‘Living with Covid’: Boris Johnson’s Communication in Post-Pandemic Times

This article investigates Boris Johnson’s COVID-related communication during the final part of his term, spanning from January to September 2022. Taking into account a data set of thirteen scripted texts, the politician’s stance is scrutinised with the toolbox of Critical Discourse Studies to identify the salient turning points and the ideological thrust of his post-pandemic health policy announcements. While the military narrative previously adopted by the Government is downplayed, the long shadow of the pandemic introduces a new scenario, timescale and metaphorical framing. Now Johnson rhetorically shifts from fighting the common enemy of disease to restoring liberties and lifting restrictions to keep the country open and its economy going, often sidelining experts on preventive measures. This way, a morally responsible behaviour is discursively prioritised over political responsibility, which is in fact abdicated to the British people. Despite an ongoing inquiry, no admission is made of his government’s poor performance of the public health crisis and the exit from the political stage is delivered in self-aggrandising tones. In conclusion, the prime minister’s post-pandemic COVID-related communication appears to largely ignore the complexity of the new normal, in and out of metaphor.