Philip Pullman says Britain has reached a point where ‘stupidity is indistinguishable from wickedness’

Author also compared Boris Johnson to a parasitic worm

His Dark Materials writer Philip Pullman has said Britain has reached a point where “stupidity is indistinguishable from wickedness”.

The author’s comments arrive in the context of the country’s election campaign ahead of 12 December.

“There comes a point in the history of a nation where stupidity is indistinguishable from wickedness,” he wrote on Twitter. “That’s where we are now.”

Later in the thread, Pullman replied to a suggestion that he “leave all this madness soon” with the word: “Tempting.”

Commenting on a video of Boris Johnson in which the Prime Minister makes excuses for not doing a BBC interview with Andrew Neil, just as other party leaders have agreed to, Pullman simply wrote: “Helminthic.”

A helminth is another word for a parasitic worm.

There is an ongoing dispute over Johnson being interviewed by Neil. Corbyn submitted himself to the grilling on Tuesday (26 November) with his team saying he took part in the interview on the understanding that Johnson would face the same scrutiny. However, the BBC does not have an agreement in place with Johnson to appear.

Meanwhile, Channel 4 hosted a televised debate about the climate emergency on Thursday (28 November) and when Johnson failed to show, the broadcaster filled his empty chair with a melting ice sculpture to “represent the emergency on planet earth”.

The TV adaptation of Pullman’s fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials, starring Ruth Wilson and Dafne Keen, is currently airing on Sunday nights on BBC1.