From London
Boris Johnson acknowledged that he was at the 10 Downing Street party, but he wielded a Pinochesque excuse to justify it. In the House of Commons the British Prime Minister he apologized to the nation saying he thought it was a work event. “Downing Street has a garden that is often used for work. When I stopped by briefly after 6 p.m. on May 20, 2020, it was to greet my staff. I thought it was a work event and I got back to my office 25 minutes later. Now I know that what I should have done is send everyone in and understand that while the meeting was technically allowed, for millions of people who made extraordinary sacrifices it was unacceptable. I apologize to all of them and to parliament and have a little patience to see what conclusion the ongoing investigation into the events reaches, “said the prime minister.
In a stormy session with a parliament packed with chinstrap deputies, the prime minister invoked this “ongoing investigation” over and over again as one who throws the ball out to buy a little time. Johnson did not convince anyone. The leader of the opposition, Labor, Keir Starmer, openly mocked his excuse and called for his resignation. “The idea that he didn’t realize he was in the middle of a party is so ridiculous it’s offensive to the British. Finally the prime minister has been forced to admit what the whole country knows that, when society was in lockdown, he was throwing parties in Downing Street. The question now is whether he will be removed from his position by the people, by his own party or if he will adopt an honorable conduct and resign himself, “said Starmer.
Even more serious than the Starmer attack, backed by similar arguments by other Labor and opposition members, was the reaction of members of the Conservative Party. The leader of the Conservative party in Scotland, Douglas Ross, said that the prime minister should resign. “This situation is untenable,” Ross said. More than half of the Conservative MPs in Scotland supported his request.
Johnson’s internal support came primarily from deputies who are part of the government in a country where you have to have a seat in parliament to join the cabinet. “The Prime Minister was right to apologize. People are very hurt by what has happened and he has taken full responsibility for it. Now we have to wait for the investigation to conclude to find out what really happened, “said culture minister Nadine Dorries in a tweet that was replicated by other members of the government.
What facts?
The research problem on the “partygate” by a senior career official, Sue Gray, is that the facts continue to unfold every week, every day, sometimes every hour. The furor is centered around the party on May 20, but since the scandal broke at the end of November, information has come out of “work” meetings on May 15 and of various events in December 2020. At the meeting of the May 15th there is a photo with Boris Johnson, his wife Carrie, their newborn baby, his then senior advisor Dominic Cummings and about 20 other people drinking red wine and eating crackers (criollitas) with cheese in the bright garden of one of those summer days that are not abundant in the UK.
At the party on May 20, it is known that the main adviser to Boris Johnson, Martin Reynolds sent an invitation email to more than 100 people to whom he recommended “to bring booze to make the most of this lovely weather” (bring alcohol for make the most of this wonderful climate). According to a spokesman for 10 Downing Street after the parliamentary session, the prime minister was not aware of this email, nor that there was a party in the works, something that is bordering on verisimilitude.
Caroline Slocock, who worked in the private office of Margaret Thatcher and John Major, told the BBC that it was “inconceivable” that the prime minister did not know about the event, not least because Reynolds does not send the invitation in a personal capacity but uses the “We” (we), that is to say he and his superior, Boris Johnson. In the main “Think Tank” on the state, the Institute for Government, they agreed that Johnson’s excuse was totally implausible. “The prime minister had to know that an event of this nature was going to take place,” Hannah White said.
Mislead or not mislead, that is the question
The excuse is implausible, but it is the only one that Johnson has on hand to avoid being accused of having “mislead” (deceiving) the parliament, an accusation that would cost him his position. In the six long weeks that the scandal has lasted, the prime minister told parliament on more than one occasion that there had been no party at 10 Downing Street and that the lockdown rules governing all British people had not been violated.
With the email from his private secretary inviting the event, the prime minister could not say that he was unaware of an event that was occurring in his own home. The only alibi that remained – and that remains – is that he did not know that it was a social event – prohibited in those times of social confinement – no matter how many glasses and laughter and “booze” that had turned.
Cornered with this strategy, Prime Minister hopes the furor will dissolve over time the Sue Gray investigation takes. Much will depend on the revelations that keep coming out along the way. This morning “The Independent” published that 10 Downing Street staff had been advised to delete any messages that could refer to parties. Two sources said they were under pressure to do so before the investigation called on them to testify or had access to their files.
New emails, new revelations, more details, new photos may make Johnson’s position untenable even before the investigation reaches a conclusion. According to a poll published by the morning between 55 and 65% of voters believe that Johnson should resign. Just over two years after winning an absolute majority of 80 deputies in the House, the prime minister is on the ropes.
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