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David Buttress says he has apologised to Boris Johnson for critical tweets he ‘doesn’t remember’ sending

18 Jun 2022 3 minute read
David Buttress / PA

David Buttress has said that he has apologised to Boris Johnson for tweets criticising him, after becoming his new cost of living tsar.

The Just Eat founder and Newport Gwent Dragons chairman, who has previously spoken at a YesCymru event in support of Welsh independence, was appointed to the unpaid role this week.

He will work in partnership with the private sector to identify, develop and promote new and existing business-led initiatives that support people with rising costs of living

But after his appointment, a series of tweets criticising the UK Government came to light – but David Buttress said that he “genuinely didn’t remember” sending them.

As recently as January he had called for Boris Johnson “to go” and called him “a dead man walking politically”. But he told the Telegraph newspaper that he had now apologised to the Prime Minister.

“I think it’s really important to me, the way I was brought up, that if you say something about another person you don’t know, I think you should apologise,” he said.

“So yeah, you’re right, I apologised and I think it’s right that I did. But in private.”

‘Innocent’

David Buttress said that he had taken the role because, growing up on a council estate in Wales in a single-parent household, he could empathise with those who were struggling to make ends meet.

“You know, in the 1980s and early 1990s in south Wales I can tell you there were definitely moments when things were tight. Probably most weeks.”

He also added that he saw in Boris Johnson some of his own passion to tackle the cost of living crisis.

“When I met with the Prime Minister, I saw that passion – very similar to how I feel about it. He invigorated me to get involved,” he said.

Asked about his critical social media posts about the Prime Minister, he said: “I think you’ve got to be grown-up about these things. I didn’t know anybody.

“I’ve been working in business and industry for the last 20 years and a little bit of sport. So I didn’t know anybody in politics and certainly didn’t know, obviously, anyone personally.

“So I think there’s a very innocent element to most people on social media where you just in a flippant moment say things. You don’t know people.

“It doesn’t mean that you actually believe it or even remember it. Because genuinely I didn’t remember it.”


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I.Humphrys
I.Humphrys
2 years ago

Guto?

CJPh
CJPh
2 years ago
Reply to  I.Humphrys

Don’t type it 3 times, he might appear

George
George
2 years ago

Okay, let’s pretend he never sent those tweets, but why is he choosing to work for this government? Why is he choosing to give friendly interviews to The Telegraph?

How can Guto and Buttress justify rolling up their sleeves to support the awful direction Westminster is going in under Boris and his right-wing chums? Or is it a case of “imagine how bad it would be if we weren’t there?”

Kerry Davies
Kerry Davies
2 years ago
Reply to  George

Why? Because he is a hypocritical lying shyster who has found a soulmate?

CHAIRMAN David Buttress is “highly confident” that the Dragons will be privately owned before next season. Dec 2019.

He has promised the same since 2017 so it isn’t just Covid.

hdavies15
hdavies15
2 years ago
Reply to  Kerry Davies

Anyone associated with running the WRU or any of the 4 regions is rightly regarded with suspicion. As for the cost of living the initiatives needed are so self evident but Boris, Sunak &Co are doing well out of duty and VAT receipts so you may as well go to a quiet corner and whistle for all the good it’ll do.

Quornby
Quornby
2 years ago

Buttress has taken the clowns shilling?

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
2 years ago

Sadly David Buttress’s credibility is nosediving faster than Britain’s GDP after Brexit. I would never backtrack on any comments made unless not factual. What next for Buttress ? An apology for being critical of Whitehall and vocal support for Welsh independence?

Tarrantboy
Tarrantboy
2 years ago
Reply to  Y Cymro

Completely expect that to happen

The original mark
The original mark
2 years ago

This bloke came up with an idea that means millions of people can sit on their backsides and order fast food over the phone, a few weeks ago the UK hit the number one spot, for being the fattest nation in Europe, Buttress clearly isn’t to blame for that achievement, but he certainly isn’t helping, but that’s OK because he supports independence, personally I think his company and others like him should be closed down, if people want to eat crap diets, at least make them put in some effort to get them, a bit more than walking all the… Read more »

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