Boris Johnson told the packed House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon that the time had come to “move forward” after the “party” after Sue Gray’s investigation into parties violating the Downing Street blockade was over.
The prime minister’s lawmakers appear to have heeded the council, with a sense of revolt subsiding following the publication of Gray’s long-awaited report.
But questions about whether the general public has moved forward can be answered next month in two critical by-elections in Devon and West Yorkshire, both in positions previously held by Johnson’s ruling Conservative Party.
Downing Street was worried as Johnson waited for Gray’s report, long hailed as a document that could mark the end of his term as prime minister. Reports attributed to those informed of Gray’s thinking suggest that it would be so “dangerous” that Johnson would have to give up.
Johnson on Wednesday even refused to deny that he had tried to dissuade a senior government official from publishing his final report earlier this month.
But as the 37-page document, along with the photos, arrived at Johnson’s inbox, the general mood among the senior Tories became a relief.
Although Gray criticized the failures of the leadership for the culture of illegal parties on Downing Street, while the country was under strict rules to block Covid, she did not personally reveal Johnson’s name.
Nor, inexplicably for many in Westminster, Gray has not completed his investigation into the so-called “Abba Party”, which took place in Johnson’s apartment on Downing Street on the night of the departure of former Chief Counsel Dominic Cummings in November 2020. assistants described it as “varosa”.
For months, Tory MPs were prepared for a response from Tory MPs after the report was published, and watched anxiously to see if 54 would send letters stating they no longer trusted the prime minister, prompting a vote for his leadership.
Boris Johnson at a rally on Downing Street on November 13, 2020. © UK Government
But after Wednesday’s end, it was difficult to discern new momentum among rebel conservative lawmakers. Johnson, dubbed the “fat pig” by former Prime Minister David Cameron, appears to have escaped again.
Gray painted a wild picture of life on Downing Street when the rest of the UK was subject to strict blocking rules: noisy rallies, drunken fights, drinking too much, red wine spilled on the wall, a broken cradle and contempt for cleaners and security staff. .
Page by page, the report outlines not only how illegal parties are held, but also that senior figures knew they would break or break the rules.
Downing Street officials discussed how to hide drinking inside the building, with an employee telling people not to “walk around waving bottles of wine” if they were spotted.
Martin Reynolds, Johnson’s former personal secretary, spoke with a colleague about how staff “seem to have gotten away with” the drunken party at Downing Street Garden.
The report revealed details of a dizzying set of gatherings. In one on June 18, 2020, there was “alcohol, food and music” with a karaoke machine provided by Helen McNamara, the mandarin responsible for Whitehall’s ethics.
“There was excessive alcohol consumption by some people,” the report said. “One man was ill. There was a slight quarrel between two other people. “The last member of staff left this meeting at 3.13 in the morning.
Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak at the Downing Street Cabinet Meeting for the Prime Minister’s Birthday on June 19, 2020 © The Government of the United Kingdom
The portrayal of Bacchanalian Culture Report No. 10, while millions of people were largely locked in their homes, could still prove politically detrimental to Johnson in the long run. But some of his conclusions were useful to the prime minister.
For example, Gray confirmed that Johnson did not know in advance about his 56th birthday party on June 19, 2020, for which he received a notice of fixed criminal liability.
Gray also ruled that it was not “appropriate or proportionate” to investigate the November 13, 2020, so-called Abba party gathering in Johnson’s private apartment, as the Sofia police had begun work on their own investigation.
When the prime minister stood by the dispatch box to make a statement on the report after it was published, he was initially remorseful. But that soon changed. He continued to attack Sir Keir Starmer, the opposition leader, calling him “Sir Beer Corma” for allegedly violating Covid’s blockade laws.
Johnson also reiterated earlier allegations that he did not know the size of the Downing Street parties. At the next press conference, he insisted that he learned some details only by reading Gray’s report that morning.
Many Tory MPs backed their leader, reiterating his comments that it was time to “move forward” and focus on more pressing issues, such as the cost of living crisis.
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At a closed-door meeting on the back bench on Wednesday night, Johnson joked that Britain would not have won World War II if alcohol had been banned at number 10 in the 1940s.
However, backpacker Jonathan Gallis said the prime minister “set the right tone all the time” with sincere apologies to colleagues.
“The meeting was relatively calm, but there was a growing sense of fatigue on the issue,” said another Conservative MP.
There have been criticisms from a small number of Tory MPs, but most have already publicly expressed their dislike of Johnson in recent months. These include Tobias Eloud, who warned that the Conservative Party would lose the next general election if it continued on its current trajectory.
A new rebel was Julian Sturdy, who called on Johnson to resign: “This is a time when we cannot doubt the honesty, integrity and personal character of the prime minister,” he said in a statement.
But despite growing disagreements, the rebels lack a consistent philosophy or an obvious candidate to replace Johnson.
According to a Tory MP, the latest revelations lack a “silver bullet” that would fatally undermine Johnson’s prospects.
“There are several MPs who are privately against Johnson, but the question is whether they are properly organized. Do they manage to coordinate in any noticeable way? ”Said a senior conservative.
“It takes a lot to actually remove the prime minister.
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