These behind-the-scenes photographs capture unseen moments from another tumultuous week in British politics, as newly-elevated Conservative party leader Boris Johnson prepared his first formal remarks as Prime Minister.
Captured over 26 hours between the announcement of the Tory leadership result to Boris’s return to Number 10 after meeting the Queen on Wednesday, they provide a glimpse into the furious work which went into crafting his speech and a moment of light-hearted relief after becoming Prime Minister.
Photographer Andrew Parsons has worked closely with Boris Johnson for the past 11 years, having been introduced to the new Prime Minister by his predecessor David Cameron, for whom Mr Parsons worked as a staff photographer.
It was Parsons who captured images of Johnson firing an AK-47 in Iraq, and of the moment he inadvertently flattened a Japanese schoolboy during a game of what was supposed to be touch rugby.
But this week he had his camera trained on a more businesslike Mr Johnson, at Conservative campaign headquarters and then in Downing Street, as he worked with aides to thrash out his first message to the public having achieved his lifelong ambition.
‘I’ve recorded quite a few high-pressure moments’, Mr Parsons told The Sunday Times, and added he hopes to continue working with the Prime Minister to immortalise more iconic occasions in future.
‘I think I’m quite good at blending in’, he said.
Beneath a huge portrait of Margaret Thatcher at Conservative campaign headquarters, Boris Johnson discusses his next move after winning the party leadership. Mr Johnson is pictured with Ed Lister, who is the chair of Homes England, the government’s housing accelerator, at the offices in Westminster
In this snap, Mr Johnson is seen practicing his speech to the nation in his temporary office inside Admiralty House, London, minutes before seeing the Queen before heading to Number 10 Downing Street as Britain’s new Prime Minister. He went over his speech with Will Walden, his former media aide while on the Vote Leave campaign trail in 2016. Mr Walden was also previously director of communications at City Hall under Mr Johnson
Two laptops, a desktop computer and his phone are splayed out in front of the PM as he thrashes out the text for his first speech as prime minister with several aides inside Admiralty House. The eye-opening pictures were taken by Andrew Parsons who has worked closely with the former Mayor of London over the past 11 years
Putting his feet up: My Johnson makes a call on speakerphone with a number of water bottles in front of him before meeting the Queen on Wednesday, having spent the day working on his speech
A glimpse of Boris’s longtime photographer Andrew Parsons can be seen in the mirror as Mr Johnson works with his City Hall deputy Munira Mirza, now head of the Number 10 policy unit, on the speech, along with Mr Walden and several other aides
His new stomping ground: Mr Johnson paces behind the green baize of the Cabinet table inside Number 10 Downing Street hours after becoming Prime Minister, beating out Jeremy Hunt in the Conservative party leadership contest
In this picture, Mr Johnson can be seen talking to his new special advisers in his temporary office in Admiralty House before heading off to see the Queen on Wednesday. ‘I’ve recorded quite a few high-pressure moments’, Mr Parsons told The Sunday Times, and added he hopes to continue working with the Prime Minister to immortalise more iconic occasions in future
Starting with a blank sheet of paper: Fountain pen in hand, coffee on hand, and tie off, Mr Johnson is seen working on the text of his address with his sleeves rolled up in Admiralty House. Mr Parsons was introduced to Mr Johnson by former Prime Minister David Cameron
The grand central staircase of Admiralty House flares over Mr Johnson’s shoulder as he prepares to leave to meet the Queen on Wednesday, having beat Jeremy Hunt for the position
A moment of embarrassment as Boris tells staff that during the audience Her Majesty told him ‘I don’t know why anyone would want the job’ – only for an aide to point out he isn’t supposed to reveal anything the Queen says in the meetings
Every home in Britain will get a leaflet to prepare for No Deal Brexit: Boris Johnson’s ‘war cabinet’ plans £10m PR blitz and will meet every week to make sure the UK leaves the EU on October 31 ‘by any means necessary’
By Jack Maidment, Deputy Political Editor for MailOnline
Boris Johnson is preparing a No Deal information blitz to make sure Britain is ready to leave the EU – with or without an agreement – on October 31.
The new Prime Minister is planning to show Brussels he is serious about taking Britain out of the bloc without a deal by ramping up preparations.
The information push will see an everything-you-need-to-know leaflet sent to 27 million households and the broadcast of TV ads as part of a campaign which is expected to cost £10 million.
Mr Johnson is adamant that he will deliver Brexit by the current Halloween deadline and has set up a six-strong ‘war cabinet’ tasked with pushing through the UK’s divorce ‘by any means necessary’.
The group is made up exclusively of senior Brexit-backing ministers: Mr Johnson, Michael Gove, Sajid Javid, Dominic Raab, Stephen Barclay and Geoffrey Cox.
It is an attempt by Mr Johnson to streamline the Brexit decision-making process and to stop Whitehall bureaucracy slowing down preparations.
Mr Gove revealed today that the government is now working on the ‘assumption’ that there will be a No Deal Brexit because ministers believe the EU will not give in to Mr Johnson’s demands to renegotiate the terms of Britain’s divorce.
As a result, the government is increasing its spending on No Deal contingency planning with Mr Javid expected to this week announce additional funding of at least £1 billion.
Meanwhile, a new poll showed Mr Johnson’s elevation to PM had delivered a ten-point ‘Boris bounce’ for the Conservative Party with the Tories now five points ahead of Labour.
Team Johnson believes the UK must fully commit to No Deal if it is to convince the EU that it is ready to go ahead with a chaotic split at the end of October.
In a move similar to Tony Blair’s ‘sofa government’, Boris Johnson will make all key decisions over Brexit with a team of just six senior ministers – all of whom are Brexiteers
Michael Gove, who has been tasked by Mr Johnson to boost preparations for a No Deal Brexit, has said that the government is working on the ‘assumption’ that the European Union will not strike a new agreement
A new Deltapoll revealed Mr Johnson has delivered a 10 point boost to the Tories since becoming PM
Mr Johnson’s planned information blitz is central to those plans with the new PM hoping the leaflets and TV ads will assuage fears of voters and make clear that Britain can handle leaving the EU without agreeing terms.
The leaflet is expected to set out the ‘key facts’ relating to a No Deal Brexit and will show there is ‘nothing to fear’ from such a departure.
It will detail advice on travel arrangements, medicine and food supplies, and warn against stockpiling, according to The Sun.
There will also be a No Deal website launched where people will be able to go to answer any questions they have about how they could be affected.
Mr Johnson’s Brexit ‘war cabinet’ will meet for the first time tomorrow while Mr Gove, the minister responsible for contingency planning, has reportedly been told to hold daily progress meetings with civil servants and advisers.
His stripped-back Brexit-planning group stands in stark contrast to his predecessor Theresa May’s approach
For much of her three years it is claimed that the Brexit Department, from which both David Davis and Dominic Raab resigned, was sidelined from negotiations.
And while several departments attempted to make No Deal contingencies, Philip Hammond’s Treasury was resistant to helping the cause.
Dominic Cummings, Mr Johnson’s top aide, apparently told special advisers on Friday that the new PM had said Brexit must be delivered ‘by any means necessary’ by Halloween.
The use of the phrase has reignited fears that Mr Johnson could try to force through a No Deal Brexit against the wishes of the House of Commons.
Mr Johnson is seeking to renegotiate the terms of Britain’s departure from the EU but Brussels has insisted it will not bow to his demand for the Irish border backstop to be deleted.
Mr Johnson has said he will not sign up to an agreement that includes the border protocol, putting the two sides on a collision course.
Many in Brussels had been sceptical about whether the new PM is serious about his ‘do or die’ Brexit promise.
But the strong rhetoric from him and his senior allies since he won the keys to 10 Downing Street last week has spooked the EU that he could go through with it.
Mr Gove said today that No Deal was now the working ‘assumption’ of the UK government.
Writing in The Sunday Times, he said: ‘We still hope they will change their minds, but we must operate on the assumption that they will not.
‘The prime minister has been crystal clear that means we must prepare to leave the EU without a deal on October 31, and I fully support this approach.’
Mr Gove said ‘No Deal is now a very real prospect’.
Meanwhile, Mr Javid is this week expected to announce increased funding for No Deal preparations.
He told The Sunday Telegraph ‘significant extra funding’ would be made available to make sure the UK is ‘fully ready to leave’ with insiders expecting an anouncement worth more than £1 billion.
Mr Johnson’s move into Downing Street has led to a surge in support for the Conservatives, an exclusive Mail on Sunday poll has found.
Replacing Mrs May with Mr Johnson has given the Tories a ten-point ‘Boris bounce’ and a five-point lead over Labour.
But the pressure on Mr Johnson to call a snap general election during his ‘honeymoon’ period will be increased by the survey’s finding that if Labour ditches Jeremy Corbyn as leader, the Tories would trail by six points.
The Deltapoll survey puts the Tories on 30 per cent, up from 20 per cent in the firm’s poll for this newspaper at the start of the summer – turning a six-point lead for Mr Corbyn over Mrs May into a five-point advantage for Mr Johnson.
The rise corresponds to a ten-point fall for Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party, whose support for a No-Deal Brexit has been matched by Mr Johnson.
The ‘bounce’ is likely to lead to pressure for a Tory-Brexit Party pact. If Mr Farage’s remaining supporters switched to the Conservatives, the party would be polling above 40 per cent – enough for a healthy Commons majority.
But the poll paints a more pessimistic view of Mr Johnson’s electoral prospects if Mr Corbyn is toppled: in that case, Labour would enjoy a six-point lead.
A handful of other polls also showed the same thing as Mr Johnson started to restore support for his party.
The poll boost and Mr Johnson’s decision to step up No Deal preparations came as it emerged that he faces a growing threat from Remain-backing MPs determined to stop a No Deal split.
Philip Hammond and Sir Keir Starmer held secret face-to-face talks immediately before Mr Johnson became prime minister to discuss how best to thwart No Deal, according to The Observer.
Mr Hammond, a vocal opponent of a disorderly split from the EU, resigned as chancellor on Wednesday afternoon in order to deny Mr Johnson the chance to sack him.
Dominic Cummings (right, next to Boris Johnson and Sir Mark Sedwill) plans to turn the Conservative Party conference at the end of September into a Brexit rally
Vote Leave chief Dominic Cummings (right) with Boris Johnson (left) and Michael Gove (centre) during the campaign period for the 2016 referendum. Mr Cummings has now become special adviser to Mr Johnson to help deliver Brexit ‘by any means necessary’
Philip Hammond reportedly met with Sir Keir Starmer immediately after he quit as chancellor to talk about how to stop a No Deal Brexit
And he apparently met with Sir Keir, the shadow Brexit secretary, in the hours in between his resignation and Mr Johnson being installed in Number 10.
The ex-chancellor had previously suggested he would be a ‘nightmare’ for Mr Johnson over Brexit on the backbenches and has pledged to do everything he can to stop a bad break from Brussels.
But he has now reportedly already sprung into action in a bid to frustrate the PM’s ‘do or die’ promise to deliver Brexit by October 31.
Mr Hammond and Sir Keir have agreed to work together, along with other pro-Remain MPs, to find a way to block No Deal.
The alliance represents a potentially major headache for Mr Johnson given he has a wafer thin majority in the Commons of just two MPs.
It came as it was claimed Rory Stewart is being lined up to front a campaign to prevent Britain from crashing out of the EU without a deal.
Mr Hammond has been drumming up support for the campaign and he wants Mr Stewart, the unlikely star of the Tory leadership contest, to lead the charge.
Mr Stewart also resigned from the Cabinet before he could be sacked by Mr Johnson who insisted that everyone who serves under him must support the option of No Deal.
New Chancellor Sajid Javid has also said that ‘all necessary funding’ arrangements will be made available for a no-deal, with plans for 500 extra Border Force officers and possibly new port infrastructure
Today, The Mail on Sunday revealed Mr Cummings plans to turn the Conservative Party conference at the end of September into a Brexit rally.
The annual gathering of the Tory faithful, to be held in Manchester this year, finishes just 29 days before the Government’s planned EU departure on October 31.
This year, the entire four-day meeting will be used to ‘hammer home the Government’s message that we are leaving on October 31 with or without a deal’.
Mr Cummings told Whitehall advisers and spin doctors on Friday that they were not part of ‘a usual Government’ but rather one facing ‘a constitutional crisis’.
He said: ‘You should be doing the bare minimum with regards to conference, as minimal an amount as possible. The usual big speeches by loads of different Ministers with lots of policy announcements to chase headlines are just not going to happen.
‘What you have to realise is that the conference is going to be just days away from Brexit, and that is all it will be about.’
Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats have written to Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill to urge him to block Mr Cummings’ appointment after he previously refused to give evidence to a committee of MPs.