Chef Jamie Oliver launches #BuggerOffBoris campaign

27 June 2016 by Ruth Wyatt

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver is using his considerable social media presence to beg the British public to stop Brexit front runner Boris Johnson from becoming prime minister.

Oliver appears to have adopted the Gordon Ramsay approach to getting his point across with an uncharacteristically expletive-laden broadside on Instagram. He said: "Give me Boris f**king Johnson as our Prime Minister and I'm done. I'm out. My faith in us will be broken forever. So speak up people - let's stop being spectators! We cannot let this happen - share the sh*t out of this !! #BuggerOffBoris"

Oliver has 4.5 million followers on Instagram and 5.22 million on Twitter. His post was seen by almost 300,000 people within a few hours of being uploaded and generated over 2,000 comments, the overwhelming majority of which support his position.

The post, entitled ‘A thought for Britain' begins in more measured tones and expresses the chef's sadness at the decision to leave the EU. He wrote: "This referendum has fractured Europe, divided families and split the country. The divorce of our European marriage will be very costly and provoke a bitterness towards us as a trusted country in the world…However I do believe in democracy and Britain has spoken. In my own way I will now roll up my sleeves and work harder than ever to make this work…" Before Oliver hit the caps lock…"But I BEG YOU ONE THING GREAT BRITAIN ???? and embraced more ribald Anglo Saxon.

So we know where Oliver stands on the race to replace David Cameron at Number 10 then. Other leading culinary lights have yet to express their views as forcefully or publically.

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