Anyone who thinks they understand Boris Johnson could be in for a surprise | Martin Kettle

To the Brexiter right he’s a conquering hero. To the left he’s a Trumpian villain. The truth is rather more complex

How much does the British political world really know about Boris Johnson? It certainly thinks that it knows a lot. After all, Johnson has been around for a long time. He has always courted publicity. He possesses a mega-wattage personality. Many will feel that they know too much about him rather than too little.

But there is a danger that politics may not be keeping up with the way he is evolving as prime minister. On the right, Johnson is still the conquering hero. He won the Brexit battle, trounced the liberal establishment and has led the Conservatives back to a level of power they have not known for 30 years. On the left, Johnson is the villain of the era. He has hitched his ambition to a rightwing nationalist deregulatory project, and he is a Trump admirer who does not care what gets in his way, or who suffers, as long as he wins.

Related: Johnson must satisfy new Tory voters by unifying NHS and social care systems

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