Facts

Boris Johnson tweeted “Sharing this very intimate story would have taken an immense amount of courage. Thank you @JamieWallisMP for your bravery, which will undoubtedly support others. The Conservative Party I lead will always give you, and everyone else, the love and support you need to be yourself.”

He made these remarks after Conservative MP Jamie Wallis came out as trans. The night before, at a Tory party dinner, Mr Johnson had mocked trans people when he joked: “Good evening ladies and gentleman, or as Keir Starmer would put it, people who are assigned female or male at birth.”

Verdict

Johnson mocked trans people at a dinner for Tory MPs. A few hours later he tweeted support for trans people. He was sending two incompatible messages to different audiences. Both messages couldn’t be true.

We approached Mr Johnson’s office, the Cabinet Office and the No 10 Press Office to give him a chance to comment, but received no response.