We know Johnson is going. What we also know is that he is doing so because his party no longer wants him. They'd even prefer Liz Truss to him.
Johnson does, however, continue to squat in Downing Street, planning his last corrupt acts. Amongst these will be his resignation honours list. Those who kept him in office will, no doubt, be rewarded. Some will become legislators for life.
In contrast it seems very unlikely that Johnson will last long in that role. The House of Commons Standards Committee made clear yesterday that they intend to interview Johnson and others under oath to determine whether he misled the House of Commons.
I really do not think many people have any doubt on this issue. He claimed in the Commons that no Covid lockdown rules were ever broken at No.10. Around 120 fixed penalty notices later we know that was untrue. And we know Johnson must have known that was untrue.
My suspicion is that this Committee will not seek to find the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Johnson's actions are far too egregious to do that. Their focus will simply be on ‘did he lie?' That simply means they will interrogate him on events where they know they have the evidence to prove that he did. This is sufficient for their purposes.
What happens then? Johnson, if he sees this process through, could be suspended from parliament, face a recall petition in his constituency, and a by-election he would most likely lose, if he stood.
Alternatively, and much more likely, he will resign to spend more time with his family in early September.
But, three thoughts on this, which would only act as an admission of guilt. First, should that end the Committee's work? I hope not. His record should be blemished.
Second, should that end his right to resignation honours? I think so.
Third, should this end his right to enjoy some privileges normally afforded to former prime ministers (of which we now have a lot), such as security briefings? I definitely think so. This man is not to be trusted.
I am expecting Johnson to go now. I just hope he is held to account as well.
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I agree with all of your points but I worry that there will be an effort to play down Johnson’s transgressions in order to preserve the reputation of parliament and the Establishment. The Tories will never admit to having such a rogue in their midst as they are much more subtle than that usually.
Johnson’s appeal? I think with an electorate who are heartily sick of politics and being let down, Johnsons brazen ignoring of established rules and norms really chimed with many and he became almost a poster boy for those who just don’t see that politics is there to help them. The feeling I get when I talk to his under-paid, debt ridden supporters is that they saw him as an anti-establishment figure who became a mascot or focus for their own frustrations with a democratic system that has long stopped helping them.
We may well see a white wash of some kind and Johnson’s character being ‘laundered’ for a come back. Yes – the fascist pigs in the Tory part would try to do that – they really would. Fortune favours the brave these days, especially when we replace the word brave with ‘brazen’.
Johnson’s biggest gift however is that he made us realise just what a house of cards English democracy is. And I’m talking about English democracy only BTW, and as a very very disappointed Englishman. Heartbroken in fact.
Finally the other elephant in the room is what exactly are the other parties going to do about this mess? It’s that question that I find the most depressing of all.
Pilgrim
in any other organisation if a chief Executive was judged to be dishonest and lacking in integrity ( see resignation letters) they would be gone in a few days. We have Deputy Prime Minister and he only has to hold the fort for a few weeks while Parliament is in recess. He would not be allowed to pick the board of directors to replace those who quit.
I have no doubt if he was Labour, or Lib Dem. the whole press pack wold be baying for his blood.
As I understand it, resignation honours and membership of the House of Lords, has to be formally approved by the Monarchy. I hope the leaders of the three main opposition parties, as Privy Councillors, advise the Queen to refuse them. They could be quietly dropped. If she does not, it will not reflect well on the institution.
I also hope that Starmer remembers his election pledge to reform the Lords and says that if they are appointed, they will only last until Labour is next in power.
We have to keep hopeful.
Ian
These days things don’t always work like that in ‘other organisations’.
What I’ve seen is different. An errant CEO or Senior Manager maybe got rid of, but then the org plays down the whole thing because the first thing the org’ thinks about is how it looks from outside.
In other words its reputational damage they think of first – therefore they make the CEO’s parting look all natural and pre-arranged – after all it is after all THEY who employed the bastard in the first place and it is THEIR reputation they are worried about. They’ll even celebrate his/her achievements and pay them off handsomely.
I had a CEO once who was a notorious bottom pincher and this is exactly what happened to him when the complaints to HR grew from female colleagues. Off he went with no damage to his reputation or bank balance for that matter. And it is no better in the public sector – how even public sector orgs will hide bad leaders from the public to save face – I’ve seen that often enough over 25 years in public service. Effective use of PR is essential to make it all look as good as possible.
Going back to the HoC, we saw all the same hallmarks of institutional damage limitation in the way it was handled but I’m sure you agree Ian that it is Parliament’s failure alone as an institution to deal with Boris and not challenge his behaviour and mutinous breaking of the rules that is the major factor.
When it came to curbing the executives’ excesses, Tory party loyalty came before principle and Erskine May. And therefore Parliament and democracy failed. That’s a huge failing that must be addressed. And Lyndsay Hoyle is joke of Speaker. He obviously wants a knighthood. It’s sickening the way Parliament just sticks together in their own little self-reinforcing, self affirming bubble – just like many modern orgs in fact.
My concern is that if Johnson falls to the recall option, he will find a friendly backbencher with a safe seat to step aside for him. Back in Parliament with a solid position, he would be ready to mount a comeback as Tory leader after Truss (inevitably) is removed from the post by disenchanted MPs. Returning Johnson to party leader may seem fanciful, but we are in a period of ‘surely not’ political events.
I think that is what he plans