Prime Minister Boris Johnson is often referred to as a greased piglet. The front page of the Daily Mail on July 6, 2022 bore the line: "Can even Boris the Greased Piglet wriggle out of this?".
The headline was in reference to the monumental amount of pressure Boris Johnson is under after the resignations of Rishi Sunak and Savid Javid following Number 10's bungled handling of complaints against former whip Chris Pincher. But what does the term greased piglet actually mean and how does it apply to Boris Johnson?
The term a greased piglet refers to a person who is very proficient at slipping out of tight situations. Observers have noted that this is rather fitting for a Prime Minister who has repeatedly been sacked or caught lying but has still managed to rise the top job in politics.
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The origins of the phrase is believed to come from a fairground competition which was popular in the past, in which a piglet that had been covered in grease was let loose and the person who caught it won a prize. This was evidently very challenging despite the piglet's porky physique.
The label was put on the flailing PM by David Cameron in 2019. Speaking about the then proposed Brexit deal Mr Cameron made the comment during a talk to promote his book For The Record in Harrogate’s Crown Hotel, North Yorkshire. Speaking about the chances of Boris Johnson getting the Brexit deal through he said: "The thing about the greased piglet is that he manages to slip through other people’s hands where mere mortals fail.”
He then added: “I think it’s much better to leave with a deal, and I think Boris has done well to achieve that deal. I hope he’ll get it through parliament, I suspect he will but it will be tight.”
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