Boris Johnson has come out of what has been the biggest pressure exercise on him so far since I know uncovered the partygate, the scandal over the celebrations that took place with conservative politicians, including the prime minister himself, in the midst of the pandemic. British Prime Minister has saved this Monday the motion of censure presented against him by his own party precisely to bury the case of the parties and open a new stage. And yes, Johnson has been spared, but his political future is becoming less clear, plagued by the controversial events, some of which even occurred in Downing Street and for which he has been fined.
The truth is that Johnson still maintains the confidence of a sufficient part of the parliamentary group tory y the motion has resulted in 148 votes in favor of dismissing him and 211 against (the ‘yeses’ necessary for the dismissal were 180), so, for the time being, he will remain in office. What is not known is for how long, since more 40% of the deputies have turned their backs on him. The pressure is high and the precedents do not invite optimism. Theresa May (2018) and before Margaret Thatcher (1990) saved these match balls and still had to resign. Not even the Iron Lady was spared conservative maneuvers: gossips say that if the party wants you to leave… you end up leaving. In fact, both May and Thatcher received stronger endorsements than Johnson.
The motion was launched after reaching the 54 signatures necessary for it, that is, 15% of the members of the Committee 1922which is nothing other than observer of the government. The Big Brother who watches Johnson and is increasingly dissatisfied with his management, while the partygate It becomes the straw that breaks the camel’s back. this committee It is made up of Tory deputies who have no responsibilities in the Executive and who are therefore considered more independent.
Johnson himself celebrated the result and considers that the level of support he has received is “convincing” to “keep going“and forget the case of the parties. In addition, he has ruled out early elections. “What we must do now is unite, as a government and as a party,” said the prime minister.
Some of the reactions were immediate and the former Brexit minister, David Davis, assured that it is not a political victory and warned of a possible “paralysis” of the Government. “We can end a kind of populist government, in which everything they do is designed to curry favor with one sector or another of the population, and that is quite dangerous. That’s where governments go wrong,” he said. For his part, Theresa May did not want to reveal the meaning of his vote and others like Sir Charles Walker assured that the problem is in the risk that there is now “a civil war within the parliamentary group”.
It did not take long for the Labor leader, Keir Starmer. “The choice is clearer than ever: Tories divided who support Boris Johnson without any plan to address the problems you are up against or a United Labor Party with a plan to fix the cost of living crisis and restore confidence in politics,” he wrote on social media.
And now that?
After the result of this Monday, the deputies they cannot call another motion of censure for at least a year, although there are two possibilities: that the rules are changed to repeat the operation or that, as has happened on previous occasions, the pressure continues through other channels until the prime minister falls. Before the vote, Johnson quickly defended his management and called for a closing of ranks. “You already know the incredible strength we can be when we are united. Those in this room have achieved the biggest Conservative victory in 40 years … under my leadership,” he said, referring to his big election result three years ago.
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Boris Johnson, in any case, is not new to these scenarios, although when he was involved he did so from the other side. The British Prime Minister was one of the most active in the movement to impeach Theresa May for her handling of Brexit; he was the favorite to succeed her. Time made that move work out for him and he ended up being what he still is: the tenant of Downing Street. Now, yes, he has seen how those who sound to replace him have positioned themselves on his side. This is the case of the person in charge of Foreign Affairs, Liz Trussand the Secretary of the Treasury, Sunak Risks. The name of the moderate is also handled Jeremy Huntformer Minister and Secretary of Health, who already lost the Conservative primaries against Johnson in 2019.
a devastating report
The reality is that the report of the partygate is devastating with Johnson, despite the fact that he has insisted over and over again that he does not intend to resign. “The highest level leaders, both politically and administratively, must take responsibility for this culture“, expresses in reference to parties and alcohol Sue Gray, in charge of the investigation for which Scotland Yard has imposed numerous fines, including those of Johnson and his wife. And the real problem was not how, but when , since many of the celebrations took place in the worst of confinement for the pandemic.
The investigation encompassed about twenty parties, although images continue to appear with the passing of days, and Gray’s conclusions are devastating. “Some of the behaviors described are inexcusable, but it is important to note that the majority of junior employees attended these events because their superiors were present, or had even arranged them directly“, includes, speaking of “lack of respect and decorum” with the Downing Street staff. In such a complicated scenario, Johnson has only limited himself to apologizing.
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Criticism has reached the prime minister on several fronts. From the opposition as well as from his own ranks, reproaches and requests for him to assume responsibilities have rained down on him. “We have reached a point where the prime minister has downgraded the institution and lost all his authority, not just in his party, but across the country. It is in the national interest for him to leave,” said Labor opposition leader Keir Starmer at the start of the case. He later accused Johnson of using the war in Ukraine “as a smoke screen” to avoid taking responsibility. Labour, however, They have taken advantage of the wear and tear of the prime minister and have been leading the polls for months. Thus, they open up another reason for tories bring down Johnson: he may no longer be electorally profitable.
Boris Johnson es a political leader stuck to brexit. The departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union has been what has given meaning to his political career, but that desire to detach himself from Brussels forged him as a correspondent in the Belgian capital. As a journalist he paved the way for years later to defend the referendum and the abandonment of the community project. He was also May’s failure in the negotiations with the Union which propelled her to the commanding chair. He did completely close the divorce pact (as well as the one regarding future relationships) but has never hidden his intention to modify itultimately by not being in accordance with the so-called Ireland Protocol, which avoids a physical border between the two Irelands in order, ultimately, not to return to a war scene. Johnson seems on an almost dead end road; perhaps the ones that remain are to advance the elections or go through the back door.
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