The National:

BORIS Johnson has been roundly mocked for announcing the return of imperial measures for the gazillionth time. 

Plans to take the “Brexit opportunity” to bring back pounds and ounces were announced in September, in the New Year, in February, and now again apparently to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee. Harking back to the bygone days of empire is something of a hobby for the UK’s regime after all.

The announcement has done little to persuade anyone that the criminal in No 10 should stay there – other than Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross, who seems to be under the impression that Johnson is single-handedly fighting a war in Ukraine.

But other, less sycophantic Tories, aren’t impressed by Downing Street’s latest effort.

“This announcement seems to come round earlier every year,” former Tory MP and secretary of state David Gauke wrote on Twitter.

Tobias Ellwood, an influential Conservative backbencher and former minister, wrote: “I see the Dead Cat Committee has met again…”

The implication is clear: that Johnson is announcing headline-catching policy for the umpteenth time in order to distract from the litany of failures revealed in the Sue Gray report.

Senior Scottish Tory Liz Smith also seemed unimpressed. Alongside an eyes emoji, she wrote: “I suppose the only upside is that my late mother’s (wonderful) recipes will be back in fashion…”

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also had her say, writing: “To paraphrase - ‘those whom the gods seek to destroy they first make utterly ridiculous’.”

Others queued up to mock the backward-looking Tory government, claiming that the return of rationing was sure to be announced in the near future.

SNP MP Richard Thomson quipped: “He’ll be reintroducing Rickets next.”

His colleague Pete Wishart wrote: “The benefits of Brexit are never ending... Next will be shillings and tanners and children up chimneys.”

Labour MP Angela Eagle added: “Literally attempting to weaponise nostalgia for a time few can remember and even fewer wish to return to – pathetic.”

Political commentator Gerry Hassan called the announcement “nostalgia nationalism”. He added: “With nothing to offer to deal with the crises of the moment. And no policies and ideas for the big issues or to speak to the future of the UK.”

Another commentator, Mujtaba Rahman, wrote: “Not this old chestnut. Pretty desperate stuff. Prob explained by anxiety in No10 that more MPs are coming out every day against @BorisJohnson - they're not as confident as they were immediately after Gray report was published.”

If the Tory MPs had any backbone, they’d surely have disposed of Johnson long ago.