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The Boris bus conspiracy

When Boris Johnson was asked by TalkRadio yesterday what he did to relax, and he embarked on a confusing ramble about his secret passion: making models of buses and painting them, few thought it was a sign of the former London Mayor’s famed erudition.

https://twitter.com/rosskempsell/status/1143491303466053633

Indeed, many seemed to think that Boris’ strange rant was probably more influenced by a bus driving past the window, some crates of wine left over in the corner, or just the sheer terror of giving a Maybot-esque answer to an easy question.

It appears that some though have begun taking a deeper look at the former Foreign Secretary’s motives. In a blog post today, filled with stats and analysis, the internet company Parallax has suggested instead that Boris may have been pulling off a daring conspiracy.

The company has noted that prior to his model-bus outburst, anyone who put ‘Boris bus’ into Google would be inundated with news stories and tweets about his unwise attempt to reintroduce Routemaster buses to London as Mayor. And, they would be able to see his infamous picture during the Brexit campaign next to the red bus which said ‘we send the EU £350m a week: let’s fund our NHS instead.’

But after his interview yesterday, the company says that four of these ‘unsavoury articles’ have been pushed down Google’s search ranking in favour of Boris talking about his newfound hobby. The company darkly concludes that Johnson is ‘not just controlling the narrative here – he’s practically rewriting it.’

Most would say that it’s been a bad few days for Johnson’s bid to become prime minister, but perhaps there’s some hidden genius in the Boris campaign after all…

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Steerpike is The Spectator's gossip columnist, serving up the latest tittle tattle from Westminster and beyond. Email tips to steerpike@spectator.co.uk or message @MrSteerpike

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