Is It Finally All Over For Boris Johnson?

Posted on 25/03/2023 by Boris Clair

As political barometers go, it was pretty stark.

Asked if they believed Boris Johnson told the truth when he appeared before MPs this week, not a single member of the Question Time audience put their hand up.

Even more worryingly for the former prime minister, the programme was being broadcast from Newcastle-under-Lyme, part of the famous Red Wall of seats where he is still said to be popular with voters.

It was a fitting denouement to a miserable week for a man who was still in Downing Street less than a year ago.

Johnson suffered two major blows to his hopes of a political comeback within a few hours on Wednesday afternoon.

His irascible performance in front of parliament’s privileges committee, which is investigating claims he misled the Commons over partygate, left few in any doubt that he will be found guilty.

Should the committee decide to impose a suspension of more than 10 days, and parliament votes for it, he could face a by-election in his Uxbridge seat.

On the same day, Johnson’s hopes of leading a wide-scale Tory revolt against his arch-nemesis Rishi Sunak’s Brexit deal ended in failure when only 21 of his colleagues followed him into the No lobby.

Meanwhile, while all this was going on, Rishi Sunak enjoyed a game of cricket in the Downing Street garden with England’s T20 world cup-winning team.

Rishi Sunak enjoyed a game of cricket in the No10 garden with England's T20 World Cup winning and children from the ACE cricket programme on Wednesday. — Rishi Sunak enjoyed a game of cricket in the No10 garden with England’s T20 World Cup winning and children from the ACE cricket programme on Wednesday.

As he surveys the political scene this weekend, Johnson will surely be contemplating the very real possibility that his ambition of a triumphant return to No.10 will be unfulfilled.

Many experienced observers of Westminster believe that the game is up for the former PM.

One senior Tory told HuffPost UK: “He’s just like that drunk uncle at the wedding who is there at the reception but you don’t really know why.”

Others believe that even Johnson’s media cheerleaders have decided to move on and throw their weight behind Sunak as the next election draws nearer.

“I thought it was very telling there was a front page of the Telegraph was very negative about him after his committee appearance,” said one former cabinet member. “I think that’s a weathervane.

“I think it’s a cocktail of the partygate stuff and the Brexit vote. It could have gone the other way – he could have had a major triumph in the committee and there could have been a big rebellion, but in the end it was just the usual suspects who voted with him.

“A line has been drawn and people just want to move on.”

One Tory MP told HuffPost UK: “His defence at the committee was basically ‘I’m an idiot’. Some people might accept that, but I think it just reaffirmed that him coming back is just not a realistic possibility.

“Even if Rishi falls under a bus, literally or politically, it’s not going to Boris who steps in to the breach. A significant enough number of MPs just wouldn’t wear it. Most of them realise he’s not an asset to them any more.”

Tory peer and election guru Lord Hayward told Sky News: “His support is diminishing and his impact on the party is diminishing the longer Rishi Sunak is prime minister.”

Former minister Caroline Nokes was even more forthright, declaring that Johnson is “finished”.

“I think there was a very clear message from his own ministers back in the summer that they didn’t want him to carry on,” she told ITV’s Peston show.

“He didn’t choose to stand against Rishi Sunak back in the autumn when we had the second leadership challenge.

“As far as I’m concerned, Boris Johnson is not coming back as prime minister.”

Johnson still does have his hardcore supporters who will defend him to the bitter end.

Jacob Rees-Mogg told Channel 4 News “he’s winning in the court of public opinion”, while Nadine Dorries said the privileges committee is “a kangaroo court” determined to find him guilty regardless of the evidence.

One Johnson ally said that if the partygate inquiry had been properly dealt with a year ago, he would probably still be PM.

“It would have helped restore perspective and pedestrianise what was portrayed as sinister and dramatic at the time,” they told HuffPost UK.

“The world now knows that police looked at the legality and found the PM and Rishi at fault for one event that the public would totally understand.

“People were working hard in No.10 and were there for long and endless hours – they weren’t heading in for a party. And the bad stuff unveiled by the Sue Gray report was a shock to Boris as much as anyone.

“We all lost the plot getting obsessed with partygate when we should have been looking at things like the anaemic economic growth, high inflation, the delays to HS2 and the fact that corporation tax is too high.”

However, the ally did agree with Johnson’s detractors that there is no chance of him returning to Downing Street.

They said: “There is no vacancy. Period.”

Boris Johnson Slapped Down For Taking Too Long To Answer Partygate Questions

Posted on 22/03/2023 by Boris Clair

Boris Johnson was slapped down for taking too long to answer questions about the partygate scandal during a crunch hearing.

The former prime minister is being interrogated by MPs on the privileges committee in an event that has the potential to end his political career.

He has been quizzed on his understanding of the Covid-19 guidance and what he knew about gatherings taking place under his nose in No.10.

However, MPs grew impatient with his answers, resulting in one senior Conservative MP telling him to stop repeating himself.

Sir Bernard Jenkin told Johnson: “I’m sorry, you’re giving very long answers and it’s taking longer than we need.

“And you’re repeating yourself quite a lot. Can we just get on with the questions?”

Chair of the meeting Harriet Harman went on to tell the west London MP to be “succinct” with his answers.

The committee is scrutinising the former PM over statements he made to MPs about the partygate scandal.

At the heart of their investigation is whether or not Johnson “misled” the House of Commons about what had gone on in Downing Street.

In his opening comments, Johnson swore “hand on heart” that he did not lie to the House of Commons.

Johnson swore on the King James Bible to tell the truth before issuing an apology and adding “hand on heart, I did not lie to the House”.

He went on: “When those statements were made, they were made in good faith and on the basis on what I honestly knew and believed at the time.”

If the committee decides Johnson did mislead MPs – and the Commons backs suspending him for 10 days or more – he could face a by-election in his Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency.

However, there is a long process to get through before the saga potentially reaches that stage.

Yesterday Johnson submitted his so-called “defence dossier” – a 52 page document his team claimed will exonerate him.

In it Johnson accepted that he misled MPs but insisted his partygate denials were made “in good faith” based on what he “honestly” knew at the time.

The committee, meanwhile, released a 110-page pack of messages and evidence on Wednesday morning.

It revealed the claims of one No.10 official who claimed Boris Johnson had the opportunity to “shut down” lockdown parties but joined in instead.

Boris Johnson Is ‘Generally An Honest Man’, Says Close Ally

Posted on 05/03/2023 by Boris Clair

Boris Johnson is “generally an honest man”, one of his close allies has insisted.

Chris Heaton-Harris, the Northern Ireland secretary, tried to mount a defence of the former prime minister as the partygate scandal returned to haunt the Tories.

The cross-party privileges committee published a report on Friday saying Johnson may have repeatedly misled parliament over what he knew about lockdown-busting parties in Downing Street during the pandemic.

But despite its damning findings, the ex-PM insisted that he has been “vindicated” by the report.

On the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show this morning, Heaton-Harris – who was chief whip when Johnson was in Number 10 – said he believed the former Tory leader had now “knowingly” misled MPs.

He said: “There are four occasions where Boris may have done that.

“I wouldn’t have become Boris’s chief whip if I didn’t believe him that he did not knowingly mislead parliament and I believe him to be an honest man – he did not knowingly mislead parliament.”

Heaton-Harris added: “He gave me chapter and verse that demonstrated to me that he did not knowingly mislead parliament.

“Generally he is an honest man and I truly believe that.”

The cabinet minister had earlier told Sky News that he was “absolutely convinced” Johnson had not misled MPs.

The former prime minister is set to give evidence to the privileges committee later this month.

If he is found guilty of misleading parliament, he could be suspended from the Commons and potentially lose his seat.

Boris Johnson May Have Repeatedly Misled Parliament Over Partygate, MPs Say

Posted on 03/03/2023 by Boris Clair

Boris Johnson may have misled parliament on multiple occasions over whether lockdown rules were broken in Downing Street, MPs have found.

If found guiltily, the former prime minister could be suspended or expelled from the Commons and even trigger a by-election in his seat.

In a damning report published on Friday, the Commons privileges committee said the breaches by No.10 staff “would have been obvious” to Johnson.

“There is evidence that the House of Commons may have been misled.” the MPs said, listing a series of incidents.

Johnson is due to defend himself in front of the committee in person later this month.

The committee is not investigating whether rules were broken or not, the police have already concluded they were, but specifically whether Johnson lied to parliament about it.

As prime minister, Johnson repeatedly told the Commons that no Covid rules had been breached in No.10. But he was later fined by police for attending an event.

The MPs said: “The evidence strongly suggests that breaches of guidance would have been obvious to Johnson at the time he was at the gatherings.

“There is evidence that those who were advising Johnson about what to say to the press and in the House were themselves struggling to contend that some gatherings were within the rules.”

The committee said there was evidence “a culture of drinking in the workplace in some parts of No.10” continued “after Covid restrictions began”.

Today’s report is not the committee’s final conclusion, but if it decides Johnson did mislead parliament it can recommend punishments such as suspension or expulsion from the Commons. MPs would need to vote for this.

In response, Johnson said the report showed he had been “vindicated” and maintained it had been his “honest belief” that no rules were broken.

Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, said the report was “absolutely damning” of Johnson.

She said if Johnson is found to have misled parliament, Rishi Sunak must make clear “his career is over”.

It comes one day after it was announced Sue Gray, the senior civil servant who authored the partygate report, has quit government to become Keir Starmer’s chief of staff.

Johnson suggested her decision to take a job with Labour calls into question the impartiality of her report, which contributed to his downfall.

But MPs on the privileges committee said it own report is “not based on the Sue Gray report” but on evidence provided directly to it by witnesses.

The committee is chaired by former Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman, but it has a Tory majority.

Boris Johnson Goads Rishi Sunak Over Poor Tory Poll Ratings

Posted on 02/03/2023 by Boris Clair

Boris Johnson has goaded Rishi Sunak over the prime minister’s poll ratings, as he delivered his first public speech in the UK after being forced out of No.10.

Speaking in Westminster on Thursday afternoon, Johnson said it was “very unlikely” he would “need to do anything big in politics again”.

But he indicated he would continue to speak out on issues including Brexit, the need to level up the north of England and to help Ukraine.

And the former PM said: “When I stepped down we were only a handful of points behind the Labour Party.”

When Johnson announced his resignation on July 7, 2022, YouGov polling showed Labour on 40% and the Tories on 29% — an 11 point lead.

The latest survey from YouGov has put Labour on 46% and the Tories on 23% — 23 points ahead.

On September 29, 2022, YouGov released a shock poll that showed Labour had surged to a 33-point lead over the Conservatives amid the market turmoil caused by Liz Truss’ mini-Budget.

When Truss quit as prime minister, Johnson mounted a dramatic challenge to Sunak in a bid to return to No.10.

In the end he pulled out of the contest after deciding he did not have enough support from Tory MPs to lead a stable government.

But rumours in Westminster that Johnson still hopes to make a comeback have not gone away, stoked by allies who want him to return.

Asked today about his future plans, Johnson said: “I think it very, very unlikely that I will need to do anything big in politics again.”

He also devoted a large section of his speech to trashing Sunak’s new Brexit deal, which he said would be “very difficult” for him to vote for.

Boris Johnson Says Rishi Sunak’s Brexit Deal Doesn’t ‘Take Back Control’

Posted on 02/03/2023 by Boris Clair

Boris Johnson has said Rishi Sunak’s new Brexit deal does not “take back control” from the EU and will be unlikely to vote for it.

Speaking in Westminster on Thursday afternoon, the former prime minister was highly critical of the so-called Windsor Framework.

“I am going to find it very difficult to vote for something like this myself,” he said in his first public comments since the deal was agreed.

“I believe we should have done something different.”

Sunak has struck a new agreement with the the EU which seeks to remove post-Brexit trade barriers by creating a new system for the flow of goods into Northern Ireland.

Johnson said he had “mixed feelings” about the deal, adding “this is not about the UK taking back control” as Brexit “won’t be” done with it.

“Although there are easements this is really a version of the solution that was being offered last year to Liz Truss when she was foreign secretary,” he said.

“This is the EU graciously unbending to allow us to do what we want to do in our own country, not by our laws but by theirs.

“Who votes for the people who decide these rules… no one in England or Scotland or Wales and no one in Northern Ireland.”

Sunak has said MPs in the Commons will be given a vote on his new deal.

Keir Starmer has pledged Labour support, which means here is little chance of the prime minister losing the vote even if some eurosceptic Tory MPs vote against him.

The DUP, which is currently boycotting the Stormont powersharing institutions in Northern Ireland, has said it will study the deal before giving its verdict.

Just 7% Of Voters Believe That Rishi Sunak Can Tackle Tory Sleaze

Posted on 02/02/2023 by Boris Clair

Just 7% of voters have confidence that Rishi Sunak will tackle sleaze in British politics.

The shock findings follow the sacking of Nadhim Zahawi as Tory chairman after he was found guilty of multiple breaches of the ministerial code over a probe into his tax affairs.

Sunak is also coming under mounting pressure to sack his deputy, Dominic Raab, over bullying claims made against him by dozens of civil servants.

The poll by People Polling for GB News, also shows little public appetite for Boris Johnson to return to government.

And it confirms that the Conservatives continue to trail more than 20 points behind Labour.

Those taking part in the poll were asked how confident they were that Sunak – who marks 100 days as PM today – could eradicate sleaze from British politics.

Only 1% said they were “completely confident”, with a further 6% saying they were “confident”.

By contrast, 55% said they were “not confident at all”.

Sunak’s ratings were barely any better among Conservative voters, with just 3% of them “completely confident” in his ability to tackle sleaze. Meanwhile, 82% of Labour voters said they were “not confident at all”.

At prime minister’s questions yesterday, Keir Starmer said: “The Tory Party’s addiction to sleaze and scandal has done huge damage to this country and the cost to the public keeps adding up.”

Politics expert Professor Matt Goodwin said: “Amid the fallout from Nadhim Zahawi’s resignation and ongoing stories about sleaze and bad behaviour around the Conservative Party, we find that very few voters are confident Rishi Sunak can clean up politics and remove sleaze.

“On the contrary, more than half the electorate say they are ‘not confident at all’ he will be able to take care of sleaze.”

Amid calls for Boris Johnson to replace Zahawi as Tory chairman, the poll found that 56% of voters either “strongly opposed” or “opposed” his return to cabinet, with only 21% supporting it.

Even among Tory voters, just 47% said they support him returning, with 30% opposing it.

Overall, the poll puts Labour on 46%, with the Conservatives on 22% and the Lib Dems on 9%.

Professor Goodwin said: “The Conservative Party’s share of the national vote remains as flat as a pancake, at a historic low level of support.

“There is little evidence Rishi Sunak, whose own ratings were also down last week, is turning the boat around. The party is still headed for a heavy wipeout at the general election unless things change and, before then, a bruising set of local elections in the spring.”

Nadine Dorries Is Getting Her Own Chat Show And Her First Guest Is Entirely Predictable

Posted on 27/01/2023 by Boris Clair

Nadine Dorries has been given her own chat show – and there are no prizes for guessing who her first guest is.

The former cabinet minister will interview her close friend and ally Boris Johnson on Talk TV’s ‘Friday Night With Nadine’ show.

Dorries has never hidden her admiration for the ex-prime minister, and recently warned her party that it would “die” unless he was made leader again.

The Mid Bedfordshire MP said: “As someone who’s never been afraid to speak their mind, I’m delighted to be joining the team at TalkTV for Friday Night With Nadine, where I’ll be putting my 23-year political career and experiences at the despatch box to good use.

“Boris Johnson continues to dominate so much of the political narrative since his departure from No10. Now’s the time to find out what he really thinks about a whole range of pressing issues.”

The show will be broadcast on February 3.

Dorries, who is tipped to receive a peerage in Johnson’s resignation honours list, will be hoping it goes better than her last attempt at being a Talk TV presenter.

Standing in for Piers Morgan, she tripped over her words as she introduced the show’s second conversation topic.

“Sorry, I’ve just completely messed that up,” she was heard muttering, as co-presenter Emily Sheffield urged her: “Keep going.”

‘Taxes Are Private Matters,’ Foreign Secretary Says Over Nadhim Zahawi ‘Error’

Posted on 22/01/2023 by Boris Clair

James Cleverly has insisted that tax affairs are “private matters” during a grilling over the finances of the Tory party chairman.

The foreign secretary stressed that Nadhim Zahawi made a “careless error” after it was revealed he paid a settlement to HM Revenue & Customs in relation to a shareholding in YouGov.

Zahawi is under pressure over allegations that he tried to avoid tax and has now had to pay it back as part of a multi-million pound settlement.

Cleverly said he did not know the size of the tax settlement with HMRC or whether Zahawi paid a penalty.

“I don’t know more than is in his statement,” Cleverly said.

Pressed on whether Zahawi should reveal more information, Cleverly said: “People’s taxes are private matters. I know that as politicians we, quite rightly, are expected to have a higher level of disclosure than perhaps other people might do.

“Nadhim has issued a statement where he has admitted that he made a careless error, that this is now resolved.”

Cleverly also swerved questions over whether Zahawi negotiated his tax settlement while he was chancellor, or what Rishi Sunak knew when he appointed him party chairman.

“I’m not an investigator,” he added when it was put to him that he was there to speak on behalf of the government.

Asked whether Zahawi will survive in his role until Wednesday, Cleverly said: “What else am I going to say other than yes, because he’s a very, very effective minister.”

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly faced a grilling

Zahawi, who attends Sunak’s Cabinet, released a statement to “address some of the confusion about my finances”.

However, the statement raised further questions, including whether Zahawi negotiated the settlement when he was chancellor and in charge of the country’s taxation.

Claims started emerging when Zahawi was made chancellor by Boris Johnson last summer, with reports suggesting Cabinet Office officials had alerted the then-prime minister to the HMRC dispute.

Zahawi did not disclose the size of the settlement – reported to be an estimated £4.8 million including a 30% penalty – or confirm whether he paid a fine.

Tax lawyer Dan Neidle, who has been working to expose the minister’s tax affairs, estimated that he owed £3.7 million.

In an unusual move, Zahawi did not take founder shares when he set up YouGov, saying in his statement that his father took shares “in exchange for some capital and his invaluable guidance”.

He continued: “Twenty one years later, when I was being appointed chancellor of the Exchequer, questions were being raised about my tax affairs. I discussed this with the Cabinet Office at the time.

“Following discussions with HMRC, they agreed that my father was entitled to founder shares in YouGov, though they disagreed about the exact allocation. They concluded that this was a ‘careless and not deliberate’ error.

“So that I could focus on my life as a public servant, I chose to settle the matter and pay what they said was due, which was the right thing to do.”

He added that the matter was resolved and that all his tax affairs were “up to date” when he was appointed Tory party chairman by Sunak in October.

But the prime minister is facing questions over what he knew about the matter and when, as well as calls to sack Zahawi.

Sunak’s promise of a premiership of “integrity” was already thrown into disarray this week after he was fined by police for not wearing a seatbelt and criticised for the allocation of levelling-up funding.

Downing Street said it had nothing to add to Zahawi’s statement and confirmed that the prime minister had confidence in him as Tory chairman.

Opposition parties have demanded an independent probe as well as the publication of all of Zahawi’s correspondence with HMRC.

Labour party chairwoman Anneliese Dodds said Sunak needs to remove Zahawi as party chair, adding: “Zahawi still needs to explain when he became aware of the investigation, and if he was chancellor and in charge of our tax system at the time.

“He needs to explain why his legal representatives said his affairs were up to date in December last year only for him to settle a million-pound fine this month.”

Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “Zahawi and his Conservative Cabinet colleagues are arrogantly trying to brush this under the carpet.

“There are facts that still need to be established so there must be an independent investigation to get to the bottom of this.”

Boris Johnson Described A Lockdown Leaving Do As ‘Most Unsocially Distanced Party In UK’

Posted on 11/01/2023 by Boris Clair

Boris Johnson described a Downing Street leaving do during lockdown as “the most unsocially distanced party in the UK right now”, it has been claimed.

According to a new podcast by ITV, staff were left stunned when Johnson later denied knowledge of any rule-breaking in Number 10.

The fresh partygate allegations come amid speculation that the former prime minister is plotting a Downing Street comeback.

Johnson is accused of making the comment at a leaving party for his director of communications, Lee Cain.

Pictures later emerged of the then PM raining a glass after delivering a speech at the gathering.

One source told the ‘Partygate – The Inside Story’ podcast: “I was working late – some music came on, the mumbling sort of rose, and there were loads of people stood around, but this time I came out because I heard the prime minister speaking and that’s when I heard the quote: ‘This is the most unsocially distanced party in the UK right now’ and everyone was laughing about it.”

The source added: “The PM making that comment really sticks out in my mind, that was pretty bad, because the picture showed one side of this going on.

“But what it didn’t capture is the 20 odd people sat on top of each other on the opposite side – they’re literally shoulder to shoulder, clamped in like a tube carriage.

“And he was there seeing people sat on other people’s laps (in) close proximity, crowded, scrunched up in front of him. He saw that, he saw people with drinks. You saw the picture. It had booze all over that desk. He’s not blind, he’s not stupid. He saw that and didn’t shut it down.

“That was really bad, but that was a normal sight, a regular occurrence, so it wasn’t unusual to see that sort of thing.”

Johnson later told MPs that no lockdown rules were broken in Number 10 – comments which are now the subject of a Commons inquiry.

Another source said of the PM’s comments: “We all watched it live and we were just gobsmacked. We all looked at each other and thought ‘why the hell is he saying this?’ We all know it had happened, he knew it happened – he was there.

“We were all just shocked that he would even deny it. He was there. We were there. We were all there together. And suddenly he’s denying it.”

The podcast also claimed that staff “shredded” key documents ahead of Sue Gray’s partygate investigation and corroborated their stories before filling out Metropolitan Police questionnaires on the scandal.

Johnson, along with his wife Carrie and Rishi Sunak, was fined for attending a birthday party thrown for him in 10 Downing Street during lockdown – but not over Lee Cain’s leaving party.

A spokesperson for Johnson did not deny he had made the “unsocially distanced party” comment.

They said: “During the pandemic, 10 Downing Street staff worked to coordinate the UK government’s national response.

“The work of Downing Street staff was crucial as they helped marshal the UK’s response to a national emergency.”

Liberal Democrat chief whip Wendy Chamberlain said: “These shocking revelations confirm Boris Johnson’s total disregard for the rules he asked us all to follow. He laughed and partied while the rest of the country suffered.

“Conservative MPs should be ashamed that they backed Johnson for so long and that some are even considering putting him back in Number 10.”

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