*Adrift on an ocean of illicit booze and with his authority ebbing, the prime minister is fast losing support among MPs. His instinctive response? To blame the team around him and launch a blizzard of crowd-pleasing policies. Will it work?*
–
The mood in Downing Street on Tuesday was “like a morgue”. The night before, ITV News had obtained an email from Boris Johnson’s principal private secretary, Martin Reynolds, inviting staff to “bring your own booze” to a party in the No 10 garden on May 20, 2020, at the height of the first lockdown.
A glance at the prime minister’s diary confirmed — as this newspaper reported a week ago — that Johnson and his wife Carrie had attended the gathering, where 40 people drank the night away.
Those arriving to discuss the situation wondered whether they were embarking on preparations for a political funeral. What they did not realise was that it might be theirs.
Johnson did not rant but made it clear he was furious with his team. “He had a massive go at them for failing to sort things out,” one of those present told a friend. “He made it clear he thought they had let him down. Boris’s view is that he is not to blame, that everyone else is to blame.”
Johnson did not attack people by name but asked angrily: “How has all this been allowed to happen? How has it come to this? How haven’t you sorted this out?” Sources in the meeting say that senior staff “studied the floor”.
This weekend, insiders said Reynolds, his deputy, Stuart Glassborow, Dan Rosenfield, the Downing Street chief of staff, and some members of the communications team are likely to be out of a job when a report by the mandarin Sue Gray is published, probably in about ten days.
“It’s like Macmillan,” said one MP of the prime minister who sacked a third of his cabinet in the Night of the Long Knives in 1962.
“Boris is preparing to lay down the lives of his staff to save his own. It will be the Night of the Long Scapegoats.”
On Tuesday, Johnson’s human shield was the unlikely figure of Michael Ellis, the paymaster-general, sent out with little more than misplaced self-confidence to answer an urgent question in the Commons. In a measure of how some Tory MPs were seeing Johnson, when Ellis repaired to the tea room, Andrew Bridgen — a backbench dean of dissent — said: “Congratulations. I think Prince Andrew wants you to help him now.”
Two days later, Bridgen announced that he had submitted a letter of no confidence in Johnson. If Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, receives 54 letters, it will trigger a vote on Johnson’s leadership many in the cabinet believe he would not survive.
Bridgen was later approached by members of the 2019 intake and asked for advice. One of them said: “When I was asking for votes in 2019, voters said they didn’t know me but they wanted to give Boris a go. Now people come up to me and say: ‘We like you, but we can’t vote for you again unless you get rid of him.’”
Only Brady knows how many letters have gone in. MPs say there are more than 30; the whips believe it is nearer 20.
For a prime minister who appeared to be unassailable three months ago, ministers and MPs can hardly believe how Johnson and his inner circle have imploded. From a steady lead in the polls, the Tories trailed by up to 14 points last week.
Labour officials, preparing Sir Keir Starmer for prime minister’s questions on Wednesday, seized on another finding. “At the start of the week, more people believed the moon landings were faked than believed Boris Johnson’s explanations about these parties,” one said. “By Wednesday the figure was 6 per cent, which is about the same number who believe in the Loch Ness monster.”
For those who had worked in No 10, the stories about parties were bewildering. “The only thing that was thrown in Gordon [Brown]’s No 10 were mobile phones,” said one.
In what was perhaps the most humiliating moment of his premiership, a chastened Johnson stood up in the Commons to read a statement admitting that he had attended one bash for 25 minutes after being asked to thank staff for their hard work. He claimed he thought it was “a work event”.
Afterwards he headed to the tea room. Some MPs claim he repeated the claim that he had done nothing wrong. Another tea-room witness says he had a tough time, confronted by at least one MP who watched loved ones die of Covid, unable to visit them, while No 10 partied. “Boris was white-faced and close to tears,” this MP said. “He was absolutely contrite.”
Cabinet colleagues say Johnson is “hangdog” and “down” but determined to show that he is up to the job. A senior minister said: “He is in total survival mode. He is so worried that he has started to read his [government] papers.”
Another cabinet minister said: “He’s been angry for weeks. But he also wants to tell you ‘it’s all going to be all right’. He’s feeling the pressure.”
If Johnson hoped his apology would buy him time, he was mistaken. On Thursday, details emerged of two new parties — leaving bashes for staff — on the eve of the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, revelations that forced No 10 to send an apology to Buckingham Palace. Fortunately for Johnson, he was absent at Chequers during those revels. “Everyone was lathered,” said one who went. Shelley Williams-Walker, Johnson’s head of operations, has been identified as the DJ and as the person who broke a swing belonging to Wilfred, the prime minister’s toddler, as the event spiralled out of control.
On Friday it emerged that “wine time Fridays” were held in Downing Street every week, with alcohol smuggled into the building from a nearby Tesco Metro in a suitcase. Johnson often stopped with the drinkers for a chat before heading upstairs to his flat. “The idea that he didn’t know there was a drinking culture is utter bollocks,” one said.
The practice dates back to the Cameron era, when a member of the No 10 press office would recite a humorous poem about the week’s events while colleagues got stuck into the sauvignon. “We had a suitcase,” said one former No 10 aide. “But ours was just a small carry-on. I think this lot must have got a bigger suitcase.” In fact, Johnson’s aides went one better, spending £142 on a wine fridge with a capacity of 34 bottles — quickly dubbed “a fridge too far”.
The boozing had immediate cut-through with a public not usually interested in politics. A cake-maker in southeast London contacted a Tory strategist friend to say that she had been asked to make a cake in the shape of a suitcase full of wine. Outside the gates of Downing Street, 100 protesters in blond wigs danced around chanting “My name is Boris” and “This is a work event”.
Aides are discussing a No 10 workplace “booze ban” in an effort to end the drinking culture in “Club Downing Street”. The ban is among a series of populist announcements being planned to save Johnson’s tottering premiership.
An aide admitted: “The boss has been perhaps too accommodating of the people who work for him and have behaved in a way that is damaging to him. The people in charge at all levels have not served him well. We hold our hands up. We let him down.”
Yet any explanation of how a toxic political storm blew up out of a clear blue sky must hang too on Johnson’s cavalier approach to governing and his mismanagement of staff.
Fed-up MPs point to the catastrophic errors in spending valuable political capital trying to help Owen Paterson, the MP who broke lobbying rules.
Others hark further back to Johnson’s stubborn determination to resist calls by the footballer Marcus Rashford for the government to fund school meals during holidays, a stance that necessitated two U-turns. “This is a man we are told has almost mythical political judgment,” said one MP. “That was when he lost it.”
Perhaps the most critical moment came in November 2020 when Dominic Cummings, his erstwhile senior aide, and Lee Cain, then director of communications, left No 10 — losers in a power battle with Carrie Johnson.
Allies of the two Vote Leave veterans say they parted with the prime minister on reasonable terms, with Johnson offering Cummings a peerage (duly declined) and a continuing role in the Cabinet Office. In this account, Johnson’s remaining allies in No 10 briefed against the departing pair, igniting a war of words that has never abated. Cummings has never denied leaking details of Johnson’s unorthodox efforts to enlist Tory donors to cover the costs of renovations to the Downing Street flat.
Johnson’s mistake, however, was to phone newspaper editors to explicitly accuse Cummings of breaking the law. When Cummings read these reports, he went ballistic. A friend said: “He said: ‘I’m not having him accusing me of something that’s libellous and illegal.’ That was Boris’s big mistake. Dom won’t let go until he’s gone.”
When one journalist contacted Cummings last week, he replied that he was too busy “trying to decommission a shopping trolley”, the veering vehicle with which he regularly compares Johnson.
Some MPs blame these questionable judgments on Carrie Johnson. Some are undoubtedly sexist; others dislike how she imported her friends to help run Downing Street. One former minister, previously a firm Johnson supporter, joked last week: “I think the prime minister should resign — and she should take her husband with her.”
How this muppet even got into the position he’s in still has me dumbfounded
I can only hope so but I don’t think he’s sunk. After all, some shit tends to float no matter what.
I’d say so. Not instantly, but during the year there will be a leadership challenge for sure.
Betteridge’s law of headlines.
More seriously, I think he is holed below the waterline, but he’s not sunk yet, to carry on the headlines metaphor. He could theoretically still limp back to port, but its not going to be easy.
Boris is the kind of person who would rather press a button that nukes the entire UK than quit as PM
>The practice dates back to the Cameron era, when a member of the No 10 press office would recite a humorous poem about the week’s events while colleagues got stuck into the sauvignon
I honestly can’t say I’m surprised at all. Toffs gonna toff
I personally think he will worm his way out of this.
Unless, of course, the sleaze keeps Cumming(s).
>One former minister, previously a firm Johnson supporter, joked last week: “I think the prime minister should resign — and she should take her husband with her.”
That’s a dagger to the heart.
Forgive me for the long post as I am trying to understand how the system works and what is the future to all of these.
OK, Boris is one of a kind, not the smoothest cut of a diamond but more rough cuts on its edges. Whether it still sparkles all depends on personal preferences. With him, UK’s economy has grown to pre-pandemic and its stock market is at its highest in recent years. Surely there is some form of confidence. If he did go, the country would be rudderless and whether it is going to be chaos or mayhem will be a debate.
So what if Boris stepped down, who would get his mantle and be that strong and stable? I could only think of a few for what seems to be potential candidates:
Michael Gove seems to be a recent divorcee and is likeable because he does do what normal people seem to do, clubbing, mingling with the general public. While as a person in high position, he seemed to deliver reforms and what he was set out to do. His reforms were criticized but they were not as heavily criticized as other leaders in their government positions. If he was selected to be the next UK leader, things would seem to be same as before.
Rishi Sunak seems to be young, charming, confident and sophisticated. A guy with a good family and little to no baggage except for being possibly filthy rich. He does not seem to have many detrimental news around him. If he was selected to be the next leader, it would be monumental because he’d be like the Obama of the UK and would be seen as a progressive country because he would be the first person of color to have held a very high position.
Jeremy Hunt is a bit of a wild card because most of his controversies is about hospital or NHS privatization (going from socialism to capitalism; how its being privatized, I admit I do not follow how because it is not like people are now asked to buy medical cards or insurance as a health protection). However, like Rishi, he is quite confident, pleasant, charming and sophisticated although he is neither young nor old. About the ripe age for a person who is going to be the next leader. He has an interracial family so he is pretty much progressive and could be also seen as his future policies being progressive too.
Liz Truss seems to have little controversies except for in recent times as she is now holding the very important Brexit and trade leadership roles which seem to be getting more attention and scrutiny from media. If she was the next leader, it would also be progressive for the UK as she is the third women leader to lead such a super-power since the days of Maggie Thatcher. Like some other countries around the world, it seems that having a bit of feminine touch does make a difference to those countries.
Finally, you have Priti Patel. She seems to be a bit of a disciplinarian or the authoritative mother who wants the best for her children so she can be seen sometimes as rigid and strict by many because she is trying to level up her house so it would not descend into a mad house. Probably because of being a rigid and strict character, she gets a lot of criticism for them. However, deep down she could be also progressive as well since she also has an interracial family. If she was the next UK leader, she’d probably be similar to Maggie Thatcher because of her unique character.
Does anyone have same view too and so who would be the next UK leader and why do you think so?
Said this the other day. When he was mayor of London he was pretty much, for all intents and purposes, a meme.
Even his own party is calling for him to resign. He is an absolute joke, and has hidden from every problem in the past few years. One time, in a fridge no less! Awful excuse for a leader.
13 comments
*Adrift on an ocean of illicit booze and with his authority ebbing, the prime minister is fast losing support among MPs. His instinctive response? To blame the team around him and launch a blizzard of crowd-pleasing policies. Will it work?*
–
The mood in Downing Street on Tuesday was “like a morgue”. The night before, ITV News had obtained an email from Boris Johnson’s principal private secretary, Martin Reynolds, inviting staff to “bring your own booze” to a party in the No 10 garden on May 20, 2020, at the height of the first lockdown.
A glance at the prime minister’s diary confirmed — as this newspaper reported a week ago — that Johnson and his wife Carrie had attended the gathering, where 40 people drank the night away.
Those arriving to discuss the situation wondered whether they were embarking on preparations for a political funeral. What they did not realise was that it might be theirs.
Johnson did not rant but made it clear he was furious with his team. “He had a massive go at them for failing to sort things out,” one of those present told a friend. “He made it clear he thought they had let him down. Boris’s view is that he is not to blame, that everyone else is to blame.”
Johnson did not attack people by name but asked angrily: “How has all this been allowed to happen? How has it come to this? How haven’t you sorted this out?” Sources in the meeting say that senior staff “studied the floor”.
This weekend, insiders said Reynolds, his deputy, Stuart Glassborow, Dan Rosenfield, the Downing Street chief of staff, and some members of the communications team are likely to be out of a job when a report by the mandarin Sue Gray is published, probably in about ten days.
“It’s like Macmillan,” said one MP of the prime minister who sacked a third of his cabinet in the Night of the Long Knives in 1962.
“Boris is preparing to lay down the lives of his staff to save his own. It will be the Night of the Long Scapegoats.”
On Tuesday, Johnson’s human shield was the unlikely figure of Michael Ellis, the paymaster-general, sent out with little more than misplaced self-confidence to answer an urgent question in the Commons. In a measure of how some Tory MPs were seeing Johnson, when Ellis repaired to the tea room, Andrew Bridgen — a backbench dean of dissent — said: “Congratulations. I think Prince Andrew wants you to help him now.”
Two days later, Bridgen announced that he had submitted a letter of no confidence in Johnson. If Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, receives 54 letters, it will trigger a vote on Johnson’s leadership many in the cabinet believe he would not survive.
Bridgen was later approached by members of the 2019 intake and asked for advice. One of them said: “When I was asking for votes in 2019, voters said they didn’t know me but they wanted to give Boris a go. Now people come up to me and say: ‘We like you, but we can’t vote for you again unless you get rid of him.’”
Only Brady knows how many letters have gone in. MPs say there are more than 30; the whips believe it is nearer 20.
For a prime minister who appeared to be unassailable three months ago, ministers and MPs can hardly believe how Johnson and his inner circle have imploded. From a steady lead in the polls, the Tories trailed by up to 14 points last week.
Labour officials, preparing Sir Keir Starmer for prime minister’s questions on Wednesday, seized on another finding. “At the start of the week, more people believed the moon landings were faked than believed Boris Johnson’s explanations about these parties,” one said. “By Wednesday the figure was 6 per cent, which is about the same number who believe in the Loch Ness monster.”
For those who had worked in No 10, the stories about parties were bewildering. “The only thing that was thrown in Gordon [Brown]’s No 10 were mobile phones,” said one.
In what was perhaps the most humiliating moment of his premiership, a chastened Johnson stood up in the Commons to read a statement admitting that he had attended one bash for 25 minutes after being asked to thank staff for their hard work. He claimed he thought it was “a work event”.
Afterwards he headed to the tea room. Some MPs claim he repeated the claim that he had done nothing wrong. Another tea-room witness says he had a tough time, confronted by at least one MP who watched loved ones die of Covid, unable to visit them, while No 10 partied. “Boris was white-faced and close to tears,” this MP said. “He was absolutely contrite.”
Cabinet colleagues say Johnson is “hangdog” and “down” but determined to show that he is up to the job. A senior minister said: “He is in total survival mode. He is so worried that he has started to read his [government] papers.”
Another cabinet minister said: “He’s been angry for weeks. But he also wants to tell you ‘it’s all going to be all right’. He’s feeling the pressure.”
If Johnson hoped his apology would buy him time, he was mistaken. On Thursday, details emerged of two new parties — leaving bashes for staff — on the eve of the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, revelations that forced No 10 to send an apology to Buckingham Palace. Fortunately for Johnson, he was absent at Chequers during those revels. “Everyone was lathered,” said one who went. Shelley Williams-Walker, Johnson’s head of operations, has been identified as the DJ and as the person who broke a swing belonging to Wilfred, the prime minister’s toddler, as the event spiralled out of control.
On Friday it emerged that “wine time Fridays” were held in Downing Street every week, with alcohol smuggled into the building from a nearby Tesco Metro in a suitcase. Johnson often stopped with the drinkers for a chat before heading upstairs to his flat. “The idea that he didn’t know there was a drinking culture is utter bollocks,” one said.
The practice dates back to the Cameron era, when a member of the No 10 press office would recite a humorous poem about the week’s events while colleagues got stuck into the sauvignon. “We had a suitcase,” said one former No 10 aide. “But ours was just a small carry-on. I think this lot must have got a bigger suitcase.” In fact, Johnson’s aides went one better, spending £142 on a wine fridge with a capacity of 34 bottles — quickly dubbed “a fridge too far”.
The boozing had immediate cut-through with a public not usually interested in politics. A cake-maker in southeast London contacted a Tory strategist friend to say that she had been asked to make a cake in the shape of a suitcase full of wine. Outside the gates of Downing Street, 100 protesters in blond wigs danced around chanting “My name is Boris” and “This is a work event”.
Aides are discussing a No 10 workplace “booze ban” in an effort to end the drinking culture in “Club Downing Street”. The ban is among a series of populist announcements being planned to save Johnson’s tottering premiership.
An aide admitted: “The boss has been perhaps too accommodating of the people who work for him and have behaved in a way that is damaging to him. The people in charge at all levels have not served him well. We hold our hands up. We let him down.”
Yet any explanation of how a toxic political storm blew up out of a clear blue sky must hang too on Johnson’s cavalier approach to governing and his mismanagement of staff.
Fed-up MPs point to the catastrophic errors in spending valuable political capital trying to help Owen Paterson, the MP who broke lobbying rules.
Others hark further back to Johnson’s stubborn determination to resist calls by the footballer Marcus Rashford for the government to fund school meals during holidays, a stance that necessitated two U-turns. “This is a man we are told has almost mythical political judgment,” said one MP. “That was when he lost it.”
Perhaps the most critical moment came in November 2020 when Dominic Cummings, his erstwhile senior aide, and Lee Cain, then director of communications, left No 10 — losers in a power battle with Carrie Johnson.
Allies of the two Vote Leave veterans say they parted with the prime minister on reasonable terms, with Johnson offering Cummings a peerage (duly declined) and a continuing role in the Cabinet Office. In this account, Johnson’s remaining allies in No 10 briefed against the departing pair, igniting a war of words that has never abated. Cummings has never denied leaking details of Johnson’s unorthodox efforts to enlist Tory donors to cover the costs of renovations to the Downing Street flat.
Johnson’s mistake, however, was to phone newspaper editors to explicitly accuse Cummings of breaking the law. When Cummings read these reports, he went ballistic. A friend said: “He said: ‘I’m not having him accusing me of something that’s libellous and illegal.’ That was Boris’s big mistake. Dom won’t let go until he’s gone.”
When one journalist contacted Cummings last week, he replied that he was too busy “trying to decommission a shopping trolley”, the veering vehicle with which he regularly compares Johnson.
Some MPs blame these questionable judgments on Carrie Johnson. Some are undoubtedly sexist; others dislike how she imported her friends to help run Downing Street. One former minister, previously a firm Johnson supporter, joked last week: “I think the prime minister should resign — and she should take her husband with her.”
How this muppet even got into the position he’s in still has me dumbfounded
In case you missed them:
>Times: [‘Wine-time Fridays’: Boozy culture where Downing Street staff slept off hangovers on sofas](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/wine-time-fridays-boozy-culture-where-downing-street-staff-slept-off-hangovers-on-sofas-dc92hkdf5)
>
>(mirror: https://archive.is/EY3Qc)
–
>Politics Home: [Downing Street Staff Feel Dejected By Boris Johnson’s Party Defence](https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/downing-street-staff-feel-dejected-by-boris-johnsons-party-defence)
–
>Civil Service World: [Data watchdog warns civil servants not to delete messages amid party probe](https://www.civilserviceworld.com/professions/article/ico-warns-civil-servants-not-to-delete-messages-amid-party-probe)
>
>ICO says “erasing, destroying or concealing” relevant information is a criminal offence
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteridge's_law_of_headlines
I can only hope so but I don’t think he’s sunk. After all, some shit tends to float no matter what.
I’d say so. Not instantly, but during the year there will be a leadership challenge for sure.
Betteridge’s law of headlines.
More seriously, I think he is holed below the waterline, but he’s not sunk yet, to carry on the headlines metaphor. He could theoretically still limp back to port, but its not going to be easy.
Boris is the kind of person who would rather press a button that nukes the entire UK than quit as PM
>The practice dates back to the Cameron era, when a member of the No 10 press office would recite a humorous poem about the week’s events while colleagues got stuck into the sauvignon
I honestly can’t say I’m surprised at all. Toffs gonna toff
I personally think he will worm his way out of this.
Unless, of course, the sleaze keeps Cumming(s).
>One former minister, previously a firm Johnson supporter, joked last week: “I think the prime minister should resign — and she should take her husband with her.”
That’s a dagger to the heart.
Forgive me for the long post as I am trying to understand how the system works and what is the future to all of these.
OK, Boris is one of a kind, not the smoothest cut of a diamond but more rough cuts on its edges. Whether it still sparkles all depends on personal preferences. With him, UK’s economy has grown to pre-pandemic and its stock market is at its highest in recent years. Surely there is some form of confidence. If he did go, the country would be rudderless and whether it is going to be chaos or mayhem will be a debate.
So what if Boris stepped down, who would get his mantle and be that strong and stable? I could only think of a few for what seems to be potential candidates:
Michael Gove seems to be a recent divorcee and is likeable because he does do what normal people seem to do, clubbing, mingling with the general public. While as a person in high position, he seemed to deliver reforms and what he was set out to do. His reforms were criticized but they were not as heavily criticized as other leaders in their government positions. If he was selected to be the next UK leader, things would seem to be same as before.
Rishi Sunak seems to be young, charming, confident and sophisticated. A guy with a good family and little to no baggage except for being possibly filthy rich. He does not seem to have many detrimental news around him. If he was selected to be the next leader, it would be monumental because he’d be like the Obama of the UK and would be seen as a progressive country because he would be the first person of color to have held a very high position.
Jeremy Hunt is a bit of a wild card because most of his controversies is about hospital or NHS privatization (going from socialism to capitalism; how its being privatized, I admit I do not follow how because it is not like people are now asked to buy medical cards or insurance as a health protection). However, like Rishi, he is quite confident, pleasant, charming and sophisticated although he is neither young nor old. About the ripe age for a person who is going to be the next leader. He has an interracial family so he is pretty much progressive and could be also seen as his future policies being progressive too.
Liz Truss seems to have little controversies except for in recent times as she is now holding the very important Brexit and trade leadership roles which seem to be getting more attention and scrutiny from media. If she was the next leader, it would also be progressive for the UK as she is the third women leader to lead such a super-power since the days of Maggie Thatcher. Like some other countries around the world, it seems that having a bit of feminine touch does make a difference to those countries.
Finally, you have Priti Patel. She seems to be a bit of a disciplinarian or the authoritative mother who wants the best for her children so she can be seen sometimes as rigid and strict by many because she is trying to level up her house so it would not descend into a mad house. Probably because of being a rigid and strict character, she gets a lot of criticism for them. However, deep down she could be also progressive as well since she also has an interracial family. If she was the next UK leader, she’d probably be similar to Maggie Thatcher because of her unique character.
Does anyone have same view too and so who would be the next UK leader and why do you think so?
Said this the other day. When he was mayor of London he was pretty much, for all intents and purposes, a meme.
Even his own party is calling for him to resign. He is an absolute joke, and has hidden from every problem in the past few years. One time, in a fridge no less! Awful excuse for a leader.