‘No 10 have completely checked out. It’s really bad’: Inside Boris Johnson’s zombie Government

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  1. **Article by Hugo Gye, Arj Singh, David Parsley**

    >When he announced his resignation on 7 July, Boris Johnson insisted it was crucial that he stay in office until a new prime minister was ready to take over.
    >
    >He rejected the suggestion he should hand over to his deputy, Dominic Raab, as an interim premier – claiming it would be unacceptable to leave a vacuum at the heart of Government.
    >
    >But that vacuum has come anyway. This week the prime minister has been on holiday in Greece, his second getaway in three weeks, and his spokesman admitted he was not even reading Government papers. “I get the feeling No 10 have completely checked out,” one Whitehall official said. “It’s really bad.”
    >
    >The rot started to set in within days of Mr Johnson’s decision to step down. Ministers had expected a rush of legislation during the two weeks between his resignation and the start of the summer recess, which the Prime Minister could then point to in years to come as evidence of his policy legacy.
    >
    >But key Bills – in particular, the Online Safety Bill which has been more than three years in the making – were rapidly yanked off the agenda. And as that happened government departments rapidly emptied of civil servants.
    >
    >Figures obtained by i reveal that in the week the PM resigned, Whitehall offices were half empty with only 55 per cent of officials present.
    >
    >Two weeks later, as the Conservative leadership campaign got under way, it fell to only 35 per cent, with nearly two third of civil servants either absent or working from home. Just 20 per cent of Defra were present, with only 22 per cent coming in to the Foreign Office.
    >
    >Since then attendance has picked up, a bit. But last week there were still only 56 per cent of Whitehall civil servants in their offices.
    >
    >Meanwhile, Government aides report intense frustration at the obstacles Downing Street put in place to block further action, not helped by the huge churn in ministers caused by the mass resignations which triggered Mr Johnson’s own downfall.
    >
    >“Everything massively slowed down,” one official, who was trying to push through policy announcements previously agreed by the Cabinet, told i. “No 10 started telling us we needed to get things signed off by new ministers – even when they had already signed them off in their previous role.”
    >
    >For some in the administration, this was a continuation of a lack of dynamism that had plagued the Government machine ever since Mr Johnson first took office. One insider said: “You have to ask over and over again to get anything done in Whitehall, and that’s just the top layer of the whole public sector. No wonder we couldn’t even get people back into the office.”
    >
    >Another Conservative source added: “The Johnson Government never did anything anyway until the very last moment. And now we have a total zombie administration.”
    >
    >However, others are adamant that Mr Johnson’s team has caused the inertia – a Whitehall source claimed Downing Street’s political staff had essentially downed tools, abandoning the weekly check-ins they used to have with other departments.
    >
    >A Government insider said departments had become “silos” as no one was available to co-ordinate their activities. “Nobody is bothering to get things cleared by No 10,” they said.
    >
    >“When Boris first resigned loads of No 10 people changed their WhatsApp pictures to say ‘out of office’. Some No 10 staffers just went on holiday, some have quit. Getting clearance for anything is a nightmare because No 10 have no authority.”
    >
    >A number of senior Downing Street aides are understood to have taken holiday, in some cases lasting several weeks, over August because they did not want to lose their annual leave allowance when they step down from the Government.
    >
    >Other departments have also lost special advisers – either because they were working for a now-resigned minister, or because they have taken unpaid leave to volunteer on Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss’s leadership campaign.
    >
    >Those who have stayed in the office have reported having little to do – regularly leaving work at 5pm, when previously they were used to staying until 8pm or 9pm most evenings. “Your phone just immediately stops ringing,” a No 10 staffer said. “Suddenly no one cared what the PM thought about things any more.”
    >
    >An ally of the Prime Minister said it was wrong to blame Mr Johnson, instead pointing the finger at the critics who ousted him despite his argument that it would be wrong to change leaders during a time of economic and geopolitical crisis. “There doesn’t seem to be much going on,” the source said. “But MPs wanted a leadership election!”
    >
    >Those close to the outgoing leader say they have been watching the contest to replace him open-mouthed, stunned by the hostility Mr Sunak and Ms Truss have shown towards one another.
    >
    >One ally of Mr Johnson told i: “If this was all about restoring civility and uniting the party, they’ve completely failed. They have done more damage in six weeks than we did in three years.”
    >
    >Another added: “The way they keep going at each other totally dominates the airwaves. It’s like the film Crash where people drive fast cars while having sex – but at least someone was getting gratification out of that.”
    >
    >While most feel they had unfinished business in the Government, some will admit to a sense of relief that they are leaving before the full force of the cost of living crisis is felt. “It’s going to be a really awful year,” a No 10 aide said.
    >
    >A source close to the outgoing Prime Minister said: “Maybe Boris has played a blinder. He’ll go away just as it all starts to go wrong and people will think, oh actually maybe he did get all the big calls right after all.”
    >
    >There are established precedents for the boundaries that governments must observe in the period before a general election, or when they have lost a vote of confidence in the House of Commons. However, no formal rules about how a prime minister who has announced their intention to resign should behave.
    >
    >Unlike Mr Johnson, Theresa May embarked on a frenzy of new policies after promising to step down, including writing the net-zero emissions target into law.
    >
    >Hannah White of the Institute for Government said: “Boris Johnson could be doing a lot more than he is doing in his final weeks as Prime Minister. He is not doing what May did, which is press on with legacy priorities other than the one over which she had been removed.”
    >
    >She said one reason for the inactivity is that Parliament is in recess until the end of the leadership election, making it impossible to enact any changes to policy which might require the approval of MPs. But she added: “The sense that there is no leadership in Government for people on the street who are really worried is really, I think, quite damaging for Government.”
    >
    >A senior Labour official ridiculed the idea that No 10 and the Treasury cannot act to address the cost of living, saying: “They say there’s nothing they can do but that’s obviously not true – which is why you get ministers and secretaries of state pumping out announcements, trying to secure their legacy.”
    >
    >A number of ministers have made freelance policy interventions in recent months, without the authorisation of Mr Johnson.
    >
    >Sir Robert Buckland, the Welsh Secretary, called for a rewriting of the upcoming British Bill of Rights; Health Secretary Steve Barclay suggested increasing the number of migrant workers recruited by the NHS; and Treasury minister Lucy Frazer said the courts system must be “radically overhauled”.
    >
    >For the hard-working officials who do want to keep the Government going without openly disobeying the Prime Minister, it is a tricky line to walk. One person working on future options for the cost of living asked, in despair: “How do you do something that is significant and makes a difference, but doesn’t tie the hands of your successor?”
    >
    >[END]

  2. I cannot help shake the feeling, once again we have been Putin’d.

    But regardless, is this not a time for a government of national unity? We cannot have another two months of this.

  3. Funny at most of the jobs I’ve done people are put on gardening leave, escorted out of the building so they can’t do damage before they leave

  4. He’s still getting paid a PM’s wage so he should do his fucking job.
    Shit like saying oh the living wage crisis is for the next PM to deal with.
    Fuck me, you are getting paid the wage so do the job you floppy haired fuck.

  5. I mean is it entirely ethical for a sitting prime minster to be effectively on gardening leave?

    Why exactly did you get into politics again Boris eh? clearly wasn’t to serve the Country and put it’s interests first.

  6. Causing major issues in my line of work. We need Treasury approval of budgets but they’ve stopped engaging until the new PM/Chancellor is in. That’s a big backlog of decisions that will cost the country many millions.

    Transport is the same. Can’t get operational decisions out of Shapps. Just lost a game changing environmental opportunity.

    But we know we won’t be allowed to use those as reasons for delay/not achieving. Fucking clowns.

  7. they want the crisis to happen that they’re partially responsible in causing. Every time they open their mouth its some culture war shit, they really want everyone to hate cyclists and trans people instead of hating the Tories, their voters and the rich for what they’ve caused.

  8. They’ll be back for a month then they’ll be on their Christmas holidays. Nothing is getting done in this government apart from their mates getting richer. It’s disgusting

  9. Also is this situation not why we have a deputy prime minister position? Until we can get someone in Boris leaves and the deputy steps up. Not that that choice is any better than Boris but what’s the point of that position otherwise?

  10. Narcissist acts like narcissist, who’d have thought!
    BJ is only interested in people who can give him stuff, hence all the holidays and Tory donors paying for all his shit. The single worst pm we’ve ever had, although Liz Truss will be along shortly shouting ‘hold my beer’

  11. The fact a man like this became Prime Minister is a damning indictment of our political system. Whilst I’m not naive enough to think the most honourable people will rise to the top but Johnson is an absolute low for our country. Leading a country is not a reward it is a responsibility, yet this man has acted with complete lack of honour for the importance of the job – he treats it like a cushty little number. I’m not a fan of The Conservatives but despite me heavily disagreeing with Thatcher’s politics she at least worked very hard in the role and made numerous sacrifices – similar can be said of most other prime ministers up until this cretin. In a national TV debate Johnson was asked if he was an honest person, he said ‘yes’ and the entire audience erupted with laughter…. He went on to win by a landslide. As a Country we should expect more from our leaders; though I don’t think we are heading in the right direction with someone like Truss in charge – probably one of the few people out there who wouldn’t be an upgrade on Johnson.

  12. I just saw that video of him dancing with his current wife. He’s wearing a white suit. It happened a while ago, but it’s not been talked about enough. that should be enough.

  13. He’s more than happy to let things freewheel, after all why would he want to make anything easier for Truss? He’s still hoping that if and when Truss bombs, he can make a comeback.

  14. I have a theory that the only reason sunak is still in even though hes never gunna win is so his mate can enjoy being a lame duck for as long as possible

  15. Being demoted but still having the job was a nice little test for Bojo – would he still put the hours in after people showed they were no longer willing to indulge his ego? Nope.

  16. It tells you everything you need to know about the man. Couldn’t give a fuck about the country. I hope he’s remembered for lying to the country about Brexit and then slinking away a national disgrace.

  17. Does anyone want to come and take Scotland away from this absolute fuck fest of lying slavering cunts, we need a better country to be conquered by, it’s fucking embarrassing!!!

  18. Boris Johnson is an absolute child.

    You know that immature dickhead in the office that knows he’s leaving , he’s handed in his notice and now refuses to do any work or get any handovers done, knowing he won’t be fired?

  19. Luckily there is still no credible opposition, so another 5 years of Conservative government will guide us through the pain of 15% inflation and high interest rates

  20. Genuine question to a Tory and/or brexit voter – do you honestly sit back and look on the past three years and in anyway truthfully think to yourself this is good? Or even remotely satisfactory?

    And please, no ‘they’re all the same’ cheap replies or ‘Labour are just as bad’ or some daily mail regurgitation of falsehoods about jerermy corbyn. Come on, honestly give me something to try to make sense of what you were thinking.

  21. It would damage his brand for the future if he was seen to be overseeing this.

    I will keep banging on – he is coming back for 2024 or sooner on a “humble” ticket after Truss has taken a fucking beating in the polls

  22. To look at it from his point of view it was his lifelong ambition and everyone shat on him from the word go in the harshest possible way for every little thing they could possibly find. Let’s face it he got screwed so can you really blame him for not giving a shit at this point?

  23. Can someone answer a serious question for me,

    I’m young dumb and really want an answer

    At most places of employment, if you don’t attend work, or behave poorly in the workplace there is a clear and defined way to make you change this behaviour that ends with you losing your job, this is accountability for employers.

    If you break the laws of the country, there is a similar system in place to stop people behaving badly and to make them accountable for their actions, enforced by the police.

    Who holds anyone in government accountable? Seriously?

    I’ve heard time after time after time about rampant corruption, politicians stealing billions, commiting genuine provable criminal offences while in office, and I’ve yet to see a single prison sentence to these people.

    Who the fuck is holding then accountable????????????

  24. Can the millions of people who voted for this renowned cunt to become PM please step forward and own it please? Why did you vote for these cunts? Why???….ta.

  25. What a surprise a pack of self serving duplicitous greedy badgerlickers, do not have the decency to the work they accept payment for.

    We have a country in crisis, with no leadership, no accountability for the creation of a deranged situation.

    Just so cowardly and corrupt .

    Please stop enabling bad humans to positions of power.

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