Never!!!
I don’t think it’s good news for the government. This drags out a process that I’m sure the government would like to put to bed. Instead this now stays relevant for weeks if not months and inflates it further in the eyes of the public. It will delay a lot of MPs putting letters into the 1922 committee but you have to feel a line has been/will be crossed where a bunch of MPs will get together and say “enough is enough, this is too damaging”. I believe that is only a matter of time but I admit the wish might be the father of the thought.
The PM’s spokesperson said that Johnson did not believe he broken any laws. Which is interesting - it’s not the same as saying that no laws were broken. I’m willing to bet that a few staffers will get any police fines and then will be forced to resign. He likes to throw his staff under the bus to protect himself, so can’t see this being the exception.
It’s not being put on hold.
The Cabinet Office investigation led by Sue Gray into lockdown-breaking parties at No 10 may be released sooner than thought after the Metropolitan Police reportedly signalled it did not object to the document’s publication.
Cressida Dick, the Met police commissioner, announced on Tuesday morning that her officers had launched an investigation into the “partygate” scandal. The development led to speculation that Ms Gray’s report would be delayed while police carried out their own probe.
But now reports suggest the Cabinet Office inquiry may yet be released in the coming days.
Is Douglas Adams writing this story now?
Don’t panic.
Only six people in the Galaxy know that the job of the Prime Minister is not to wield power but to attract attention away from it.
Perhaps it might be in the best interest of, at least, the party for Mr. Johnson to step aside and allow Mr. Beeblebrox an opportunity.
Two heads would definitely be better than one, in this case.
Looks like Boris’s past affairs might be catching up with him from when he was Mayor of London.
drip… 
drip…
drip…
The call comes amid an allegation that Mr Johnson left top-secret documents lying around when visitors came to his Downing Street flat – prompting his aides to ban him from taking the files upstairs.
Documents are taken home in red boxes by ministers to read overnight, including some at the highly classified “strap” level.
The Sunday Times reported that Mr Cummings found Carrie Johnson and her friends relaxing while the prime minister’s red box sat open and “strap” documents were left lying around.
It also claimed that Ms Gray uncovered evidence that “several” of Ms Johnson’s friends were given the access code to go in and out of the Downing Street flat.
Now then. That’s no way to refer to Our Beloved PM.
In order for anything to “damage” Boris Johnson, there must be a mechanism of accountability. His Party is largely willing to cover for him. The Met are largely willing to cover for him. The right-wing media are still heavily pro-Boris. And the next election is a long way off.
So who’s going to make him leave?
Have you actually looked at the right-wing media? They are strongly anti-Boris. So is the Tory party.
Whatever you think of Cummings, this is an entertaining read.
“In January 2020,” Cummings says, “I was sitting in No. 10 with Boris and the complete fuckwit is just babbling on about: ‘Will Big Ben bong for Brexit on the 31st of January?’ He goes on and on about this day after day. Eventually I say to him: ‘Who cares? What are you talking about? Why are you babbling on about Big Ben? It’s completely ludicrous.
… and the long awaited report is out. Preliminary only and I’ve not read it so no comment.
But … says in her document that “it is not possible at present” for her to “provide a meaningful report” because of the Met investigation.
Very handy that the MET decided to investigate.
I expect that Cressida Dick will be elevated to the peerage as Baroness Dick of Bilgewater in due course.
Shouldn’t have too long to wait and find out - her 5 year term is up in April, unless the Home Secretary decides to extend.
I guess that’s a win-win for her then but this detracts from the speculation about the ultimate fate of ̶B̶l̶o̶w̶J̶o̶b̶, sorry BoJo, so back on topic …
PS: the ‘report’ runs to 12 pages of SFA.
It contains no detail from the 70 or so witnesses in order not to prejudice the Metropolitan police inquiry.
Boris has said sorry and he will fix the problem.
So now the long wait for an criminal inquiry by the Metropolitan police to decide whether there have been any laws broken.
I wonder if we will get so see any of the statements made by witnesses, the emails and whatsapp chats?
Presumably Boris will sack a few civil servants and hoe that everyone will forget about it.
The conclusions are summarised here:
What are her criticisms?
- "Against the backdrop of the pandemic, when the government was asking citizens to accept far-reaching restrictions on their lives, some of the behaviour surrounding these gatherings is difficult to justify"
- “At least some of the gatherings in question represent a serious failure to observe not just the high standards expected of those working at the heart of government but also of the standards expected of the entire British population at the time”
- “At times it seems there was too little thought given to what was happening across the country in considering the appropriateness of some of these gatherings, the risks they presented to public health and how they might appear to the public”
- “There were failures of leadership and judgement by different parts of No 10 and the Cabinet Office at different times. Some of the events should not have been allowed to take place. Other events should not have been allowed to develop as they did”
What does she say about drinking?
- “The excessive consumption of alcohol is not appropriate in a professional workplace at any time”
- Every government department should have a "clear and robust policy in place covering the consumption of alcohol"
What else does she recommend?
- Official access to the Downing Street garden should be "by invitation only and in a controlled environment"
- There should be "easier ways for staff to raise… concerns informally, outside of the line-management chain"
Boris Johnson said he accepted the report’s findings in full, in a statement to MPs.
“I am sorry for the things we simply didn’t get right and also sorry for the way this matter has been handled,” he said, as he promised a shake-up of the way Downing Street is run.
That is civil-servant-speak for “I know where the bodies are buried”, and makes it clear that if the Met don’t in the end take any action, there is still a meaningful report to be provided. If anyone asks.
The question is, what happens if there is some action by the Met - token fines for the chosen whipping boys, perhaps. Which unfortunate Tory donor will be asked to stump up, and would a fine or two be accepted as sufficient resolution?
As for Cummings, how come the two-brained Mekon didn’t spot BJ as a wrong 'un when plenty of us simpletons could see it even before he became Mayor of London? How come he thought the “wizard wheeze” style of politics was OK for the Brexit campaign but not for No. 10?
Not to mention this:
“I’ve got all the receipts. Do not fuck with me.”
My impression is that he was fully aware of Johnson’s limitations from the start.
Johnson was supposed to be the idiot front guy, cheerfully talking bullshit to the public, and basking in the prestige of office. Behind the scenes, Cummings would be pulling all the strings.
Unfortunately for Cummings, it turned out that he didn’t have Johnson all to himself, as he did during the Brexit campaign and the campaign for PM. Other people wanted to push the shopping cart in other directions, and Johnson even had some dimwitted ideas of his own. Most importantly, Carrie had more effective ways of manipulating him than Cummings did.