IT’S no secret that Boris Johnson likes to model himself on Winston Churchill.
In his biography of the wartime leader, The Churchill Factor: How One Man Made History, Johnson says his idol was “not what people thought of as a man of principle; he was a glory-chasing goal-mouth-hanging opportunist”.
So far so good for the current UK Prime Minister then.
But Johnson has notably failed to live up to his hero when it comes to oratory. Less “fight them on the beaches”, more “fudge them on Brexit”.
The Tory leader had another chance to deliver his legacy defining speech yesterday, as he spoke to pupils in a school library amid an almighty exams fiasco.
He delivered a reassuring message, telling students their grades were "almost derailed by a mutant algorithm".
Once again, Johnson failed to say much of substance.
But the person who arranged the books behind the PM certainly cannot be accused of failing to get their message across.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson rumoured to be planning to step down after Brexit
Spotted by eagle-eyed Twitter users, the titles offered a far more realistic interpretation of the state of the nation.
Among the books placed behind Johnson’s head were The Toll and Fahrenheit 451, dystopian novels about dictators and book burnings.
Then there was The Twits, Roald Dahl’s tale about blundering, cruel bullies, and Charles Dickens's classic Oliver Twist.
Also visible was Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett’s story about a monster being installed as ruler by a scheming villain, and Philip Pullman’s The Subtle Knife.
Other notable titles on the shelf included Betrayed and Resistance.
All in all, it didn't make good reading for the Tory leader.
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