Johnson is known for his offensive language, particularly the various comments he made about women, the LGBTQ+ community, and foreign leaders. One of these instances occurred before his ascent to prime minister, when in a 2018 newspaper column, Boris Johnson likened women who wear burkas to "bank robbers" and "letter boxes. Additionally, Johnson was widely criticized for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, with concerns that the government had a slow reaction and that communication was often unclear.