Boris Johnson: New PM's first act is to decide action in nuclear war | indy100 | indy100

Self-styled jester Boris Johnson has taken the throne, after Tory members voted for him to become prime minister on Tuesday.

Until now, water cannons likely constitute the most serious fire power the former mayor of London has had experience of dealing with in his political career.

That all changed today.

One of his first acts as prime minister on Wednesday will be to decide the protocol for a nuclear attack.

Moments after taking over from Theresa May, he presumably penned the “letter of last resort” to the chiefs of the UK’s nuclear Trident submarines, informing them of what they should do if Britain’s leaders are all killed in a nuclear strike.

Copies of the letter will be sent to each of the four vessels and will be opened only if such an attack takes place.

Here’s an excellent thread from nuclear historian Julie McDowall, detailing the process.

They'll give the PM's orders to the submarine on what they should do after a nuclear attack on Britain. Why can't h… https://t.co/fqoSqfk1EW
— Julie McDowall (@Julie McDowall) 1563954733

He can't just drift through the ocean indefinitely. He needs to do *something*, so he will open the safe, and read… https://t.co/6J4ZdX3a76
— Julie McDowall (@Julie McDowall) 1563954862

1. Put yourself under the command of the United States, if it still exists 2. Make your way to Australia, if it sti… https://t.co/oNVHJyZvWJ
— Julie McDowall (@Julie McDowall) 1563955005

And let's end this thread on a funny little note, again from Hennessy's brilliant book, THE SECRET STATE. How does… https://t.co/ZX3RW51gU1
— Julie McDowall (@Julie McDowall) 1563955238

So he would do a series of "checks", and one concerns good old Radio 4. If the Today programme ceased broadcasting… https://t.co/fSOzTuNioT
— Julie McDowall (@Julie McDowall) 1563955385

People couldn't help but imagine what Mr Johnson's version of the letter might look like. Shockingly, some worried he might not be quite up to the task.

@JulieAMcDowall @captainward My money's on him including his shopping list by mistake. #NotMyPM
— Bod (@Bod) 1563961875

@JulieAMcDowall "Dear Skipper, things seem to have er we well it's all a bit of a bally mess to be frank and eh...… https://t.co/Q2VObPfIKy
— Ed Freshwater #TeamKip (@Ed Freshwater #TeamKip) 1563954880

@JulieAMcDowall @molyneux_msj Bumble, bumble, bumble, bumble Signed Boris
— 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Catherine -It’s 2023 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿💕 👍 (@🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Catherine -It’s 2023 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿💕 👍) 1563957076

@JulieAMcDowall @WingsScotland All we need is a “can do” attitude. Aye, that’ll be right.
— #womenwontwheesht probiologynotantitrans cervixen (@#womenwontwheesht probiologynotantitrans cervixen) 1563958970

@JulieAMcDowall @WingsScotland https://t.co/fywESEhSr2
— JWT (@JWT) 1563966520

Keep reading...Show less