Boris Johnson seems unable to name West of England Mayor during Stroud visit

  • Boris Johnson arrives at Barratt Homes' development in Stonehouse

Boris Johnson appeared unable to name the West of England Mayor during a visit to Stroud today.

The Prime Minister has visited Gloucestershire for the first time since the easing of lockdown restrictions to talk about the launch of a mortgage guarantee scheme.

He met with staff from Barratt Homes and explored the Great Oldbury estate in Stonehouse.

He also spoke about a new scheme which aims to enable more households to access mortgages on both new-build and existing homes without the need for large deposits.

During his visit to the Stroud on Monday 19 April, the Prime Minister said: "I feel particularly for young people because 30 years ago when I was trying to get onto the property ladder it was far, far easier - the ratio of house prices to average incomes was far, far lower and I’m afraid the prices have gone up and up and up and people’s ability to buy has not kept pace.

Boris Johnson spoke about the housing markets being 'generationally unfair' ahead of the launch of a new mortgage scheme Credit: BPM Media

Boris Johnson appeared unable to name the current West of England mayor, Tim Bowles, despite the regional leader being a Conservative.

Asked if he knew who the incumbent regional mayor was, Mr Johnson said: "I'm very much in favour of powerful mayors in the West of England and elsewhere."

The Conservative mayor announced he will step down from the post at the end of his first term, with four candidates running to be his successor in next month's election on May 6.

The four candidates for West of England Combined Authority (WECA) Mayor are Dan Norris (Labour), Jerome Thomas (Green Party), Samuel Williams (Conservative Party) and Stephen Williams (Liberal Democrat).

Read more: