Boris Johnson didn’t say this quote about Scotland – it’s a parody

First published 25 June 2019
Updated 15 May 2025

What was claimed

Boris Johnson said a variety of outrageous things about Scotland and its resources.

Our verdict

Incorrect. These “quotes” come from a parody article.

A viral social media post claims that Boris Johnson said a variety of scandalous things about Scotland at a meeting of the 1922 Committee—the group of backbench Conservative MPs.

Boris Johnson didn’t say these things. The quote is from a satirical article written in the National newspaper earlier this month. The article starts “for the avoidance of doubt, this piece is a parody.”

The article is behind a paywall, but if you want to check yourself, you can see sections of the quote in this Google preview of the piece.

Related topics

Politics Boris Johnson Scotland Satire

Full Fact fights bad information

Bad information ruins lives. It promotes hate, damages people’s health, and hurts democracy. You deserve better.

Subscribe to weekly email newsletters from Full Fact for updates on politics, immigration, health and more. Our fact checks are free to read but not to produce, so you will also get occasional emails about fundraising and other ways you can help. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy.