# The next British Prime Minister **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 24, 2019, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450 "2019-05-24T13:02:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**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:** [July 24, 2019, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/161 "2019-07-24T08:55:47Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > I suspect the DUP will stay on board but will want something more for their troubles [sic]. A billion quid just doesn’t last as long as it used to. Just to toot my own horn: this came up virtually as I was writing my previous post last night: [DUP to demand more cash for propping up Tories](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/dup-boris-tories-money-confidence-supply-agreement-billion-a9017681.html) > [@](#): > > Arlene Foster tells incoming prime minister the £1bn-plus confidence and supply agreement must be renewed ‘over the coming weeks’ Nailed it! ---
**Author:** ![Wrenching\_Spanners](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecb155/32.png) [@Wrenching\_Spanners](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrenching_Spanners)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2019, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/162 "2019-07-24T10:36:04Z")
> [@Oswald\_Bastable](#): > > I give him until 1 November. Given the numbers I don’t see how an effective Conservative government can function, even with (or in spite of) the DUP propping it up. A general election can’t be far off and I still think it will be this year. I’m not sure I even give him that long. As other have noted, the Conservatives have a minority government with a working majority based on the supply and confidence agreement with the DUP. That working majority has been whittled down over the past months and is now down to 2. There’s a by-election on 01 August where it will probably go down to 1. > **[What is the government’s working majority in parliament?](https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2018/10/what-governments-working-majority-parliament)** > > After the defection of Conservative MP Phillip Lee to the Liberal Democrats, Boris Johnson's government no longer has a working majority in parliament.  That means Boris needs to avoid: • Conservative hard-line Remain MP’s switching allegiance to the Liberal-Democrat party • Conservative MP’s deciding to go into the private sector rather than stay in a Johnson parliament • Conservative MP’s voting no-confidence as a last-ditch measure to prevent a No-Deal Brexit. • Conservative MP’s denouncing and declaring no-confidence in him because he’s been a buffoon and done something racist or misogynistic • Unbalanced attrition due to death, retirement, crime, etc. • A coordinated absence that’s notified to Jeremy Corbyn There are rumours that different MP’s are already planning the first three. Boris’s majority is starting off on a knife’s edge, and he’s not the type of careful, meticulous personality that operates well on a knife’s edge. Side questions: When was the last time a UK Prime Minister was primarily identified by their first name? Do posters think there will eventually be a shift in the press and popular media to Prime Minister Johnson as the working default, or will Boris continue to be identified primarily as Boris? ---
**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:** [July 24, 2019, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/163 "2019-07-24T10:52:30Z")
> [@](#): > > Side questions: When was the last time a UK Prime Minister was primarily identified by their first name? Define “primarily identified”. The obvious example is Thatcher. But depending on who would be talking about them, and to which audience, or which name suited headlines better, it could happen to others. “Tony”, “John”, “Call me Dave” and, at a pinch, “Gordon” might be too commonplace to be recognisable out of context, but in a political discussion wouldn’t. Nobody here would say “Prime Minister X”. It would either be “The Prime Minister”, or “Mr/Ms X”, or “AX”, or “that \*\*_!_! X”. ---
**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:** [July 24, 2019, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/164 "2019-07-24T11:35:39Z")
> [@Wrenching\_Spanners](#): > > Side questions: When was the last time a UK Prime Minister was primarily identified by their first name? Do posters think there will eventually be a shift in the press and popular media to Prime Minister Johnson as the working default, or will Boris continue to be identified primarily as Boris? Churchill was often referred to as ‘Winston’ by the public and press, even though it was a more formal era. I doubt whether there was anyone before that. There is a certain amount of backlash against ‘Boris’, because it makes him sound too pleasant and harmless, but it will probably stick because he is so much of a ‘character’. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2019, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/165 "2019-07-24T12:03:54Z")
> [@Wrenching\_Spanners](#): > > • Conservative MP’s denouncing and declaring no-confidence in him because he’s been a buffoon and done something racist or misogynistic But in this case, he’d be guaranteed a post-political career as a commentator to American audiences. Or heck, maybe a job in the current administration. ---
**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:** [July 24, 2019, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/166 "2019-07-24T13:36:56Z")
> [@Wrenching\_Spanners](#): > > • Conservative MP’s denouncing and declaring no-confidence in him because he’s been a buffoon and done something racist or misogynistic They wouldn’t do that - at least half of Parliament is filled with buffoons that have done something racist or misogynistic. It’d be a dangerous precedent. ---
**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:** [July 24, 2019, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/167 "2019-07-24T13:42:59Z")
“Boris” is too punchy and immediately-recognizable not to remain his media handle in most contexts. He’ll be “the Prime Minister” in only the most formal contexts. ---
**Author:** ![Wrenching\_Spanners](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecb155/32.png) [@Wrenching\_Spanners](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrenching_Spanners)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2019, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/168 "2019-07-24T15:03:08Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > They wouldn’t do that - at least half of Parliament is filled with buffoons that have done something racist or misogynistic. It’d be a dangerous precedent. “They” wouldn’t. Two of “them” might. How little would it take for BoJo to piss Justine Greening off – one bad joke about lesbianism? Tracey Crouch is a principled MP and outspoken feminist who has voted against the government in the past. Helen Grant is a Remainer and a black woman with progressive social values and little political patronage due to past scandals. Johnson will probably receive some level of party loyalty from these three and others like them, but little personal loyalty. If Johnson commits some kind of misogynistic or racist gaffe, these three, and I’m sure there are others like them including male MP’s, could easily turn against him. A Prime Minister can usually manage a few dissident back-benchers. Johnson doesn’t have that luxury. ---
**Author:** ![Toxgoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Toxgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxgoddess)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2019, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/169 "2019-07-24T18:45:18Z")
Now I’ve got the old “Boris the Spider” song by the Who running through my head. The overall sentiment of something creepy you want to smash into the ground seems fitting somehow. ---
**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:** [July 24, 2019, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/170 "2019-07-24T18:59:34Z")
The new cabinet so far: Home Secretary: Bellatrix Lestrange Foreign Secretary: Walden “Executioner” Macnair Chancellor: Peter “Wormtail” Pettigrew Brexit Secretary: Lucius Malfoy Defence Secretary: Barty Crouch Jr. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2019, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/171 "2019-07-24T22:08:24Z")
So is May staying on in Parliament as a backbencher, or is she resigning as an MP too. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2019, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/172 "2019-07-24T22:10:56Z")
[This article](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-48611703) says she’s going to stay an MP, but it’s over a month old. I can’t find any newer statements. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2019, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/173 "2019-07-24T23:02:02Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > [This article](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-48611703) says she’s going to stay an MP, but it’s over a month old. I can’t find any newer statements. In her farewell remarks today she said she would remain as a backbench MP. We’ll see how long that lasts - it’s not easy for an ex-PM to adjust to the reduced role. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/174 "2019-07-25T00:45:09Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > There is a certain amount of backlash against ‘Boris’, because it makes him sound too pleasant and harmless, but it will probably stick because he is so much of a ‘character’. Makes me think of Boris and Natasha and their dastardly plots against Moose and Squirrel, but that may just be me. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/175 "2019-07-25T00:46:50Z")
True, but if her leaving were to contribute to a by-election lost to the Opposition and even tighter voting lines for the government to stay in power, I can see her staying on for the nonce. ---
**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:** [July 25, 2019, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/176 "2019-07-25T03:29:12Z")
Here’s the _NYT_’s coverage of the changeover at Number Ten: [https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/24/world/europe/britain-johnson-may-prime-minister.html](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/24/world/europe/britain-johnson-may-prime-minister.html) ---
**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:** [July 25, 2019, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/177 "2019-07-25T07:04:43Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > The new cabinet so far: > > Home Secretary: Bellatrix Lestrange > Foreign Secretary: Walden “Executioner” Macnair > Chancellor: Peter “Wormtail” Pettigrew > Brexit Secretary: Lucius Malfoy > Defence Secretary: Barty Crouch Jr. Leader of the House of Commons: Lord Snooty. This is what happens when Just William and the Outlaws take over. ---
**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:** [July 25, 2019, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/178 "2019-07-25T08:43:25Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > This is what happens when Just William and the Outlaws take over. Nothing so harmless as that. This is a government of hard-right extremists. Underneath his pleasant public persona, Johnson is cold, arrogant, amoral, devious, and incompetent. He bears grudges for many years, and pays them back. It seems like the people who know him best like him least. “He is a far more ruthless, and frankly nastier, figure than the public appreciates.”   — Max Hastings ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/179 "2019-07-25T09:00:20Z")
I’m not sure I understand the logic of him purging so many ministers. I’d understand it if he had a large majority to work with, but can he afford to make any more enemies than he already had? ---
**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:** [July 25, 2019, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/180 "2019-07-25T09:34:55Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > I’m not sure I understand the logic of him purging so many ministers. I’d understand it if he had a large majority to work with, but can he afford to make any more enemies than he already had? [Boris brings a flash of the mafioso into Downing Street](https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/boris-johnson-brexit-prime-minister-mafia-godfather-omerta-a9019596.html) > [@](#): > > Once, Boris Johnson’s sister Rachel had to give some bad news to someone who wanted a favour from the man who has become our new prime minister. This old friend had once been close to Boris, but had crossed him, some years ago. Boris wasn’t going to help: “He’s quite Sicilian, you see” she explained. > > It is no surprise either, that Johnson’s favourite film, more a training video, is The Godfather. No surprise, either, that virtually every Huntite in the Cabinet – including Hunt himself – has been fired. Penny Mordaunt and Liam Fox possessed impeccable Brexiteer credentials, but Fox publicly doubted the Johnson strategy, while Mordaunt’s job was required by any number of flag-waving Johnson capos. So Fox was garrotted and poor Penny left in the cold store. > > … > > This is also a Cabinet that is required to learn the Johnson Brexit catechism – in effect an oath of loyalty to the doctrine of Brexit “do or die”, including the belief in no deal Brexit if necessary. It also amounts to a personal oath of loyalty to Johnson himself. > > It’s a bit creepy – a bit like a mafia ritual – and made all the more so with the arrival of the lies of Dominic Cummings, a sort of consigliore. Inside No 10, Godfather Boris is surrounded by his made men, the not-so-Goodfellas of Brexit and his days running City Hall like a Chicago mobster. An exaggeration, I know, but the cult of Boris is real and its devotees dangerous. Ever since he was manipulating “stooges” at the Oxford Union to further his career, he has employed every dark art in every job he has ever had. The Bullingdon Club’s codes, absurd and arrogant as they are, also have mafia-esque overtones. I don’t suppose I need mention that business with Darius Guppy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450.md?page=10)