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

[Lewist123]

Watching Johnson answer these questions is just painful.
What self-respecting person would choose to carry on right now. It's over, how can he not see that. I feel embarrassed for him.

[Torrain]

https://mobile.twitter.com/nickeardleybbc/status/1544704684312731648

[TheTide]

Chris Heaton-Harris, the Chief Whip, and Simon Hart, the Welsh Secretary, and others are to visit Johnson to tell him to resign.

Edit: Nadhim Zahawi is amongst the aforementioned delegation! And Brandon Lewis, Northern Ireland Secretary, and Grant Shapps, Transport Secretary.

[EastAnglianLefty]

Rachel Maclean, Minister for Safeguarding, has resigned.

That letter was a bit more explosive - effectively stating that Johnson's actions made it impossible for anybody to actually promote safeguarding.

[Torrain]

Boris is in front of the Liaison Committee, and it’s just brutal. In the last few minutes alone, they’ve read out the news that he’s lost another group of PPS, and asked him whether he knows what the maths of losing 148 (confidence vote MPs) + 32 (resignation MPs) means.

Johnson is angry, cornered and refusing to cede any ground.

[TheTide]

Boris is in front of the Liaison Committee, and it’s just brutal. In the last few minutes alone, they’ve read out the news that he’s lost another group of PPS, and asked him whether he knows what the maths of losing 148 (confidence vote MPs) + 32 (resignation MPs) means.

Johnson is angry, cornered and refusing to cede any ground.

And the news about the cabinet delegation.

[Torrain]

Really strong language in the just-released resignation of Johnson’s PPS Mark Fletcher (who holds Dennis Skinner’s former seat of Bolsover). Explicitly says Johnson blamed Pincher’s victims, for their own alcohol consumption.

https://mobile.twitter.com/REWearmouth/status/1544706039957831686

[Torrain]

Boris is in front of the Liaison Committee, and it’s just brutal. In the last few minutes alone, they’ve read out the news that he’s lost another group of PPS, and asked him whether he knows what the maths of losing 148 (confidence vote MPs) + 32 (resignation MPs) means.

Johnson is angry, cornered and refusing to cede any ground.

And the news about the cabinet delegation.

Yeah - he’s just ignoring all of it.
And as I’m writing, he just ruled out resigning again, and pivoted to a demand that he be allowed to fulfil his manifesto. The whole answer devolved into a waffle about charging electric cars. It’s beyond parody.

[Sir Mohamed]

At this rate, I doubt BoJo even makes it through the summer. Literally no chance he'll be PM on New Year's Eve. Even if he doesn't the realize it yet, the dude is done.

[Torrain]

At this rate, I doubt BoJo even makes it through the summer. Literally no chance he'll be PM on New Year's Eve. Even if he doesn't the realize it yet, the dude is done.

The scale of rebellion is unprecedented. If he doesn’t resign tonight, I’m fairly confident there will be a confidence vote in the next 48 hours. The whips cannot even find candidates to fill major ministerial roles. The government is functionally paralysed.

[TheTide]

Kwasi Kwarteng (Business Secretary), Michelle Donelan (newly appointed Education Secretary) amongst the delegation. Patel and Marie-Trevelyan also in Number 10.

I make that 7 cabinet ministers plus the Chief Whip who no longer support Johnson, not counting Patel and Marie-Trevelyan (whose positions aren't official as of time of writing).

[Statilius the Epicurean]

Yeah I give it a couple of days maximum if that, and purely for technical reasons if they need to hold another VONC. He’s donezo.

[TheTide]

1922 not changing the rules, but will hold its elections on Monday, which would presumably be the point that the rules get changed if he hasn't resigned by then.

[CumbrianLefty]

Its totally pathetic I know, but part of Johnson's thinking now may be that if he can just hang on a few more months, he will overtake Callaghan and (crucially) May in terms of his tenure as PM.

[Silent Hunter]

He'd probably be able to do that if he's allowed to stay on until a leadership contest is done.

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

I hope he doesn’t make it a full three years.

[TheTide]

Nadine Dorries has just walked into Number Ten.

[Zinneke]

Zahawi what a slimeball trying to hatch on the Grey Suits brigade.

[CumbrianLefty]

He'd probably be able to do that if he's allowed to stay on until a leadership contest is done.

I think he would need to last well into August, so perhaps not quite.

[afleitch]

Zahawi what a slimeball trying to hatch on the Grey Suits brigade.

Zahawi Deserts.

[Zinneke]

Zahawi what a slimeball trying to hatch on the Grey Suits brigade.

Zahawi Deserts.

This is a guy who ran a political polling company and couldn't see the writing on the wall yesterday evening.

I genuinely hate him and all these other Tory opportunists more than Johnson

[CumbrianLefty]

Johnson's (few?) remaining supporters apparently saying he is serious about his threat to dissolve the current parliament "if that is what it takes".

I mean, it is still most likely a total bluff and even if he attempts that it will surely fail. But even so it is far from unbelievable that he might give it a go. Yet again, it would be just desserts for a party that in large measure voted for him to be PM *despite knowing what sort of person he was*.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Johnson's (few?) remaining supporters apparently saying he is serious about his threat to dissolve the current parliament "if that is what it takes".

I mean, it is still most likely a total bluff and even if he attempts that it will surely fail. But even so it is far from unbelievable that he might give it a go. Yet again, it would be just desserts for a party that in large measure voted for him to be PM *despite knowing what sort of person he was*.

Has the Fixed Terms Act been repealed cause if it isn’t then Boris would not be able to go through with this threat

[Oryxslayer]

Johnson's (few?) remaining supporters apparently saying he is serious about his threat to dissolve the current parliament "if that is what it takes".

I mean, it is still most likely a total bluff and even if he attempts that it will surely fail. But even so it is far from unbelievable that he might give it a go. Yet again, it would be just desserts for a party that in large measure voted for him to be PM *despite knowing what sort of person he was*.

I mean we all know that such a move would be pure reaction and retribution,  with a side of risking it all for more time in power. Especially since we can expect Uxbridge to go red in the current environment - especially if Boris is still there. And it probably won't change the Tory line, they would just run on something anti-Boris but in favor of saving the furniture.  

Johnson's (few?) remaining supporters apparently saying he is serious about his threat to dissolve the current parliament "if that is what it takes".

I mean, it is still most likely a total bluff and even if he attempts that it will surely fail. But even so it is far from unbelievable that he might give it a go. Yet again, it would be just desserts for a party that in large measure voted for him to be PM *despite knowing what sort of person he was*.

Has the Fixed Terms Act been repealed cause if it isn’t then Boris would not be able to go through with this threat

Yes, in March.

[Sestak]

Johnson's (few?) remaining supporters apparently saying he is serious about his threat to dissolve the current parliament "if that is what it takes".

I mean, it is still most likely a total bluff and even if he attempts that it will surely fail. But even so it is far from unbelievable that he might give it a go. Yet again, it would be just desserts for a party that in large measure voted for him to be PM *despite knowing what sort of person he was*.

Has the Fixed Terms Act been repealed cause if it isn’t then Boris would not be able to go through with this threat

It was repealed a few months ago.