I have been a member of the Conservative Party for more than 50 years. From running leaflets through the doors as a young conservative, to being an adviser, an MP, as a minister and as his deputy chairman, I worked for him at almost all levels. Fortunately, the church is large, I did this under leaders with different personalities and styles and political nuances of tourism. This has been and is a major part of my life, so what I will write is not easy for me.
I worked well with Boris Johnson. I was enthusiastic about him becoming mayor of London, where he did a brilliant job, and although we sometimes differed on individual policies, I always got along well with him. He showed me and my family personal blessings for which I am grateful. Boris did a great service to the country in 2019 by rejecting the threat of a strong left-wing Corbin government and is entitled to real credit for our successful implementation of the Covid vaccines and the leadership he has shown in uniting the West against Russian aggression in Ukraine. I have no personal dislike for him, but I have come to the conclusion that he must retire now.
The unfortunate saga of “partygate” is well rehearsed. Suffice it to say that it demonstrates a pattern of completely unacceptable behavior by some workers in №10 who have violated the rules that the government and we as parliamentarians have told others to live. I am aware of the pressure they have been under, but this has also applied to millions of others across the country trying to sustain business, public services and family life. Those who set the rules had a special responsibility to follow. This was also not a case of isolated mistakes that we can all make and we could forgive if people admit them. This was a pattern of behavior that had been circulating for several months.
I have always said that I will wait until the completion of all police investigations and the publication of the final report by Senior Civil Servant Sue Gray. My experience as a lawyer made me want to have the fullest possible evidence before reaching the verdict. I read the report in its entirety. I listened carefully to the Prime Minister’s explanations. I am sorry, but I do not find his allegations that the rules were not broken or that he did not know about the violations credible. I cannot accept that he was not aware of much of what was happening.
This is my personal assessment of the evidence, and my colleagues in Parliament will be right to draw their own conclusions. The other issue that weighs on me is the reaction of my own voters.
Bromley is traditionally a suburban conservative heart. She voted overwhelmingly for Boris in the 2008 and 2012 mayoral elections in London. In fact, in 2012, the weight of votes in our neighborhood alone exceeded his total winnings. But in the May election, the message was very different. Conservatives lost seats and votes throughout the neighborhood. Areas that have been blue for as long as we can remember have turned against us. Many times the message I received on the doorstep and in my emails was that our Conservative Council was doing a good job, but they could not support us under Boris
The sad reality is that a significant portion of the traditional Conservative electorate, not to mention hesitant voters, has lost confidence in the prime minister. Too much, the whole saga has undermined confidence in the political process itself. Trust is the most valuable commodity in politics, perhaps in life. Once lost it is very difficult to regain. I don’t believe Boris can now.
Accordingly, I sent a letter of no confidence in our party leader to the chairman of the committee in 1922. It is in the national interest for the Conservatives to win the next election, but in order to do so, a change of leader is needed. MP Sir Bob Neal is a Conservative MP for Bromley and Chislehurst and chairman of the Committee on the Choice of Justice.
Add Comment