Advertisement

A frosty reception for Boris Johnson in flood-hit north

(SOUNDBITE) (English) ONLOOKER, NAME NOT PROVIDED, SAYING TO JOHNSON AS HE WALKS PAST:

"You took your time Boris, ain't you."

(SOUNDBITE) (English) ONLOOKER, NAME NOT PROVIDED, SAYING TO JOHNSON AS HE WALKS PAST:

"Where you been?"

It was a frosty reception for Boris Johnson on Wednesday (November 13).

(SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITISH PRIME MINISTER, BORIS JOHNSON, SAYING:

"Is there anything in particular that you'd like us to do to help?" / FIRST HECKLER SAYING NO, WALKING AWAY

The British prime minister was visiting flood-hit areas in northern England - several days after the worst of the flooding.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITISH PRIME MINISTER, BORIS JOHNSON, SAYING:

"Hello, how do you do?"

(SOUNDBITE) (English) MEMBER OF PUBLIC PUSHING WHEELBARROW, NAME NOT PROVIDED, SAYING WHEN APPROACHED BY UK PRIME MINISTER BORIS JOHNSON:

"I'm all right, thank you. I'm not very happy about talking to you, so if you don't mind I'll just mooch on with what I'm doing. You've not helped us (inaudible)."

Opposition parties have criticized Johnson and his government for a slow response to the floods which claimed one life last week.

Johnson is hoping to secure a majority in a snap election next month so he can push through his Brexit deal agreed with the European Union.

He's promising a swift resolution to the issue to end the quote "groundhoggery".

The opposition Labour Party on Wednesday was trying to move the debate away from Brexit and onto the National Health Service with a pledge to boost healthcare spending by £26 bln pounds over the next five years.

Opinion polls show Johnson's Conservatives well ahead of Labour, but analysts caution the overshadowing issue of Brexit could confound conventional calculations.