Tory MP insists Boris Johnson was ‘cheered and waved’ in Scotland

Protesters await Boris Johnson's arrival in Scotland. Photograph: Twitter. - Credit: Archant

Despite protesters turning out to greet Boris Johnson when he arrived in Orkney, a Tory MP has claimed the prime minister received a welcome reception.

Appearing on Channel 4 News the Douglas Ross, the Moray MP and former Scotland Office minister said that people in Scotland ‘cheered and waved’ Johnson.

Presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy told Ross: ‘I’m surprised you wanted Boris Johnson in your constituency given how unpopular he is in Scotland. You after all resigned, over the behaviour of Dominic Cummings, from the government.’


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Ross said that it was ‘very good’ to see Johnson back in his constituency of Moray for the second time in less than a year, and said that it was something Nicola Sturgeon had failed to do.

The MP said the visit showed ‘how seriously the prime minister takes getting out to every part of the United Kingdom’ and he said that there was a warm reception.

He continued: ‘Just two points from the earlier introduction. The Prime Minister wasn’t just at RAF Lossiemouth where he was thanking the troops … he was on a factory visit with me at Baxters where was cheered and waved by employees and spoke to local people and engaged with them.

‘And also these visits have been planned for some time but because of Covid they couldn’t happen, so this is not knee-jerk reaction to opinion polls, this is the prime minister getting out and about in the United Kingdom and showing people in Scotland we have two governments that work together.’

Video footage showed protesters lining the roads where Boris Johnson was travelling as he arrived north of the border.

The masked protesters held signs with slogans including ‘Hands off Scotland’ and ‘Our Scotland, our future’ while an ‘Indy Ref Now’ placard was seen on the side of a van.

They also flew Saltires and the flag of Orkney.