liberal Democrats as part of the Tory/Liberal coalition, and his opinions may have shifted a little….
“The Lib Dems, our brothers and sisters in coalition, have given themselves meaning, shape and contour by becoming part of this beautiful Government that’s entirely fitting for the times because it’s a great hybrid, like a Toyota Prius.”
Oh, hang on. He didn’t stop there.
“I won’t deny that I have found the Lib Dems extremely irritating. There have been moments when I’ve found them infuriating. There have been times when their two-faced Janus nature has got my goat, but there’s no doubt that they’ve done the right thing in getting into a coalition and Nick Clegg is exactly the right choice for his party and for the country. After all, the country voted for something like this. At the moment it’s working unbelievably well.’