Narrative fusion and layering: statecraft and the shaping of Boris Johnson’s pandemic narrative, 2020–2021

Abstract

By examining the UK Prime Minister’s justifications for his government’s pandemic responses given during press conferences and during Prime Minister’s Questions from March 2020 to July 2021, this article illustrates the narrative ‘fusion’ (using the pandemic narrative to advance other elements of policy) and ‘layering’ (using the pandemic narrative to justify past policy decision) evident in the construction of Boris Johnson's pandemic narrative. The article makes the case for viewing Johnson’s COVID-19 narrative in light of broader political dynamics within UK politics, particularly adaptations of Conservative statecraft in the Brexit era that preceded the pandemic. The article argues that the narrative itself can be a product of multiple political crises and projects. Specifically, Johnson’s pandemic narrative ‘fused’ and ‘layered’ elements of two other narratives advanced during his time in office: countering challenges to the territorial integrity of the United Kingdom and justifying the withdrawal from the European Union.