Kate Plummer
Feb 10, 2022
Comedian pokes fun at ‘new look Downing Street’
Independent
A comedian has brilliantly parodied MPs and government staff who claim the culture in Downing Street has changed.
Recently, Boris Johnson hired Guto Harri as his new director of communications and reshuffled his cabinet a bit, to shake things up after Sue Gray's interim report into alleged lockdown breaking Downing Street parties said it looked like things were being run a bit shoddily at the top.
But it looks like not everyone believes things will really change, not least Matilda Thorpe who gave the news a satirical twist.
The video starts with Thorple, with fairy lights draped around her, laughing and sipping from a glass of fizz before realising she is on camera and pushing it - and a bottle - away.
She then says: "Ignore that Christmas quiz, party picture, no everything's changed here. We've got a new look at 10 Downing Street now.
"I've been shuffled. Didn't hurt at all and Gito [Guto Harri] has got us to sign up to a new mission statement called 'forwards' or 'forearmed' or 'foreclosure'.
"Anway there's no more wine o'clock, no, only now water and five fruit and veg a day which includes grapes, doesn't it? Fermented. In a bottle."
Here, she is referencing reports that Harri brought healthy snacks to Downing Street on his first day of work.
Anyway:
"He's got us doing really fun things, we arm wrestle every morning in a tournament before work, well except Rees-Mogg who hasn't got any arm muscles.
"Boris wins, always and then he gets to sing his favourite Gloria Gaynor song. This morning it was 'Never Can Say Goodbye'".
Harri also said him and Johnson had a bit of a sing-song on his first day, belting out "I will survive" when chatting about whether Johnson will manage to stay on as PM for much longer. Downing Street is really starting to look an attractive workplace, isn't it?
She continued:
"He's under a lot of pressure at the moment, but he's hanging in there. He's been told to apologise for invoking a far-right conspiracy theory [falsely blaming leader of the opposition Keir Starmer for failing to prosecute Jimmy Savile] but he says he's not going to. He says 'everyone loves him and love means never having to say you're sorry'".
Reacting to the video, people thought it was brilliant:
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One of your very best Tilly— Time for tea \ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udcbb (@Time for tea \ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udcbb) 1644424249
Fabulous, that really made me laugh!— Jack Dawes #FBPEGlobal #JohnsonOut #RejoinEU (@Jack Dawes #FBPEGlobal #JohnsonOut #RejoinEU) 1644421642
One of the best ones yet Ms Thorpe.— Carole Hawkins (@Carole Hawkins) 1644418667
The humour is matched by the pathos - so close to reality, mark of brilliant comedy writing— mellieface (@mellieface) 1644417757
Bravo! I've never seen a video of yours that wasn't brilliantly funny and completely true at the same time. You're a treasure.— Robbie (@Robbie) 1644418900
Bob on! https://twitter.com/tillythorpe/status/1491409137519194112\u00a0\u2026— Delia Turnbull (@Delia Turnbull) 1644430788
We're sure Johnson isn't the biggest fan of the video, though.
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