The prime minister has faced widespread criticism after he took aim at those working from home for “hacking off a small piece of cheese” while on the job.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Boris Johnson argued people are “more productive, more energetic [and] more full of ideas” when working alongside other people.
He said: “My experience of working from home is you spend an awful lot of time making another cup of coffee and then, you know, getting up, walking very slowly to the fridge, hacking off a small piece of cheese, then walking very slowly back to your laptop and forgetting what it was you’re doing.
“I think that [office working] will help to drive up productivity, it will get our city centres moving in the weekdays and it will be good for mass transit – and a lot of businesses that have been having a tough time will benefit from that.”
Johnson, who once hid in a fridge to avoid questions from Piers Morgan, added that he is “not antediluvian about technology”, but stressed “we need to get back into the habit of getting into the office”.
Twitter users quickly expressed their anger with the PM’s remarks, as many pointed out that he… ahem… works from home himself:
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The Conservative Party leader isn’t the only government minister to attack working from home in recent weeks.
Last month Brexit opportunities minister Jacob Rees-Mogg came under fire for his “Dickensian” decision to leave notes on the desks of civil servants who were “out when I visited”.
“I look forward to seeing you in the office very soon,” he wrote.
And in fairness, if going into the office meant having to speak to Rees-Mogg, then we don’t blame them for working from home to avoid every chance of that happening.
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