UK General Discussion:The Rt. Hon Alex Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, Populist Hero

[EastAnglianLefty]

There was a suggestion that the Met were holding up publication because they were investigating more serious offences which might go before a jury. They've now denied this (off the record, to the Press Association) and said that the things they're investigating are covered by FPNs.

This being the case, we can be reasonably sure that the problem is that they are even stupider than everybody has been assuming and really have decided to just wade in and make themselves look absurdly corrupt.

[Torrain]

https://twitter.com/HugoGye/status/1487141693811998724
Context: Gye is political editor for the Independent.

Tbh - if true, this is not as bad as it could have been. Leaving the report largely intact, with the odd section scored out is better than what was being floated over the past 72 hours (i.e. rewriting the report to exclude the conclusions).

Additionally, allowing publication of the unredacted report at the end of the Met investigation is unambiguously good.

It's not going to be great - and I expect social media to scream 'cover-up' for the next few weeks whatever is in the report. But it's a whole lot better than delaying the Gray report entirely, and leaving the country 100% in limbo, while the Met stumbles from one controversy to the next.

I'd also warrant that this is a climbdown from the Met, after the fierce pushback  they received today from legal figures, including at least one former Head of Public Prosecutions.

[Silent Hunter]

I'd also warrant that this is a climbdown from the Met, after the fierce pushback  they received today from legal figures, including at least one former Head of Public Prosecutions.

One who isn't Sir Keir Starmer, I assume.

[Blair]

Have to admire the fact that the Met have been so incompetent this week that they’ve been forced to issue two press releases- rather than their usual tactic of leaking.

Very early days but it appears they have jumped in at the last minute to try and get some credit and glory but have essentially crashed the entire report into a ditch.

[Blair]

On a serious note at least no one has died from this episode of the Mets incompetence.

[Conservatopia]

I was nicked by the Met once in the Houses of Parliament.
Fun times.

[Torrain]

I was nicked by the Met once in the Houses of Parliament.
Fun times.

Was it warranted, or a classic Met blunder?

[Blair]

It’s quite impressive that Boris is going to survive this- most likely without even a confidence vote happening.

[Secretary of State Liberal Hack]

It’s quite impressive that Boris is going to survive this- most likely without even a confidence vote happening.

Good news for labour, helps it stick with the tory party.

[CumbrianLefty]

It’s quite impressive that Boris is going to survive this- most likely without even a confidence vote happening.

Or as Matthew Parris suggests in his somewhat scathing Times piece today, it says the most about the collective cowardice within the parliamentary Tory party.

[Blair]

It’s quite impressive that Boris is going to survive this- most likely without even a confidence vote happening.

Or as Matthew Parris suggests in his somewhat scathing Times piece today, it says the most about the collective cowardice within the parliamentary Tory party.

Yes there has certainly been the vibe over the last two weeks that they're looking for every excuse not to act- I guess a weaker than expected (although remember they were once briefing it would clear them completely!) Gray report & a modest narrowing in the polls will allow him to survive- and even the May Elections can easily be spun on a bad night- as the only bad results on a poor night (rather than an awful one) would be in London.

[Silent Hunter]

Boris could set off nukes on a spice world and they wouldn't act.

[gerritcole]

Boris could set off nukes on a spice world and they wouldn't act.

Who is labours muaddib

[Torrain]

Boris could set off nukes on a spice world and they wouldn't act.

Who is labours muaddib

“I must not fear. Fear is the vote-killer”

[Statilius the Epicurean]

It’s quite impressive that Boris is going to survive this- most likely without even a confidence vote happening.

Or as Matthew Parris suggests in his somewhat scathing Times piece today, it says the most about the collective cowardice within the parliamentary Tory party.

May showed how difficult it is to remove a sitting PM who refuses to go. And all of the reports about the whips' skulduggery has made it look like Boris has gone scorched earth.

[TheTide]

It’s quite impressive that Boris is going to survive this- most likely without even a confidence vote happening.

Or as Matthew Parris suggests in his somewhat scathing Times piece today, it says the most about the collective cowardice within the parliamentary Tory party.

May showed how difficult it is to remove a sitting PM who refuses to go. And all of the reports about the whips' skulduggery has made it look like Boris has gone scorched earth.

May showed how useless the Tory Party is in general.

[Blair]

This should be very worrying- the Government do not have a single policy to talk about to counter questions about inflation at 6% and energy bills doubling.

It’s also remarkable how bad Truss is at this- she got promoted for her ability to send good vibes to Tory activists and it shows.

https://mobile.twitter.com/RidgeOnSunday/status/1487714742458368001

[MABA 2020]

As I said last week, the Tory party is not as cutthroat as they like to say they are

[CumbrianLefty]

As I said last week, the Tory party is not as cutthroat as they like to say they are

Yes, their fabled "ruthlessness" is somewhat mythologised.

Its basically built on two episodes - Thatcher's fall (its almost written out of history now that she was a literal handful of MPs away from winning re-election, and would surely have managed that but for her utterly abysmal "campaign manager") and IDS - well, nuff said really

[Torrain]

Cummings continues his crusade:

Guardian: Dominic Cummings says it is his ‘duty to get rid’ of Boris Johnson
Dominic Cummings has said it is his “duty to get rid” of Boris Johnson as prime minister, describing it as “sort of like fixing the drains”.

The prime minister’s former chief adviser called his former boss a “complete f**kwit” whose only preoccupations were “Big Ben’s bongs” and “looking at maps” to “order the building of things” in his honour.

Cummings, who has sent evidence to the Cabinet Office inquiry led by Sue Gray, said it was imperative Johnson was removed from office. Speaking to New York magazine, he called it “an unpleasant but necessary job” and said it was legitimate to remove a prime minister who had won a big election victory if they were not up to the job.

It is irrational of me to think that this kind of public statement does his cause more harm than good? As much as it earns him Twitter followers, it just feels like he's giving ammunition to loyalist Conservative MPs to discredit evidence in the Gray Report - given that he's hardly an impartial witness.

While that should not cast doubt on the broad contents of the report, it still provides the sort of political opening for others that Cummings himself has been so apt at exploiting in the past (see Turkey and the EU in the referendum, Corbyn's conga-line of mini-controversies for the 2019 election etc).

[YL]

As I said last week, the Tory party is not as cutthroat as they like to say they are

Yes, their fabled "ruthlessness" is somewhat mythologised.

Its basically built on two episodes - Thatcher's fall (its almost written out of history now that she was a literal handful of MPs away from winning re-election, and would surely have managed that but for her utterly abysmal "campaign manager") and IDS - well, nuff said really

I suppose there's also Heath's fall in 1975, but he had lost two or three General Elections (depending on what you mean by "lost") by that point.

[Torrain]

https://mobile.twitter.com/benrileysmith/status/1487910893698617348

[Pericles]

Disappointing that patients would be put at risk and that there are doctors stupid enough not to get vaccinated. Given how long the UK vaccine rollout has been going for, this should have been implemented months ago. It is also nonsense that it would lead to a shortage, the vast vast majority just comply with outright mandates. Public health just doesn't matter at all compared to Boris Johnson's job in this government, hopefully Britain gets lucky and avoids much damage from those choices.

[Torrain]

Disappointing that patients would be put at risk and that there are doctors stupid enough not to get vaccinated. Given how long the UK vaccine rollout has been going for, this should have been implemented months ago. It is also nonsense that it would lead to a shortage, the vast vast majority just comply with outright mandates. Public health just doesn't matter at all compared to Boris Johnson's job in this government, hopefully Britain gets lucky and avoids much damage from those choices.

I’m in two minds about the climb down.

Personally, I’m fully supportive of the vaccine program. I’m triple-jabbed, work in virology, and have no time for vaccine conspiracies. Current research suggests that even when infected, the vaccinated shed less virus and handle higher viral titers better. And in the long term, it may be untenable to employ an anti-scientific workforce who may refuse to endorse vital new treatments for their patients, based on the opinions of Joe Rogan.

However - the NHS is, as a rule, under pressure. More so than ever right now. A government threatening to push out NHS staff (who have more political capital than they’ve had in decades) was always going to be an uphill battle. And given this government has undermined its credibility through repeated u-turns on major policy, it’s no wonder opposed groups like the Royal College of Nursing knew they could put up an organised opposition against the policy.

Mandates have been quite effective at driving vaccine uptake in some jurisdictions (especially in our continental neighbours), but as this government loses its moral authority, such measures have become less effective. This may have been the wrong policy for the right reasons.

In essence, I think this whole situation is a regrettable, but inevitable one in the current climate.

[Torrain]

Johnson has the redacted Grey Report

https://mobile.twitter.com/bbclaurak/status/1488109380965117955

Edit: Johnson now scheduled to make Commons statement on the report at 15.30.

Edit 2: Gray Report (or ‘update on her investigation’ to use Gray’s more cautious language) will be released around 14.30