# Prime Minister Boris Johnson tries to lead the UK but has resigned on July 7, 2022 **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 30, 2019, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872 "2019-07-30T14:24:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 54
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2022, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/1062 "2022-01-19T13:55:17Z")
The _Line of Duty_ team interview Johnson: > ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2022, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/1063 "2022-01-19T14:04:21Z")
“In the name of God, go!” > **[UK's Johnson defies calls to quit as ouster bid gathers pace](https://apnews.com/article/boris-johnson-europe-london-elections-4dfb4de0d88410c2f773d2e2d0d6cbc7)** > > British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has defied calls to resign in a feisty performance in Parliament. > [@](#): > > Johnson apologized to lawmakers last week for attending a “bring your own booze” gathering in garden of his Downing Street offices in May 2020. At the time, people in Britain were barred from meeting more than one person outside their household to help curb the spread of COVID-19. > > Johnson said he had considered the party a work gathering that fell within the rules. Then he tried to costanza his way out of the mess: > [@BoJo the clown](#): > > I’m absolutely categorical, nobody said to me, ‘This is an event that is against the rules.’ 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2022, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/1064 "2022-01-19T14:09:52Z")
Boris Johnson: “I take full responsibility for everything done in this Government.” Also Boris Johnson: “Nobody told me that what we were doing was against the rules.” ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2022, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/1065 "2022-01-19T14:39:27Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Then he tried to costanza his way out of the mess Very nicely put ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2022, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/1066 "2022-01-19T20:46:48Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > If you like that one, you may like [the Line of Duty one](https://twitter.com/ByDonkeys/status/1483418498944671746?s=20) as well, courtesy of Led By Donkeys. Yes, thanks. All too fitting. ---
**Author:** ![filmstar-en](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/50afbb/32.png) [@filmstar-en](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmstar-en)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2022, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/1067 "2022-01-19T21:45:41Z")
That was quite good. Sadly the London Metropolitan Police seem to be taking the same line as the Conservative leadership. Waiting for an investigation by Sue Gray. For those hoping that the high expectations of this investigation are going to reveal something substantial…sadly the terms of reference are vague enough to allow the politicians to claim it puts them in the clear. > **[Some thoughts about the Sue Gray investigation](https://davidallengreen.com/2022/01/some-thoughts-about-the-sue-gray-investigation/)** > > 14th January 2022 The Sue Gray investigation – the terms of reference are here – is a curious thing. It is, ultimately, an internal investigation by one civil servant, who reports to mi… Handling inquiries is something Westminster politicians learn very early in their careers. As Sir Humphrey in ‘Yes Minister’ so clearly advised: ‘Never set up an inquiry unless you know in advance what its finding will be.’ ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2022, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/1068 "2022-01-19T23:00:19Z")
> [@filmstar-en](#): > > Sadly the London Metropolitan Police seem to be taking the same line as the Conservative leadership. Waiting for an investigation by Sue Gray. If only the thousands of people prosecuted and fined for doing exactly what the Government have been doing had realised that they could have just asked the police to wait while they carried out their own internal investigations into their gatherings, they could have saved themselves a lot of money and trouble. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/1069 "2022-01-20T06:53:25Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > “In the name of God, go!” Apart from its Cromwellian origins, that would have been doubly wounding personally to Johnson, as it was famously said by a former close colleague and loyal supporter of Chamberlain in the debate on the defeat in Norway that led to his resignation and Churchill’s elevation. To think that BJ fancied himself as a Churchill, and then look at the feeble incompetence and petty failings that made this mess… ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/1070 "2022-01-20T09:19:43Z")
It’s telling that his initial response was to say he’d never heard of the quote, which for any other author of a book on Churchill would be a pretty stunning admission, but for Boris, author of “The Churchill Factor”, is all too believable. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/1071 "2022-01-20T10:26:47Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > To think that BJ fancied himself as a Churchill, and then look at the feeble incompetence and petty failings that made this mess… So he’s Chamberlain in this scenario? “I have returned from the off-licence with a pissup for our time…” ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/1072 "2022-01-21T08:49:39Z")
In the last 30s of this interview, ex Tory MP Rory Stewart finally makes the point that none if this should be a surprise, and that the fact Boris was allowed to become PM reflects badly on Britain as a serious country. [https://twitter.com/HannahAlOthman/status/1484434832906235911?t=U51Nr2m71Sby8aUhKMV81A&s=19](https://twitter.com/HannahAlOthman/status/1484434832906235911?t=U51Nr2m71Sby8aUhKMV81A&s=19) ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/1073 "2022-01-21T11:20:12Z")
Conservative MP William Wragg drops a bombshell accusation of [illegal intimidation and blackmail](https://www.itv.com/news/2022-01-20/tory-mp-accuses-no10-of-threatening-to-withdraw-funding-over-opposition-to-pm) against Johnson’s government and its minions. Naturally Johnson and his allies [pushed back as hard as they could](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-60068612), but this is not an allegation that was made lightly. Wragg went so far as to suggest that anyone targeted by such efforts should contact law enforcement. (Americans following this story long-distance may not be fully aware of just what a [nasty piece of work](https://twitter.com/BBCNews/status/315780842767142913) Johnson really is, and always has been.) ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/1074 "2022-01-21T11:22:40Z")
The entire Conservative Party knew exactly what a nasty piece of work Johnson was, and decided “This is the man to lead us”. ---
**Author:** ![its\_the\_daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bb73d2/32.png) [@its\_the\_daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/its_the_daddy)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/1075 "2022-01-21T12:42:56Z")
And it worked! Good ol’ Tories. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/1076 "2022-01-21T12:48:16Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > Americans following this story long-distance may not be fully aware of just what a [nasty piece of work](https://twitter.com/BBCNews/status/315780842767142913) Johnson really is, and always has been Further case in point: [https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jul/14/black-eyes-boris-johnson-plot-attack-reporter-darius-guppy](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jul/14/black-eyes-boris-johnson-plot-attack-reporter-darius-guppy) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/1077 "2022-01-21T20:40:11Z")
The British people deserve so, _so_ much better than this. ---
**Author:** ![Uniqueorn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uniqueorn/32/2807_2.png) [@Uniqueorn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uniqueorn)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/1078 "2022-01-22T12:49:53Z")
Why do they deserve better? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/1079 "2022-01-22T15:37:43Z")
It’s a great country with a storied past and a long tradition of democracy, not to mention its being a key ally of the US. I’ve visited it three times, have ancestral roots there, and want only the best for it. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/1080 "2022-01-22T17:03:14Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > Conservative MP William Wragg drops a bombshell accusation of illegal intimidation and blackmail against Johnson’s government and its minions. But it’s only a dozen or so who have made accusations; the rest probably caved in. > **[About a dozen Tory MPs said to have accused party whips of blackmail](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jan/22/about-a-dozen-tory-mps-said-to-have-accused-party-whips-of-blackmail)** > > Standards committee chair says claims include having money pulled from constituencies or promise of funding for ‘right vote’ ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2022, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872/1081 "2022-01-23T12:48:38Z")
And now there’s this: > **[UK lawmaker claims she was fired over her Muslim faith](https://apnews.com/article/boris-johnson-europe-religion-london-islam-40cc8cdd8c2443b8300dced59ffb9833)** > > A former minister in Britain’s Conservative government says she was told that her Muslim faith was a reason she was fired. > [@](#): > > Former transport minister Nusrat Ghani told the Sunday Times that when she was demoted in 2020, a government whip said her “Muslimness” was “making colleagues uncomfortable.” > > She said she was told “there were concerns ‘that I wasn’t loyal to the party as I didn’t do enough to defend the party against Islamophobia allegations.’ > > “It was very clear to me that the whips and No. 10 (Downing St.) were holding me to a higher threshold of loyalty than others because of my background and faith,” Ghani said. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872.md?page=53) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-minister-boris-johnson-tries-to-lead-the-uk-but-has-resigned-on-july-7-2022/837872.md?page=55)