The time I tried contraception: Boris Johnson's next Daily Mail column

SEX! There, I’ve got your attention. Sex! We’ve all done it. Or had it done to you, if you’re a woman. Some of you have had it done to you by me. Quite a few, in fact.

I’ve had bags of sex. Oodles of top-notch rumpo. But contraception? Not my thing. Putting a rubber johnny on feels like I’m putting a balaclava on my little fellow, like one of those ghastly IRA chappies. 

I did try it once, mind. I’ve put a fair few past the goalkeeper in my time, and all these sprogs popping out of fannies everywhere were costing me the earth. Plus it’s damnably hard to remember their names. I love my children, all eight (?) of them, but frankly I’ve got better things to do.

Anyway, back in the day, mindful of the population explosion and just having written a playful editorial for the Spectator saying the people of Liverpool should be sterilised, I thought I’d give contraception a go. 

To my dismay, sheathing the old beef bayonet was a bloody disaster. I spent an age trying to unwrap the little package – they make it so blasted difficult to get any purchase on it – then I couldn’t work out which way to roll it on, and by the time I’d fathomed the whole thing my todger was as limp and pathetic as Rishi Sunak.

I learned a valuable lesson that day – contraception gets in the way of your own pleasure, so don’t use it. It’s that sort of ‘real world’ sex education they should be teaching in schools.

Of course, they say the best form of contraception is to be physically and morally repulsive so women avoid you. Well, I’ve tried – God knows, I’ve tried – but it still seems there are fillies out there willing to be mounted by my slobbering, grunting, obnoxious self.

But all the vagina in the world wouldn’t make me try a prophylactic again. Which will mean more mini-Borises and Borisettes. Maybe 15 or 20. Sorry, but there’s nothing I can do about it.

There is one valuable piece of advice I’d like to share, which is – oh, I’ve reached my word count, so f**k that. What d’you want me to write about next week? Socks? Bananas? Socks and bananas? I can knock out 400 words of shit on that.

Six ways to unsuccessfully conceal your burning passion for a co-worker

DO you have strong feelings of love and sexual attraction for a colleague? Is it guaranteed to go absolutely f**king nowhere? Here’s how to bury your feelings deep in your broken heart.

Pretending they don’t exist

Pretending they don’t exist will cause problems with office communication, but claiming not to care about someone in films always ends in true love, so problem solved. It wouldn’t be in Romancing the Stone if it wasn’t true. Alternatively the tension may cause a meltdown in the office where you blurt out ‘I love you, Zoe, can’t we be together forever?’, to which the answer is ‘no’ and it’s probably best to kill yourself to avoid a lifetime of embarrassment.

Deflecting

Force yourself to develop a crush on a different co-worker. This is risky/unsavoury if everyone is married, approaching retirement age or, in Fiona’s case, your boss. Despite being a 30-year-old heterosexual male it looks as if the least bad alternative is going out with Bryan the weird IT support guy. Still, sexuality is fluid and maybe you’ll grow fond of anal sex and extremely shit action movies.

Make a joke of it

Pretend that every interaction with the object of your desire is amorous, and turn every comment into innuendo. This will firmly establish you’re ‘just good mates’ and, depressingly, your true love may find it jolly amusing and play along. However there’s a danger your constant references to sex get you known as  ‘the office perv’, leading to a deeply unerotic interaction with HR. 

Acting overly formally

Acting aloof and emotionally stunted works a treat in Jane Austen, where people have literally no idea that someone is desperately in love with them, so this is a great way to conceal your feelings. However your stilted manner and Victorian behaviour may soon remind colleagues of arch-twat and Brexit arsehole Jacob Rees-Mogg, and you discover them in the office kitchen emptying the little white Rentokil boxes of mouse poison into your tea. 

Use body language

Trying to disguise obvious signs of infatuation when working closely together is difficult. Gazing into their lovely eyes while cradling your chin with both hands as they talk about the new fire safety drill is a bit of a giveaway. As is sweating, tight-lipped grimacing and fainting when you’re in their presence. Although it’s fairly normal ‘talking to a woman’ behaviour if you’re into Warhammer.

Make everyone believe you can never love again

Strongly imply you are the victim of a passionate yet doomed affaire de coeur, like Jack and Rose, Heathcliff and Cathy, or Frodo and Sam. Now your heart does not permit you to love any other. This is an excellent cover tactic, although by the time you’ve concocted a tragic backstory, just saying ‘F**k it, Zoe, I really fancy you. D’you want a drink then sex tonight?’ and living with the consequences is far less hassle.