Boris Johnson emerges as the most popular Prime Minister… among novelty pitcher buyers
Boris Johnson’s popularity in Parliament remains high among buyers after topping prime minister pitcher sales.
Outgoing Prime Minister Toby Jug’s ceramic collectible has outsold those of Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill since coming in at number 10 in 2019.
Sales figures provided by the House of Commons show that 225 Toby Jugs by Mr Johnson have been sold since 2019, compared to 157 for two designs by Mrs Thatcher and 154 for Mr Churchill.
Mr Johnson is in his final weeks as Prime Minister after a series of scandals led to dozens of ministers and unpaid aides resigning, capping a tumultuous period in modern British politics.
His jug, priced at £32 and measuring 11 centimeters high, is listed as sold out on Parliament’s website.
They are made in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, and a total of 1,500 have been made for each Premier included in the series.
Buyers have purchased 64 Mr Johnsons in 2019/20, 69 in 2020/21, 77 in 2021/22 and 15 so far in the current financial year.
In contrast, 77 Theresa May Toby Jugs were sold during her three years in office between 2016 and 2019.
The former Tory Prime Minister was fourth on the latest list with 65 sales since 2019/20, followed by Labour’s Tony Blair on 64.
Tory MP Michael Fabricator, a Johnson loyalist, told the PA news agency: “I’m glad to hear he’s not just popular with Conservative Party members who wanted him to stay, it is also popular with the general public.
“And I hear his sales have surpassed Gordon Brown’s – but that’s nothing to be proud of, I guess.”
On why Mr Johnson topped the sales chart, Mr Fabricator said: ‘Boris is popular because he has a real personality unlike so many boring politicians and like me he has gorgeous blond hair .”
Post-war Labor Prime Minister Clement Atlee sold 58, followed by Harold Wilson on 46 and Sir John Major on 40 – David Cameron managing just 39 sales and Gordon Brown 34.
Neville Chamberlain was among the least popular Prime Minister’s Toby Jugs during the same period, with 20 sold.
Andrew Bonar Law, Ramsay MacDonald and Stanley Baldwin have sold 10 each, although the figures are only for 2021/22 and this year.
