Two huge resignations in Boris Johnson’s cabinet around 6 PM London time today.
Let’s start with the Chancellor of the Exchequer:
Let’s add the Secretary of State for Health:
There will be a Tory leadership election soon, there is no way Boris Johnson survives this.
The interesting question is how soon we can see a U.K. general election.
The really interesting question will be how long it takes the UK populace to realize the root of the problems Johnson is facing.
Is the root of his problems something other than ‘Boris Johnson’?
Given that May and Cameron had the same problems? Yes.
So … it’s Jacob Rees-Mogg ?
what do you think the root of the problem is?
One is not mandatory until late 2014
Tory vice chair resigns as well.
Bit overdue then.
The root of the problem is that they’re slavishly committing themselves to policies that are suicidally stupid and can’t possibly have the effects they’re claimed to have. Brexit was the most notable of these.
Did Rishi Sunak already blow his chances of becoming prime minister with his own recent scandal? Or is he still potentially in the running?
I think he blew his chances when he was born [born to Indian parents who had emigrated from East Africa].
He certainly thinks he has a shot. We shall see.
d’oh! 2024 of course
Which the opposition are now committed to as well.
What makes you say that? his race is completely irrelevant. I’d never even thought of that being a factor until you mentioned it now.
As a student in the American system, I noted that in our first election for student president, the winner was the person who promised that the school would serve pizza for lunch every day; in the second election, that was the same; in the third, the same; and through that time we never had pizza for lunch every day and never did I see any indication that the student body had noticed or was liable to change how they would vote the next go-round.
Nothing in my adult life has yet made me think that the average adult has advanced beyond their school-age understanding of the world. Nor have I seen much to say that there’s a wild difference by nation.
To the extent that Johnson messed up, it was by actually delivering the pizza. If he’d simply promised and not delivered - but kept on promising that any day now! - he’d probably be completely solid, politically.
Probably true but Johnson is a symptom not a cause. The only reason Brexit happened is because all other governements of all other stripes kicked the can of european project dissatisfaction down the road. The UK people were never asked about major changes in governance (other European countries made it mandatory to do so) and UKIP tapped into that feeling to such an extent that it could no longer be ignored. It could have been avoided by action taken decades ago but cowards chose not to.
In terms of the promised pizza never arriving, well that is what May’s government tried to do but Boris came along on his Dominoes Scooter with it ready to eat.
O.k. I LOL’d.
The Johnson administration is collapsing not because of a failure of policy (though there have been many). It is collapsing because of a failure of confidence in its leadership my the leading members of the Conservative party.
Integrity and telling the truth to Parliament are important in British politics, more so that in many other countries. However, in recent years, there has been a populist trend that has allowed narcissistic liars to take center stage in national politics both in the US under Trump and the UK under Johnson. These characters have taken a wrecking ball to conventional politics and consider that rules of behaviour do not apply to them. Boris is a maverick politician who thinks that fame and personality are all that job requires and criticism can be dealt with by a few rhetorical flourishes and juvenile humour. Trump is not even a politician but monstrous product of the rise of social media and a deadlocked political system.
Johnson’s own party has grown exhausted at the scandals and lies. His ministers are fed up defending. Impossible positions because if some stupid mismanagement by Boris and his inner circle. They have now begun to desert him at the top level and this may turn into a stampede.
If he is forced to resign, they will elect another PM who will be expected to deliver responsible political leadership for the Conservative party. However Johnson will wreck the party rather than give up the trappings of power.
Sadly the field of potential candidates is quite lacklustre. Few have managed to distinguish themselves and some show worrying signs that they will adopt a similar populist playbook.
I would not be surprised if the next PM came from a immigrant heritage. There are some strong candidates amongst current and former ministers. Conservatives it the UK are quite unlike those in the US. British Conservativism is largely defined by economic policy, in many other respects they are liberal.
But let us not get ahead of ourselves. The spectacle of the Conservatives trying to winkle Boris out of 10 Downing St as he clings onto the trappings of high office like a demented mollusc is upon us. There will be drama.