War in Ukraine and a floundering rival boost Boris Johnson

RUSSIA’S INVASION of Ukraine has highlighted one of the less attractive aspects of Boris Johnson’s character: a willingness to squeeze any issue, no matter how grave, if it might yield the slightest political advantage. And there is no doubt that the prime minister is squeezing the war for all it is worth—aided by some of his more impressive qualities. He has a capacity for boldness, dispatching anti-tank rockets to Kyiv before most other European countries had decided what support to offer the country’s defenders. He can be an impressive orator. After a well-judged speech to a Ukrainian church in London, congregants rose to their feet and chanted “Thank you!”, tears on their cheeks.