Among the highest paid actors in the world and widely considered as one of Hollywood’s nice guys, Dwayne Johnson is often asked whether he would think about running for president.
But when he is visiting the UK – and with the country in just a spot of political turmoil at the moment, it’s fair to say – how about a move into Number 10 to try to sort things out?
Speaking to Sky News at the premiere of his new “anti-hero” superhero film Black Adam, Johnsonmentioned his political namesake as he asked if the UK would be prepared for him.
“Are you ready for another Johnson prime minister?” he said. “Maybe Rock prime minister?”
Johnson, also known by his nickname The Rock from his days as a professional wrestler, does not give much away.
“I will tell you this… It’s great to be back in London. I will tell you that.”
The star’s comments came as a YouGov poll of Tory members found that more than half (55%) think Liz Truss should resign now – and almost a third (32%) believe her predecessor Boris Johnson would be the best person to replace her as prime minister.
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Johnson (The Rock, not the former PM) has addressed calls in the US for him to make a White House bid several times, saying in a recent interview with CNN: “I have seriously considered it. You have to. When you start looking at some of these polls, and these numbers creep up into the 46%, 50% of the country would vote for me should I run, and I have been – I’ve been really moved by that.”
In September 2020, Johnson endorsed Joe Biden with a video interview in which he described the then upcoming election as “arguably the most critical” in decades.
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The star said at the time that he was a “political independent and centrist” who had voted for both the Democrats and the Republicans in the past.
‘The most important role of my life’
At the moment though, with his career on screen showing no signs of slowing down, politics is on the backburner.
Johnson has played numerous action men and tough guys in the past, but Black Adam is his first foray into the superhero world.
Fifteen years in the making, he describes the film – based on the DC Comics character of the same name – as a “passion project” that he fought to turn into a reality when some studio executives weren’t sure it would sell.
Teth Adam is an anti-hero slave, blessed with the powers of Superman, who rises once again some 5,000 years after being imprisoned for using his powers for vengeance. In modern times, as he wields his dark sense of justice, he is challenged by a group of heroes known as the Justice Society.
Once a professional wrestler, and with a physique that lends itself to playing a superhero, Johnson has said this role was the only one he wanted to take on, writing on Instagram before the premiere: “When I was a little boy the one thing that drew me to Teth Adam when I saw my first Black Adam comic…
“He was a hero of color.
“That mattered to me then.
“As it matters to me now. Kids of ALL colors around the world will now be able to see themselves in Black Adam.”
Speaking to Sky News, Johnson said Black Adam was the “most important movie of my entire career”.
He continued: “I think it’s the most important role of my life. And what I mean by that, context for people, is I feel like everything that I have done has led to Black Adam.
“I also feel like Black Adam represents a commitment and a tenacity to keep pushing, when… there were a lot of people throughout the course of the past 15 years who felt like, well, is there real value in introducing Black Adam to the world? Will people like him?
“And I truly in my heart, I felt, yeah, if we make the movie right, we can create a character that people can see themselves in.”
Black Adam, also starring Pierce Brosnan, Aldis Hodge, Sarah Shahi, Noah Centineo, Marwan Kenzari and Quintessa Swindell, is released in cinemas in the UK and Ireland on 21 October
“Immediate action” is being taken after blueprints of jail layouts were shared online.
The maps detailing the layouts of prisons in England and Wales were leaked on the dark web over the past fortnight, according to The Times.
The detailed information is said to include the locations of cameras and sensors, prompting fears they could be used to smuggle drugs or weapons into prisons or help inmates plan escapes.
Security officials are now working to identify the source of the leak and who might benefit from the details.
The Ministry of Justice did not disclose which prisons were involved in the breach.
A government spokesperson said in a statement: “We are not going to comment on the specific detail of security matters of this kind, but we are aware of a breach of data to the prison estate and, like with all potential breaches, have taken immediate action to ensure prisons remain secure.”
The leak comes amid a chronic prison overcrowding crisis, which has led to early release schemes and the re-categorising of the security risks of some offenders to ease capacity pressures.
The UK will “set out a path” to lift defence spending to 2.5% of national income in the spring, the prime minister has said, finally offering a timeframe for an announcement on the long-awaited hike after mounting criticism.
Sir Keir Starmer gave the date during a phone call with Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO, in the wake of threats by Moscow to target UK and US military facilities following a decision by London and Washington to let Ukraine fire their missiles inside Russia.
There was no clarity though on when the 2.5% level will be achieved. The UK says it currently spends around 2.3% of GDP on defence.
A spokeswoman for Downing Street said that the two men “began by discussing the situation in Ukraine and reiterated the importance of putting the country in the strongest possible position going into the winter”.
They also talked about the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers to fight alongside Russia.
“The prime minister underscored the need for all NATO countries to step up in support of our collective defence and updated on the government’s progress on the strategic defence review,” the spokeswoman said.
“His government would set out the path to 2.5% in the spring.”
The defence review will also be published in the spring.
While a date for an announcement on 2.5% will be welcomed by the Ministry of Defence, analysts have long warned that such an increase is still well below the amount that is needed to rebuild the armed forces after decades of decline to meet growing global threats from Russia, an increasingly assertive China, North Korea and Iran.
They say the UK needs to be aiming to hit at least 3% – probably higher.
With Donald Trump returning to the White House, there will be significantly more pressure on the UK and other European NATO allies to accelerate increases in defence spending.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after one man died and another was critically injured in a shooting in Birmingham.
Police were called to Rotton Park Road in Edgbaston, just before 11pm on Friday, to reports that two people had been shot.
One man, in his 20s, was found in a car but was pronounced dead at the scene.
Another man, in his 30s, was found injured at a bus stop, and was taken to hospital where he remains in a critical condition, West Midlands Police added.
Firearms officers arrested a man in his 30s on suspicion of murder just before 12.30am. He remains in custody.
Officers remain on the scene, with road closures in place. The force said reassurance patrols will also be taking place.
Detective Inspector Nick Barnes said: “This is a tragic incident, and we have worked through the night to understand exactly what happened.
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“We’ve already made good progress and arrested a suspect, but I still need to hear from anyone who was in the area that we’ve not already spoken to.
“This happened near the busy junction with City Road and it may be that you’ve got dashcam footage or mobile phone footage from the area just before 11pm.
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“We really need to hear from you so that we can build as clear a picture as possible of what happened.”
Officers are urging anyone with information to get in contact, with anonymous tips also taken via Crimestoppers.