Haughey and Johnson: two peas in a pod of flawed political leaders

Boris Johnson has, and Charles Haughey had, a fondness for living off other people’s money. And both men are proof of Samuel Johnson’s assertion that patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel

The successful vaccine rollout may have earned him points with the electorate but British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has come under serious fire over the expensive refurbishment of his flat in Downing Street Pic: Getty

"Dodgy contracts, jobs for their mates and cash for access – and who is at the heart of it? The prime minister, Major Sleaze sitting there."

The words levelled at Boris Johnson by Keir Starmer, the leader of the British Labour Party, in the House of Commons last week will resonate with voters of a certain age on this side of the Irish Sea.

Even if they operated in entirely different eras, are there similarities ...