Transportation Secretary Grant Shapps has said “politicians don’t expect to be popular all the time” and people are “overinterpreting” the boos directed at Boris Johnson when he attended a service for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Shapps, one of the closest allies in the prime minister’s office, also argued that the government should focus on running the country instead of being distracted by short clips.
“There were people cheering too, and you’re not asking me why they did it,” he told the BBC’s Sunday Morning.
“Politicians do not expect to be popular all the time. Moving forward with the government of the country is a job where you have to make difficult decisions most of the time. I wasn’t there, but I heard people booing, I heard people cheering.
“I think it’s best to continue with the work we’re doing, running the country, instead of being too distracted by the clips you just played.”
Shapps cited the boos addressed to former Chancellor George Osborne at the London 2012 Paralympic Games before the Conservatives won the next general election. “It doesn’t mean the election didn’t win in 2015. I think you’re rather overinterpreting, if you don’t mind me saying it.”
Asked by presenter Sophie Raworth why people had been booing, she said, “Politicians by nature … will, of course, divide opinions. That’s what politicians do. That’s because we discuss different issues. of the problems “.
Having a monarch, he added, meant that “everyone can unite and support the queen regardless of her policy. Frankly, I think she demonstrates one of the beauties of our system.”
Boris Johnson booed as he arrived at the Queen’s Jubilee Thanksgiving Service: Video
Johnson and his wife, Carrie, found a chorus of boos and whistles as they got out of their car as it stopped Friday at St Paul’s Cathedral in London for the Jubilee Thanksgiving Service.
During an awkward 15-second walk down the stairs, when members of the royal family, dignitaries, and politicians were marking the second day of celebrations to honor the queen’s 70th reign, Johnson seemed unperturbed as he smiled and nodded. .
Pressed on why other politicians were not booed, Shapps said, “Well, he’s the prime minister, quite different from a former prime minister or a minor politician.”
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Shapps said he did not believe Johnson would face a vote of confidence this week, but he did believe the prime minister would win one if that happened. While polls show Labor leading the Conservatives ahead of this month’s by-elections, with a poll giving Labor a 20-point lead, it said it was best to allow the process to unfold.
“I think the best thing that can be done with every election is to allow people to speak and do it at the polls. You often get polls that show a variety of different situations,” he said.
Shapps described government policies and actions, including his response to the pandemic, plans to address social care and the cost of living, as examples of how he had “done well” for the country as a whole. .
“I am absolutely confident that with some of these big decisions, resolving Brexit, overcoming the coronavirus, seeing the economy grow bigger last year, these are decisions and actions that will ultimately be important to the people.” , he said.