Countless blunders should disqualify Boris Johnson from No 10

In fact, it’s inadequate to even describe his back catalogue as “foul-ups” because that doesn’t do any justice to the seriousness of some of the probable next Prime Minister’s throwaway comments, provocative articles and jolly jape quips. I have picked but three. It could have been 30, or 300!

Top of the shortlist has got to be his throwing to the wolves of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. Zaghari-Ratcliffe is now on hunger strike in jail in Iran, with her husband, Richard, also on hunger strike camped outside the Iranian embassy in London, as a protest against her incarceration for alleged spying in Iran.

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Back in 2017, when Johnson was foreign secretary – a surprising job for a man with well documented foot-in-mouth-disease – he not only failed to secure the release of the charity worker (as his diplomatic brief instructed), but stated that she was in fact teaching journalism while in Iran when he was meant to say she was on holiday. His “misspeak” in front of a House of Commons Select Committee, no less, was later used as evidence against her by the Iranian authorities.

To add insult to injury, Johnson’s colleagues further compounded the situation back home by pretending that he hadn’t made a mistake at all and that Johnson was in fact correct. Richard Ratcliffe has been quoted as saying that their behaviour seemed more about saving Johnson’s face than saving his wife. To date she has spent three of her five-year sentence in jail, far from her child and husband.

This casual clumsiness, this offhand abdication of diplomatic responsibility indicates that Johnson doesn’t have the mental or emotional equipment to understand the plight of a mother incarcerated in a foreign country. He’s not able to take that empathetic leap and put himself in her shoes, to try to feel how she feels, to comprehend or even imagine the utter hopelessness of realising that those who are supposed to protect you have not only let you down but have added fuel to the fire of allegation and suspicion.

The next Boris blunder is his use of tasteless and disgustingly sexualised terminology regarding the money spent on investigating historical child abuse claims as nothing more than a waste of resources. “Horrific” and “morally repugnant” were descriptions used by shocked journalists and commentators at the time after Johnson used the phrase “spaffed up a wall” (look it up if you haven’t already). And yet, the Boris blusterbus rolls on, with no accountability, no explanation and no apology to those whose terrible past experiences will forever haunt their present everyday lives.

Third up – and this is where matters get personal – is Johnson’s casual racism and Islamophobia, which I find the most alarming. It sent a chill down my spine to hear the applause Johnson gained from those attending his PM bid last week when Sky News political editor, Beth Rigby, brought up his shameful comparison of Muslim women to “letter-boxes” and “bank robbers”.

Johnson’s excuse was that the public feels alienated by politicians who muffle and veil their language. Cue more cheering. Cue further normalisation of religious bigotry. If Bojo can say it, anyone can say it, or so his fellow Brexiteer, silver-spooned and tongued Slytherin Jacob Rees-Mogg suggested when he defended Johnson’s comments as “cutting through to voters”, or appealing political commentary as opposed to the “bland, boring and dull”. Another phrase for it is the cynical courting of popularity by the use of casual racist language. Johnston’s dog whistling is all too audible.

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Of course what we are all agreed on here is that words matter. Johnson and Rees-Mogg are using specifically loaded words and trigger terminology to gain votes and support whatever the cost; decent people shocked by this Trumpian corruption of our public discourse want these privileged chancers to think twice before they spout.

Using this kind of inflammatory and irresponsible language has a direct impact on the daily lives of Muslim women in this country, on how we are treated and perceived. According to the Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks) project, shortly after Johnson’s column was published last summer mocking the niqab and hijab, a spike in hate crime towards Muslim women was recorded, with instances across the country of women being targeted for their religious faith. Johnson was later cleared by an internal investigation into his choice of words and has refused to apologise for the offence he caused, let alone the damage his choice of words inflicted. From his comments at his PM bid, it’s obvious he intends to continue to talk and write “plainly” – to be published and let others be dammed.

Unfortunately, there are others who agree with him. Johnson claims he is appealing to the dispossessed and marginalised, the voters who are sick of the so-called “elite establishment”, the voters who want their bigotry legitimised by someone in the public eye.

But it is the ultimate British establishment who will smooth his path to power; those outwith the Tory party magic circle won’t even get a say. Despite this catalogue of misdemeanours, despite his racist commentary, his sly misogyny, his flirtations with bigotry and his tasteless and immoral written rants, 77% of Conservative members believe that Johnson would make a good leader.

The mind boggles, the heart sinks.