BORIS Johnson still wants to be liked by people while Chancellor Rishi Sunak looks like a man who cannot wait to get stuck in, a body language expert says.
The PM, who unveiled the government’s new three-tier lockdown system in the Commons this afternoon, was flanked by Mr Sunak and Professor Chris Whitty at tonight’s Downing Street coronavirus press briefing.
Judi James told the Sun Online: “With Boris in the middle, still pleading to be liked despite his at times messy-looking delivery, Rishi’s toe-bouncing and leg splaying suggested a man impatient to get stuck in and maybe even take over.
“Boris hung onto his familiar gestures and verbal techniques with a series of smacking and lectern-thumping rituals as well as some flamboyantly descriptive terms about dashboards flashing warnings and ‘squashing’ the virus.”
When Boris invited Rishi to speak, the Chancellor said: “Thanks PM”, and immediately started to outline the government’s support scheme for businesses affected by tier three restrictions.
The government will pay two-thirds of the wages of staff in pubs, restaurants and other businesses if they are forced to close under the new restrictions.
Judi said: “His hand-over to Rishi sounded enthusiastic but it was telling that Rishi appeared to avoid the PM’s eyes and to avoid any smiles of recognition.
She explained that the Mr Sunak looked anxious when Mr Johnson addressed MPs but he looked self-assured during the press briefing.
“During the afternoon in the Commons, Rishi’s hands had been twisted into a painfully-tight looking clasp of anxiety as Boris spoke, but tonight he adopted a pose of confidence before telling us how he would be handing out money,” she said.
The body language expert revealed that Mr Sunak spoke directly to the camera while the PM relied on his notes as he addressed the country.
“While Boris’s hooded eyes flicked down to his notes and darted to the sides, Rishi widened his large eyes and stared straight into the barrel of the camera to deliver his own message.
“Rishi’s body language and verbal intonation sound reassuringly familiar because they tend to mimic Tony Blair.
“His hands go from the splayed fingers to the ‘thumb of power’ gesture, where the fingers are balled into a fist and the thumb placed across the top.”
She also added that the Chancellor’s gestures made it look like that he was signing cheques – appearing to stick to his task as Chancellor.
“His ‘beachball’ hand gesture did suggest some creativity but he followed it with a series of precision gestures that made it look as though he was signing cheques in mid-air,” she said.
