Bdid oris Johnson act illegally while the UK was in full containment? According to John Major, the answer is yes. The former Conservative Prime Minister violently charged, Thursday, February 10, the current tenant of 10 Downing Street, and this, while the police investigation seems to be tightening on the parties organized in the residence of the head of the British government during the confinement. Boris Johnson has been the target of heavy criticism for several months as revelations about the parties surfaced.
Popularity at half mast, calls for resignation even in his conservative camp and now this frontal attack by the former Tory head of government: the British Prime Minister sees his political survival threatened by the revelations about these repeated rallies, organized at a time when the British were subject to strict restrictions.
An “optional” truth, according to John Major
“The prime minister and officials broke the law. Shameless excuses were invented. Day after day, the public was asked to believe the implausible. Ministers have been sent to defend the indefensible, making them look credulous or foolish in the process,” John Major said in a speech to the Institute for Government think tank. “Too often, ministers have been evasive and the truth has seemed optional,” added the former Conservative leader, who headed the government from 1990 to 1997.
The consequences are damaging, well beyond “political unpopularity”. The UK’s reputation on the international stage has taken a hit, John Major lamented even as Boris Johnson traveled to Brussels and Warsaw on Thursday to discuss the Ukraine crisis. John Major has always been very critical of Boris Johnson, first and foremost on Brexit. “Our reputation abroad has declined because of our conduct. We are weakening our influence in the world”, also regretted the former head of government, warning that “international trust may not be easy to regain”.
An embarrassing new photo for Boris Johnson
Excluding any resignation, as demanded by the opposition and certain Conservative MPs, Boris Johnson has been fighting for his post for several weeks, weakened by the succession of revelations about these sometimes festive gatherings in places of power during the pandemic. His mea culpa in Parliament and his promises of change in Downing Street did not calm the situation. The press published a new photo on Wednesday showing the Prime Minister at one of these rallies.
After the publication of an internal preliminary report pinning down “errors of leadership and judgment”, his fate remains suspended on the conclusions of the police investigation. If they overwhelm him, the threshold of 54 Conservative MPs required to trigger a vote of no confidence could quickly be reached. “It has always been the case” that a Prime Minister must resign if it turns out that he deliberately lied to Parliament, launched John Major.
More than 50 people soon to be interviewed by Scotland Yard
Boris Johnson’s spokesman downplayed the remarks. “The public wants to judge governments on what they do for them that changes and improves their lives. That’s what (Boris Johnson) is focusing on,” he said. First criticized for their wait-and-see attitude in this case, the London police announced that they would question by questionnaire, by the end of the week, more than 50 people who would have taken part in one of the 12 events, spread over 8 dates in 2020 and 2021, targeted by the police investigation. They are liable to a fine.
In a statement, Scotland Yard stressed that the questionnaires had a “legal status” and had to be completed “sincerely” within seven days. According to the Prime Minister’s spokesman, he has not been contacted “at this stage”. The police also indicated that they were considering whether to include another event on their list: an online quiz on December 15, 2020, after the new photo published by the DailyMirror which shows Boris Johnson flanked by two collaborators, one of whom has a garland around his neck, with an open bottle of sparkling wine on the table.
The opposition Labor Party has also asked the police to look into another case, that of the costly renovation of the Downing Street company apartment, partly funded by a Conservative Party donor. Labor believes there is “reasonable suspicion” that the leader has breached anti-corruption laws, “categorically false allegations”, according to Downing Street.
