The Johnson Government 2019-2022

[MB]

Seems keen to keep himself in the spotlight. Whatever I think of Truss' politics, her handling of this compared to the buffoon at least suggest some level of professionalism

[Francoisvander or else]

Bump

[alf git]

2.0

[Junco Partner]

When is the Commons Standards Committee Report due?

[Puff Daddy]

Be a bit of a giraffe to see him back though. You've gotta admit that

[EvilC]

Be a bit of a giraffe to see him back though. You've gotta admit that

Not really.

[OFT]

Be a bit of a giraffe to see him back though. You've gotta admit that

They'd certainly have some neck to get him back

[smuts]

Be a bit of a giraffe to see him back though. You've gotta admit that

Yeah really funny.

[Greatest Cockney Rip Off]

If they do wheel him back in, that'll be the biggest two-fingers up to the UK electorate there has ever been and would just rubber stamp that these cretins are either out of touch or just couldn't give a flying hairy one about public opinion. My money is on both.

[sendô]

Them bringing Johnson back would be the final death knell of the Tory party as we currently know it. Even given the number of ideologues in this current parliament, the Tory MPs choosing the next PM are not stupid enough to go back to a man repeatedly caught lieing to the public, parliament and the Monarch.

[sendô]

Nonetheless it would appear that Pinky's man in Hull wants Johnson back:

[simon hammer]

Them bringing Johnson back would be the final death knell of the Tory party as we currently know it.

Then I'm all for it.

[Big George]

This is a brilliant, brilliant podcast going through partygate and how the story broke. Well worth sometime. TL:DR it's bloody hard to gwet this over the line

[Big George]

Privleges committee has just released its report. Johnson has to answer charges on w/c 20th March.

32. There is evidence that the House of Commons may have been misled in the following
ways which the Committee will explore:
a) It may have been misled when Mr Johnson said on 8 December 2021 that no
rules or guidance had been broken in No. 10. The Second Permanent Secretary and the Metropolitan Police have already come to the conclusion that was
not correct, including in relation to specific gatherings for which Mr Johnson
asserted this was the case.52
b) It may have been misled when Mr Johnson failed to tell the House about his own
knowledge of the gatherings where the rules or guidance had been broken. That
is because there is evidence that he attended them.53
c) It may have been misled when Mr Johnson said on 8 December 2021 that he relied
upon repeated assurances that the rules had not been broken. Initial evidence
to us suggested Mr Johnson was assured by two individuals who had worked at
No. 10 at the time that they did not think the gathering of 18 December 2020 had
broken Covid rules.54 However, we note that:
i) Mr Johnson had personal knowledge about gatherings which he could
have disclosed, although his personal knowledge about the gathering of 18
December 2020 may have been limited as he did not personally attend.
ii) We have received evidence that there was no assurance about any gathering’s
compliance with the guidance that was in place at the time (as opposed to
compliance with the Covid rules).55
iii) The purported assurances were only about the gathering of 18 December
2020, not more generally about No. 10’s compliance with the rules and
guidance. We have received no evidence that an assurance was provided
in relation to the specific gatherings of 20 May 2020, 19 June 2020, 13
November 2020, 27 November 2020 and 14 January 2021.
iv) The context for the initial purported assurance was in response to a media
inquiry and the assertion that Covid rules were followed was initially
developed as a media line to take.56
v) The initial purported assurance came from the Director of Communications
at No. 10, a special adviser appointed by Mr Johnson, not a permanent civil
servant.
vi) The purported assurances consisted only of what those individuals
themselves believed about the compliance of the gathering of 18 December
2020 with the rules.
Whether those who gave these purported assurances to Mr Johnson ever
intended for him to rely upon them in the House, and whether it was appropriate
for Mr Johnson to do so, is a question the Committee will want to consider.
d) It may have been misled when Mr Johnson gave the impression that there needed
to be an investigation by the Second Permanent Secretary to establish whether
the rules and guidance had been broken before he could answer questions to the
House. While repeatedly making that statement to the House he appears to have
had personal knowledge that he did not reveal.

33. It appears that Mr Johnson did not correct the statements that he repeatedly made
and did not use the well-established procedures of the House to correct something that is
wrong at the earliest opportunity.
• On 19 April 2022 Mr Johnson acknowledged to the House that rules had not
been followed at his birthday gathering on 19 June 2020 for swhich Mr Johnson
and others received fixed penalty notices.57



The evidence strongly suggests that breaches of guidance would have been obvious to
Mr Johnson at the time he was at the gatherings.59 There is evidence that those who were
advising Mr Johnson about what to say to the press and in the House were themselves
struggling to contend that some gatherings were within the rules.60
• The Director of Communications stated in a WhatsApp of 25 January 2022 to
a No. 10 official in relation to the gathering of 19 June 2020 that “Haven’t heard
any explanation of how it’s in the rules”.61
• In a separate WhatsApp exchange with a No. 10 official of 25 January 2022 in
relation to the gathering of 19 June 2020, the Director of Communications stated:
“I’m struggling to come up with a way this one is in the rules in my head”, and in response to a suggestion that they describe the event as “reasonably necessary
for work purposes”, “not sure that one works does it. Also blows another great
gaping hole in the PM’s account doesn’t it?”.62

[Junco Partner]

I clearly remember Richie Sunak standing at the dispatch box and saying 'there were no parties.'

Right before he got a penalty notice from the police for attending a party. Feels like a misleading statement to parliament to me.

Strange the way it's completely brushed under the carpet now.

[Johnny Byrne's Boots]

It matters not. Parliament will go through the charade of a debate then vote along party lines, confirming Johnson was squeakier than clean.

[RaddyKovac]

There are a few threads in here with similar content, as well as titles that were relevant a couple of years ago but not so much now.

The latest the election can be is 24th Jan 2025, so it's likely to be called any time in the last quarter of 2024, or the Government may push it to the limit and do it in January.

I doubt they will go for January - a month when people typically struggle for money post-Christmas, there's a grey cloud of miserableness over the country, people aren't drinking (!), energy bills will be at their annual peak and people are likely to "protest vote" or blame their problems on the Government of the day.

I see there's a thread about the next US election, so thought this might be a good general place to discuss the next UK one. The likely timing, likely leaders / prominent figures, likely outcome, what you expect to see or want to see from the major players etc.

Obviously Labour are leading in the polls at the moment, despite a general lack of enthusiasm for Starmer - perceived as boring by the everyman, ToryLite by those who loved Corbyn, and generally not making much of an impact on the generally politically apathetic masses.

Will Sunak make it to the election? Will Starmer? Will Still?!

Keen to keep the conversation open and good-natured. Mods, if you think this is covered elsewhere, please merge - but I couldn't see a dedicated thread.

[Johnny Byrne's Boots]

Bookies have Labour majority govenrment odds-on

[bubbles1966]

The election will be November 2024, imo. Parliament dissolved Oct 24.

[RaddyKovac]

The election will be November 2024, imo. Parliament dissolved Oct 24.

Possibly even earlier.

Although tbf the Tories benefit from low turn-out and lots of elderly Tory voters make a postal vote, so maybe they would favour miserable, inclement weather that leaves students home in the warm playing video games.