Peter Bull
Universities of York & Salford, United KingdomPresentation Title:
Adversarial discourse in parliamentary discourse in the United Kingdom
Abstract
Prime Minister's
Questions (PMQs) is the UK Parliament’s primary regular debating event. How
well democracy is served by the practice and procedures of PMQs is the
principal focus of this paper, with a particular focus on its role in the overthrow
of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson (PM 2019-2022). PMQs is notorious for
its adversarial discourse, especially between the two main party leaders, the
Leader of the Opposition (LO) and the PM. Just as heavyweight boxers are
evaluated on their abilities to deliver and counter punches, so the two leaders
are expected to be skilled in handling verbal fisticuffs. Adversarialism in
PMQs discourse is the main focus of a series of empirical studies conducted by
the author and colleagues. Its characteristic features are personal attacks,
for which MPs (Members of Parliament) have been extensively criticized).
However, in this paper it is proposed that the personal attacks of LO Sir Keir
Starmer on PM Boris Johnson played an important and significant role in driving
him from office. Johnson was appointed PM on July 24, 2019. The following year,
his government enacted draconian legislation intended to prevent the spread of
the Covid-19 virus. Social gatherings were explicitly prohibited, but there
followed a string of allegations that drinks parties attended by Johnson were
being hosted in 10 Downing Street. Repeated questions from Starmer at PMQs
about these gatherings led to furious denials from Johnson, but also to an
investigation by the House of Commons privileges committee, who concluded that
MPs had been seriously misled by Johnson’s repeated denials. Discredited with
the general public and disowned by his own party, Johnson announced his
resignation as PM (8 July, 2022).
Biography
Professor Peter Bull PhD, FBPsS
(Universities of York & Salford, UK) is a specialist in the analysis of
language and communication. He read Modern History at the University of Oxford,
and Psychology at the University of Exeter, where he wrote a PhD thesis on the
Psychological Significance of Posture. He is now Honorary Professor in
Psychology at the Universities of York and Salford (Manchester, UK), and
Visiting Professor in Political Communication at the University of Antwerp
(Belgium). He has also been Visiting Professor at Sapienza University of Rome
(Italy), and is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society. Peter Bull’s
principal academic interest is in the detailed microanalysis of interpersonal
communication. He has over 150 academic publications, principally concerned
with this theme, especially political communication. His research has been
extensively cited (6,477 citations, Google Scholar, 20 January, 2024 -
publication h-index 40, i-10 index 96). He has been listed in
the Dictionary of International Biography, and in
Marquis' Who's Who in the World. He also has a personal
profile on the Social Psychology Network (18,115 hits, 20 January, 2025). Peter
Bull’s latest book (Peter Bull & Maurice Waddle: The Psychology of
Political Communication: Politicians under the Microscope) was published by
Routledge in 2023.
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