Tag: Boris Johnson

Boris: Who is responsible?

So, news is now breaking that Boris Johnson will step down as Prime Minister. As well as the leadership contest, the blame game now begins. Tory MPs are keen to pin the blame for the current mess on Boris Johnson himself. He in turn has attempted always to avoid taking personal responsibility, denying knowledge of… Continue reading Boris: Who is responsible?

Boris and a question of character

As I write, Boris Johnson is still clinging on to power. That could change quickly.  Prime Ministers are remembered as much by how the leave office as anything.  Gordon Brown will be remembered for eventually leaving with his two sons and a level of dignity left, David Cameron for humming a care free tune as… Continue reading Boris and a question of character

What next for Boris?

Yesterday evening, Boris Johnson survived a “No Confidence” vote from his own MPs by 211 votes to 148. This meant that 41% of his own MPs declared no confidence in him. However, in fact, he fare worse than that.  Between 160-170 MPs are on the government payroll as ministers/aides.  It’s possible that some of these… Continue reading What next for Boris?

Resignation offers, integrity and grace

#Partygate and #Beergate continue to rumble on.  In latest developments, Labour leader Keir Starmer has said that he will resign if he is issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice fine for breeching covid regulations.  His supporters have suggested that this shows integrity and compares unfavourably with the way that the Prime Minister has refused to… Continue reading Resignation offers, integrity and grace

Truth and birthday cake

Yesterday, the House of Commons agreed to a motion calling for an investigation of Boris Johnson. That investigation will focus on whether or not the Prime Minister mislead parliament when responding to questions about alleged parties at Downing Street during the lockdowns. The debate both inside the House of Commons and wider in the media… Continue reading Truth and birthday cake

Boris, Rishi #Partygate and standards in public life

We now know that the Prime Minister and his wife as well as the Chancellor of the Exchequer have been fined over the so called #Partygate. Meanwhile there are questions about Rishi Sunak’s wife -and therefore him benefitting from her Non Dom status so that she did not pay tax in the UK.   Some people… Continue reading Boris, Rishi #Partygate and standards in public life

On Tank battles – you don’t have to fight on the enemy’s terms

When the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, this video clip of Boris Johnson arguing with Tobias Elwood about defence spending was circulated.  For the record, I think Elwood has a point re defence spending in general.  I’m also not convinced that Boris engages that point fairly or fully. However, the reason that the clip did… Continue reading On Tank battles – you don’t have to fight on the enemy’s terms

Does it add up?

The controversy around #PartyGate continues to rumble on.  The Metropolitan Police have begun their investigation. Last week, Boris Johnson was reportedly sent a questionnaire by the police. Well, I understand that he likes a quiz. Whilst we await the outcome, people continue to speculate about what the implications will be if the Prime Minister is… Continue reading Does it add up?

Sue Gray’s Report, Party Gate and church culture

We now have the Sue Gray report (or at least a heavily redacted version) available to read giving us a little bit more of an insight into Downing Street life and culture during the pandemic. One question that has come up as we’ve awaited Gray’s findings has been about the rights and wrongs of the… Continue reading Sue Gray’s Report, Party Gate and church culture