Boris Johnson mistake could harm case for Nazanin Xaghari -Ratcliffe, say family

[LeftishBrit]

Boris Johnson has been criticised for making a misleading statement about a British-Iranian woman serving a five-year jail term in Iran, in comments that appear to have complicated her legal case.

The UK foreign secretary condemned Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s conviction for spying in Iran last week as a mockery of justice, but added that she was “simply teaching people journalism” – a statement her family and her employer both said was untrue.

On Saturday, three days after Johnson’s statement to a parliamentary committee, Zaghari-Ratcliffe was summoned before an unscheduled court hearing, where the foreign secretary’s comments were cited as proof that she was engaged in “propaganda against the regime”.


Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s employer, Thomson Reuters Foundation, released a statement making clear that she was not working in Iran, but was on holiday in the country to show her daughter, Gabriella, to her grandparents.



https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/nov/06/boris-johnson-mistake-could-harm-case-for-nazanin-zaghari-ratcliffe-say-family

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. He's now bullshitting that he was "taken out of context"

Eventually, after almost one hour of questioning, he added: “I'm sorry if any words of mine have been taken out of context and misconstrued to cause anxiety to Nazanin's family.”

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-nazanin-zaghari-ratcliffe-iran-refuse-apology-prison-sentence-a8042296.html

I can't see how suddenly saying she was "teaching journalism", when no one else said that, was a matter of "context". He's fucked up in a big way, and is now blaming everyone else.

[T_i_B]

2. How on earth is Boris Johnson still in a job?

If you screw up like this outside of politics you find yourself at the dole office very quickly.

Let's not forget Priti Patel either. That's 2 cabinet ministers Theresa May is too weak to fire for incompetence and rank insubordination.

[LeftishBrit]

3. She's scared to fire him, because he'd use it as a springboard for standing against her

I do wonder what the quite revolting Priti Patel has on May, though.

[T_i_B]

4. Given his disastrous record as a minister

You would hope that even the most rabid brexshitter would pass Boris over and look for a credible contender instead.

I think Theresa May needs take a risk. Otherwise she loses all authority and credibility. There are problems with having Johnson and Patel in cabinet that go beyond normal left wing / right wing disagreement.