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

[Torrain]

Paul Holmes MP has resigned as a Home Office PPS, specifically citing partygate. He is the 5th MP to refute Johnson since the Sue Gray report was submitted.

His statement infers disappointment with the government, but does reference Johnson’s talking point on the vaccine rollout, almost verbatim.

Full statement here: https://www.voteholmes.co.uk/news/my-statement-sue-gray-report

Edit: Holmes has apparently told journalists he hasn’t submitted a letter to the 1922, rendering this whole exercise a little hollow.

[CumbrianLefty]

https://www.politico.eu/article/tony-blairs-new-centrist-program-just-dont-call-it-a-party/

Blair and his attempt at a vaguely centrist-but-not-LibDem establishmenty party idea is like a turd that will not flush, is it?

Change UK didn't fail, it was just never really tried

[EastAnglianLefty]

In other news, the ministerial code has been watered down so that the punishment for breaching it is at the PM's discretion.

[Torrain]

Sir Bob Neill MP has become the 6th MP to call for Johnson's resignation since partygate.
Neil has additionally confirmed submission of a letter to the 1922.

Link to the full statement: https://www.bobneill.org.uk/news/statement-publication-sue-grays-report

I appreciate that it's still early days, but Johnson has lost the confidence of 5 MPs, and received the resignation of another since partygate. There's no wave of opposition, but the drip-drip-drip of lost support seems to be back...

[brucejoel99]

In other news, the ministerial code has been watered down so that the punishment for breaching it is at the PM's discretion.

In a way, it's almost admirable how shameless he is, blatantly giving the ruling party a free pass to do whatever it wants.

[Secretary of State Liberal Hack]

Have the Tories simply given up on winning the next election?

[Torrain]

MP for Rutland and Melton (and apparent leader of the reputed 'pork pie plot' against Johnson in January) Alicia Kearns has become the 7th MP to call for Johnson's resignation since publication of the Sue Gray report, and reaffirms her lack of confidence in Johnson.

Sky News is reporting her letter to the 1922 was submitted today.

Her statement is linked here: https://www.facebook.com/AliciaKearnsConservative

[brucejoel99]

MP for Rutland and Melton (and apparent leader of the reputed 'pork pie plot' against Johnson in January) Alicia Kearns has become the 7th MP to call for Johnson's resignation since publication of the Sue Gray report, and reaffirms her lack of confidence in Johnson.

Sky News is reporting her letter to the 1922 was submitted today.

Her statement is linked here: https://www.facebook.com/AliciaKearnsConservative

Is this new? I thought she expressed lost confidence in him like back in Jan. or before, or am I mixing her up with someone else?

[Blair]

Sir Bob Neill MP has become the 6th MP to call for Johnson's resignation since partygate.
Neil has additionally confirmed submission of a letter to the 1922.

Link to the full statement: https://www.bobneill.org.uk/news/statement-publication-sue-grays-report

I appreciate that it's still early days, but Johnson has lost the confidence of 5 MPs, and received the resignation of another since partygate. There's no wave of opposition, but the drip-drip-drip of lost support seems to be back...

Significant- Bob Neil would consider himself a grandee and while being a Tory Wet he’s been a willing well stooge of the Government on various issues.

[Torrain]

MP for Rutland and Melton (and apparent leader of the reputed 'pork pie plot' against Johnson in January) Alicia Kearns has become the 7th MP to call for Johnson's resignation since publication of the Sue Gray report, and reaffirms her lack of confidence in Johnson.

Sky News is reporting her letter to the 1922 was submitted today.

Her statement is linked here: https://www.facebook.com/AliciaKearnsConservative

Is this new? I thought she expressed lost confidence in him like back in Jan. or before, or am I mixing her up with someone else?

Kearns did lose confidence in Johnson back in January - she restates that in her post.
But this report is the first time she's spoken about Johnson's position since then (many of the early rebels have either withdrawn or gone vague on their position), and the first time she's confirmed submission of a letter to the 1922.

[Joe Republic]

In news from my area of Havering, the Residents and Labour have formed an administration.

The Labour leader, Keith Darvill, was MP for Upminster between 1997 and 2001.

That's a nice part of the country for Labour to have had a bit of good fortune.  I wonder what would happen if there was suddenly an unexpected by-election in the area?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

What an interesting question. While the bulk of Labour's councillors are in what most people in London would describe as Romford, only one is in the Romford constituency as the Harold Hill estate (where Labour won all six seats and which accounts for two thirds of its group) has been in the Upminister constituency since its creation for the 1974 election.

[Torrain]

Steve Brine MP has released a statement confirming he has submitted a letter to the 1922 committee in the wake of Sue Gray’s report.

He’s the 8th MP since the report to call for Johnson to go.

Fun fact: this statement was released on his personal website on May 25th, but because he hasn’t spoken to the media or crossposted the news to social media, politics journalists only found the statement now, 3 days later.

The full statement can be found here: https://www.stevebrine.com/news/statement-after-sue-gray-report-published

[YL]

Steve Brine MP has released a statement confirming he has submitted a letter to the 1922 committee in the wake of Sue Gray’s report.

He’s the 8th MP since the report to call for Johnson to go.

Fun fact: this statement was released on his personal website on May 25th, but because he hasn’t spoken to the media or crossposted the news to social media, politics journalists only found the statement now, 3 days later.

The full statement can be found here: https://www.stevebrine.com/news/statement-after-sue-gray-report-published

It says he sent in the letter "some time ago actually".

I suspect that the number of letters is now quite close to the threshold and it may well be reached if both Wakefield and Tiverton & Honiton are lost.  (Losing Wakefield is probably "priced in" TBH, but losing both would concentrate minds a bit more.)  But only one person really knows where we are.

[Torrain]

And we have another one. Anne Marie Morris has confirmed that she has had the Conservative whip returned - and then re-submitted her letter to the 1922.

Source: https://twitter.com/TomLarkinSky/status/1530487417958023168

[Torrain]

Steve Brine MP has released a statement confirming he has submitted a letter to the 1922 committee in the wake of Sue Gray’s report.

He’s the 8th MP since the report to call for Johnson to go.

Fun fact: this statement was released on his personal website on May 25th, but because he hasn’t spoken to the media or crossposted the news to social media, politics journalists only found the statement now, 3 days later.

The full statement can be found here: https://www.stevebrine.com/news/statement-after-sue-gray-report-published

It says he sent in the letter "some time ago actually".

I suspect that the number of letters is now quite close to the threshold and it may well be reached if both Wakefield and Tiverton & Honiton are lost.  (Losing Wakefield is probably "priced in" TBH, but losing both would concentrate minds a bit more.)  But only one person really knows where we are.

I'm inclined to agree. Brine is an example of the quiet politician who's been a Boris critic for some time, but is taking a public stand this week. The steady drip of letters is starting to look more calculated to me - members like Brine and Kearns have clearly been opposed to Johnson for a while, but have picked now to either 'come out' or restate their position as critics of the PM.

It's notable that we now have around 24 public letters. That's just shy of halfway there. But when it was announced May would face a confidence vote, only 20 letters of the 48 required letters had been publicly announced. So the true number could be anywhere from the low 30s to low 50s, based on precedent. Guess we'll have to wait and see though...

[CumbrianLefty]

My hunch (though that's all it is) is that people are being more vocal about having sent anti-Johnson letters than they were with May. But yes, if the PM gets through to the summer recess without facing a confidence vote he has probably done well.

[TheTide]

My hunch (though that's all it is) is that people are being more vocal about having sent anti-Johnson letters than they were with May. But yes, if the PM gets through to the summer recess without facing a confidence vote he has probably done well.

There was more of an incentive on 'principle' (i.e. Brexit) to declare against May, but May also didn't generate as many personal enemies as Johnson. On the whole it's probably of a similar proportion.

[MABA 2020]

I'd be very surprised if there was a no confidence vote at this point

[Torrain]

The Times is reporting that not only did Johnson's team have access to the contents of Sue Gray's report before publication day - they also lobbied to have details amended/removed.

Serious disregard for the rule of law if true, and highly plausible as Johnson's latest example of accountability dodging. The ABBA party features again, as the event they were most focused on removing focus from.

Key excerpts linked below:

https://twitter.com/AdamBienkov/status/1530627345262219264

Original (paywalled) article here: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/muzzled-how-senior-officials-fought-to-water-down-sue-gray-report-vrw5xk0t6

[afleitch]

Terf Island update

https://mobile.twitter.com/stellacreasy/status/1530605357613174789

In which Stella Creasy gets ministered

And the Daily Mail channels the eighties again

https://mobile.twitter.com/HLeeHurley/status/1530829380209020928

[CumbrianLefty]

Its good in a way that the TERFists are vanishing up their own fundaments, though.

[Torrain]

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/unseen-text-messages-hint-at-carrie-johnsons-second-party-at-no-10-6rgthhcvl

It appears that there may be evidence for Carrie Johnson's flat party that was ignored by Gray and the Met. This was during June 2020, when indoor gatherings with 2+ individuals were banned.

This was the night of Johnson's birthday, with texts suggesting she had gathered staff in their No.11 flat to "wish him a happy birthday."Carrie implies in the texts that she was already in the flat with at least two men. The authors say she "used a very specific term to refer to the friends" - which probably means "The Gays", Carrie's previously reported nickname for a number of young SPADs.

Notable because No.10 repeatedly denied such a gathering even happened for months.

[Flyersfan232]

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/unseen-text-messages-hint-at-carrie-johnsons-second-party-at-no-10-6rgthhcvl

It appears that there may be evidence for Carrie Johnson's flat party that was ignored by Gray and the Met. This was during June 2020, when indoor gatherings with 2+ individuals were banned.

This was the night of Johnson's birthday, with texts suggesting she had gathered staff in their No.11 flat to "wish him a happy birthday."Carrie implies in the texts that she was already in the flat with at least two men. The authors say she "used a very specific term to refer to the friends" - which probably means "The Gays", Carrie's previously reported nickname for a number of young SPADs.

Notable because No.10 repeatedly denied such a gathering even happened for months.

will this get the tories to wake up and kick bojo out

[Pericles]

I wonder if they're now waiting for Wakefield and Tiverton. Any leadership change could not be executed before those by-elections and would just ensure the seats are lost. Maybe the plotters want to make sure Boris gets all the blame for it and then make their move as it becomes harder and harder for MPs to deny that he is a vote loser now.