I agree with Jeremy! Boris Johnson is NOT the leader Britain deserves, says NIGEL FARAGE | Politics | New

Where did optimism go? Where is the spirit of "Get Brexit Done", the mantra that was repeated with such conviction by the Conservatives that it led to a general election victory 12 weeks ago? Jeremy Corbyn's departure from British politics is his accusation that Boris Johnson is a "part-time Prime Minister". I am sorry to say that this is not unjustified. Great Britain demands strong leadership, especially after the sad passage of Theresa May in number 10. Johnson must move up a gear.

When things go wrong, people expect to see their leaders there. Take the recent floods. Although the magnitude of this natural disaster is far from that of the Blitz, when Churchill and the King visited the victims, it has wreaked havoc on thousands of people.

Baffling, Johnson did not bother to show his face in the affected areas.

This is in stark contrast to President Trump. In recent days, a tornado has killed 25 people in Tennessee. Trump was quickly in the region, offering condolences and pledging government assistance.

Likewise, in 2014, the Somerset Levels suffered appalling floods. Owen Paterson, then Secretary of the Environment, visited the site. He talked to people about the problems caused by the flood. Shortly after, he helped set up a new management regime for the region, with dredging underway and the demands of eco-warriors ignored.

Guess what? During the recent flood crisis, Somerset was not affected. This example shows that leaders must lead, but they can also learn and then act. This country wants to love Johnson, but when it ignores those at risk, it makes this job more difficult.

The coronavirus crisis is difficult for any leader to face. A balance has to be struck between calm and realism. Yet, once again, our Prime Minister has been slow to get out of the blocks.

On the other hand, Australian and American leaders have taken to the air and put in place reasonable travel restrictions. They did their best to show who was in charge.

Johnson did not make his first press appearance until Monday. And even if it was true that he was flanked by the chief medical officer and the scientific director, it was clear that his knowledge was limited.

The announced containment phase only lasted until Thursday, when the impressive chief medical officer Chris Whitty said that we had moved to the "delay" phase of COVID-19.

But a few hours later, Johnson said the UK was still in containment. It seemed incompetent and showed a lack of attention to detail. Boris must take the upper hand on the coronavirus crisis.

The leadership vacuum is most apparent, however, when it comes to Britain’s future trade, investment and security agreements with America and Australia.

I recently spent several days in Washington. I have met many high-ranking political and government figures, as evidenced by last week's Sunday Express. I even had the opportunity to address the retirement of the Republican senator.

What struck me was a new expression used compared to the United Kingdom: "partnership of the four eyes". This is due to the recent dangerous decision by the government to involve the Chinese company Huawei in the construction of our 5G network.

While high-level intelligence data is currently shared among the "Five Eyes" nations of Canada, the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand, Britain may in the future be deleted.

Far from Brexit strengthening the privileged relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom, it is the opposite.

When I spoke to Senator Ted Cruz for the most popular political podcast in the United States, he said, "Four eyes are better than six eyes."

Cruz fears that with Huawei on board, the Chinese will have access to secret information.

Whether this fear is real or imagined, damage is done to our position in the world and to our relationships with our allies. Conservatives on both sides of the Atlantic must continue to pressure government on this issue.

A great leader recognizes when they are wrong and adjusts the course. The impending backstage rebellion over the Huawei issue may have an effect and Johnson may be defeated in the Commons. But it would make more sense for him and his reputation to see that a terrible mistake was made and to fix it.

Johnson won the election on a wave of optimism. It is still roughly in this honeymoon period. But on this form, it won't last long. The country needs leadership. Johnson is able to give it but does not seem to want to. This must change if Britain wants to realize its potential after Brexit and beyond.