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

[Joe Republic]

This is worse than the 90s.

I await the news that a Tory MP has been found dead from autoerotic self-strangulation while wearing nothing but stockings and suspenders and an orange in his mouth.  _{notthattheresanythingwrongwiththat}

[Continential]

https://mobile.twitter.com/BallotBoxScot/status/1513919095061856263


It seems like Scottish Labour’s strategy is going well, but I’m surprised the LibDems are doing so well.

[Torrain]

I’m really glad Sarwar’s strategy is starting to pay off - he’s fighting an admirable uphill fight, and if Keir Starmer ever becomes PM, I imagine Sarwar will be among those he has to thank. Whether that comes to pass though, remains vague.

Not 100% sure why the Lib Dems are having a moment - but I’d suggest it’s one of two possibilities:
1. Is that they recently changed Leader, changing out classic retail politician Willie Rennie, an eccentric but slightly endearing older chap from Fife, with Alex Cole-Hamilton, a younger and slicker politician from a student-filled part of Edinburgh.
2. “The rising tide raises all boats.” As I’ve noted before, a bad year for the Tories is invariably a good year for both Labour and the Lib Dems. This is particularly the case in Scotland, which had a lot of LD-Tory swing areas before the SNP emerged in 2015. Most notable in David Steel’s (former Liberal leader) old patch in the now-Tory borders, and the rural parts of Aberdeenshire that now hold three Tory MPs. If you want a sense of those potential areas for LD pick-up, go to Wikipedia, and check out the anti Tory swing in Scottish seats in general elections between 1983-1987, and 1992-1997.

[Conservatopia]

Whilst he is publicly contrite, behind the scenes Rishi thinks he has been treated unfairly over partygate. I agree and do do many of his detractors in government apparently.

Basically he only attended the surprise birthday party right at the end, only attended because it was a work meeting (with a surprise celebration tacked onto it) and he didn't partake in the celebration apart from singing Happy Birthday.

The whole surprise birthday one is a silly one. Boris can't be expected to resign because he forgot to boycott a surprise celebration at the end of a genuine meeting.

The other parties are much more serious, this one is a nothingburger. It's the other ones that we should be focussing on and it's a shame the Met released the fines for this one first.

TLDR: these fines aren't fair but the coming ones for the other parties are fair. If he's fined for the other ones Boris should resign but if not then it doesn't really make sense to.

[Silent Hunter]

Considering some of the fines the Met have issued, this one seems more justifiable than some, less than others.

[CumbrianLefty]

Sunak isn't as culpable as others, yes.

But if he hadn't handled other stuff so horrendously recently, he would probably have been able to shrug being fined for a relatively minor offence off. So its ultimately his own fault.

[Torrain]

Baron David Wolfson has resigned as a minister in the Ministry of Justice over the partygate fines. Would be more impactful if he was a member of the Commons, but still feels worth noting.

Guess the calculus remains the same unless we get elected representatives stepping down/submitting letters.

Full resignation letter:

[Blair]

It’s being briefed that Johnson took joy in Rishi’s downfall and is going to sack him.

The one thing that isn’t reported about him (due to his well oafness) is that he does have a very vengeful and well nasty streak. Almost everyone he has touched in his political career has came out burnt in some way.

[Pericles]

It’s being briefed that Johnson took joy in Rishi’s downfall and is going to sack him.

The one thing that isn’t reported about him (due to his well oafness) is that he does have a very vengeful and well nasty streak. Almost everyone he has touched in his political career has came out burnt in some way.

If that's true, Rishi should have resigned yesterday and dragged Boris down with him. Though he still has a narrow window to damage Boris with his resignation so hopefully the person mouthing off to the media comes to regret it.

[LAB-LIB]

This is worse than the 90s.

I await the news that a Tory MP has been found dead from autoerotic self-strangulation while wearing nothing but stockings and suspenders and an orange in his mouth.  _{notthattheresanythingwrongwiththat}

I knew about Stephen Milligan (gosh, that was probably the weirdest scandal on its own), but the scandal didn't really touch John Major personally. This is worse than the 90s in that Boris is directly implicated. Remember, the Edwina Currie thing did not become public until after Major left office.

[Blair]

In news that will shock no-one there’s leaks from ‘sources’ close to the investigation that Boris is facing another fine for a more serious breach.

The cynic in me says that this is the classic Met tactic when someone they’re going after is see as either getting off lightly or trying to spin it. I believe they already did this back when people close,and Boris wouldn’t get any fines.

[Torrain]

In news that will shock no-one there’s leaks from ‘sources’ close to the investigation that Boris is facing another fine for a more serious breach.

Confirmed. Telegraph has the story, with the second fine being issued this evening. While fine no. 1 was for the birthday party (complete with cake ambush), fine no. 2 was for the leaving do for Lee Cain, former Comms Director.

This one is notable for being a drinks reception, where Johnson 'lingered', suggesting he was there for social mixing, and more explicitly broke the rules. 'Sources' say it's far more damaging, but that may be a Westminster bubble thing.

Pippa Crerar at the Mirror has a No. 10 source saying there could be a total of 3 or 4 fines. Tabloid, so take with a pinch of salt, but Crerar has been a pretty good source on partygate and typically rises above the Mirror's overall standard. Additionally, Crerar technically scooped the Telegraph, as she listed Cain's leaving do among the three events that could be fined (along with the Abba karaoke party and the garden BYOB event), so this seems plausible.

[Torrain]

The most serious news however, may be that Lindsay Hoyle is planning to allocate time for a debate on whether to refer Johnson to the Parliamentary Standards Committee. This debate is likely to occur at some point in the coming fortnight, as early as next Wednesday, per the Telegraph article I cited above. There really are no good options for the Conservatives there. They have to have a multi-hour debate, where Starmer, Rayner, Davey and Blackford get to stand on the moral high ground and lecture them, while Fabricant and Dorries make things worse from the sidelines.

And at the end of it, do they agree to hand the issue to the Committee?

If they do, then they cede power to a committee run by Chris Bryant, who essentially gets to play Robert Mueller for a couple of weeks (albeit with a Tory majority on the committee, depending on whether you count the lay members of the public who sit on the committee).

If they don't, then it's essentially Owen Paterson 2.0, less than two weeks before the May elections...

[Blair]

The most serious news however, may be that Lindsay Hoyle is planning to allocated time for a debate on whether to refer Johnson to the Parliamentary Standards Committee. This debate is likely to occur at some point in the coming fortnight, as early as next Wednesday, per the Telegraph article I cited above. There really are no good options for the Conservatives there. They have to have a multi-hour debate, where Starmer, Rayner, Davey and Blackford get to stand on the moral high ground and lecture them, while Fabricant and Dorries make things worse from the sidelines.

And at the end of it, do they agree to hand the issue to the Committee?

If they do, then they cede power to a committee run by Chris Bryant, who essentially gets to play Robert Mueller for a couple of weeks (albeit with a Tory majority on the committee, depending on whether you count the lay members of the public who sit on the committee).

If they don't, then it's essentially Owen Paterson 2.0, less than two weeks before the May elections...

To be a devils advocate it would be three weeks of arguing about some form of what the word ‘is’ means or some variation of fervent arguments.

I do think the lying is what has really annoyed people- not specifically in Parliament but more so the months and months.

‘Let’s wait for the Cabinet Sec, let’s wait for Sue Gray, well I can’t comment on sue Gray because of the Met, well I now need to see the full Gray report… oh wait let’s just move on.’

[Pericles]

UK to send asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing

This feels really dodgy, surely it will be a disaster. Unfortunately, it might even be a politically difficult disaster to fix given how toxic the immigration issue is. The timing can't be a coincidence either. Maybe that means it is just a headline grab, and will fall through later.

[CumbrianLefty]

Polls consistently show the public isn't now as anti-immigration as it was even five years ago. This is a totally unworkable proposal which will cost ludicrous amounts of money, as well as the ethical aspect.

[parochial boy]

And « encouraged to stay in Rwanda » even if their claims are accepted? Despite the fact that the UK takes a miniscule number of refugees relative to continental Europe as it is?

Sorry but this is morally disgusting, probably breaking international law and absolutely shameful. It’s the sort of trick a trump or organ would pull, not a party that tries to claim it is somehow respectable.

[CumbrianLefty]

It really doesn't bear up to even a cursory examination in any way at all. But its designed to get the gammons on board before next month's elections, and that's all that matters.

[Torrain]

News according to the Spectator - Imran Khan is to quit as Wakefield MP. By-election imminent, rather than speculative now.

https://mobile.twitter.com/JAHeale/status/1514636972337385472

Edit: now confirmed by the BBC.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-61113265?at_custom2=twitter&at_medium=custom7&at_campaign=64&at_custom3=%40BBCPolitics&at_custom4=twitter&at_custom1=%5Bpost+type%5D

[morgieb]

Surely Wakefield is a must-win for Labour in a by-election, yes?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Surely Wakefield is a must-win for Labour in a by-election, yes?

They would very much hope to gain it. But in the end the bigger test is for the party that holds it.

[Blair]

More in the papers about how Sunak agonised about quitting.

He really is the the David Miliband on the Conservative Party.

[TheTide]

More in the papers about how Sunak agonised about quitting.

He really is the the David Miliband on the Conservative Party.

He'd have nothing to lose by quitting (and publicly 'advising' that Boris Johnson does the same thing) and perhaps a bit to gain. But having a job title such as Chancellor of the Exchequer is hard to let go voluntarily.

[CumbrianLefty]

And at least part of him maybe still thinks his stock can rise again if he just hangs in there.

This is likely unrealistic, but we can now all see he isn't that good at actual politics.

[Blair]

Twitter isn’t Britain but the Fabricant video blaming nurses for breaking lockdown too has been seen 10 million times haha.