Countdown’s Susie Dent throws shade on Boris Johnson over partygate with word of the day

‘I love Susie Dent. She’s so classy while sticking the boot in,’ posted one fan

Countdown’s Susie Dent has delighted fans by appearing to shade Boris Johnson, after it was announced the prime minister paid a fine for his breach of Covid rules.

On Tuesday (12 March), it was announced that Johnson and Rishi Sunak, the chancellor of the exchequer, had been fined for breaking laws their own government had passed by attending social gatherings at the height of the lockdown.

Every day, Dent, a lexicographer and etymologist who runs Countdown’s Dictionary Corner, posts a “word of the day” on Twitter, with her posts often alluding to current affairs.

In her latest post on Tuesday, she wrote: “Word of the day is ‘maw-worm’ (19th century): one who insists that they have done nothing wrong, despite evidence to the contrary.”

At the time of writing, the post has been liked 89,800 times. “Ha, bang on the money again Susie,” commented one fan.

“Your tweets are joyous!” wrote another, while a third said: “I love Susie Dent. She’s so classy while sticking the boot in.”

Johnson – who is the first ever British prime minister to have broken the law – had repeatedly denied breaking lockdown rules. Following the fine, he said: “I have to say, in all frankness, at that time it did not occur to me that this might have been a breach of the rules.

“But of course the police have found otherwise and I fully respect the outcome of their investigation.”

Labour leader Keir Starmer is among those who have called for Johnson and Sunak to resign after breaking the law and lying.

“The Conservatives are totally unfit to govern. Britain deserves better,” he said.