Johnson briefly becomes king of the world again - but he's just another bloke wanging on

It's been quite the week for rightwing populists shooting their mouths off. Trolling the world. We've had Donald Trump at the UN. Rubbishing medical science by advising pregnant women not to take Tylenol. Telling the Europeans they were all going to hell. Claiming to have brokered a peace with countries that weren't even at war with one another.

- John Crace

We've had Nigel Farage on LBC radio. Doubling down on the safety of paracetamol. Insisting that London wanted to “go to sharia law”. Because a taxi driver from Buckingham had told him so. Sparking fear among swans in every royal park that they were about to be eaten by filthy foreigners. Threatening to deport anyone who had been granted indefinite leave to remain.

So it was probably only a matter of time before Boris Johnson put his head above the parapet. After all, an attention-seeking narcissist is always going to seek attention. It’s just that these days Boris struggles to get a platform. No 15-minute slot stretched out to an hour in front of a captive audience of politicians from around the world. Instead, Boris has to live more on the margins. Be grateful for a 45-minute slot on the Harry Cole Saves the West YouTube channel, hosted by the Sun’s editor-at-large.