Updated: Boris resigns as party leader

Originally Posted by Mr K

You missed this one Mick:-


Best to look at all polls/predictions, not just the ones you like? Or quash the ones you created because you don't like the outcome?
Tbh even the ones you like the Tories are losing....

Boris clinging on is the greatest gift the opposition could ever have.

Stop being so petulant.

Didn’t I say a few posts ago, I loved the way the poll was going, for showing how crap Labour is, that as bad as it’s been for the Tories, there are still many many people, who still can’t stomach voting for them still.

For the poll you keep bleating on about, Labour was struggling to race ahead of the Tories. Why would I delete such a disastrous poll for Labour? Ha ha.

I deleted the poll because I was going to commence another one, like I did the week before, but I got side tracked, then couldn’t be arsed starting another.

I also just posted a very recent poll, from last hour, showing Labour’s poll lead halving, yes HALVING compared to one taken in two weeks.

Lastly-Enough about now deleted poll.

Labour has been so truly awful for so long, I think we’ve forgotten what a mid-term poll is supposed to look like. Governments aren’t supposed to do well at this point. The opposition is. None of which should detract from the fact that the Tories are having an absolute nightmare right now. Clearly they are. But the poll numbers we’re seeing today just aren’t going to be the ones we go into the next election with.

Tory MPs are ruthless. They don’t hang on to failing leaders, they defenestrate them, and they find a way to do so even on occasions when their own party rules make it difficult (c.f. Ian Duncan Smith, who remained popular with the grass roots even as he was increasingly despised by the parliamentary party). It is simply a matter of timing now. Boris will cling on only as long as his backbenchers calculate it is advantageous for him to draw flak that will then be less likely to tarnish his successor.

I have long believed that his number will be up this summer; on occasions over the last 3 weeks I’ve wondered if it might be sooner but I think my base prediction is still summertime. If they get a new leader in place for the end of the summer recess, and if the covid situation improves and fuel bills start to come down a bit, then those poll figures will even out a bit.

Labour’s big underlying problem is its long-term loss of more than 40 Scottish seats. The Tories don’t have to stage much of a poll recovery for that to come back and haunt Starmer and whoever succeeds him. And with his Scottish party still paralysed by its inability to work out how to get its seats back from the Nats, it may well haunt the leader after that too.

Originally Posted by Chris

Labour has been so truly awful for so long, I think we’ve forgotten what a mid-term poll is supposed to look like. Governments aren’t supposed to do well at this point. The opposition is. None of which should detract from the fact that the Tories are having an absolute nightmare right now. Clearly they are. But the poll numbers we’re seeing today just aren’t going to be the ones we go into the next election with.

It doesn't help that this mid-term polling slump was entirely self-inflicted and needless. This isn't a polling slump as a result of some unpopular policies they needed to get out of the way and whose benefit would pay off ahead of an election.

Theoretically, the hard part of this Government's term is yet to come with a cost of living crisis, tax rises and an NHS which is going to struggle to cope with the backload of cases caused by COVID. Partygate and the issue of Owen Paterson completely spent all the goodwill the Government had as a result of their handling of vaccine rollout.

The Tories will recover in the polling as the scandal fades from the headlines but these things have a cumulative effect slowly eroding the trust and faith their voters will have them. Further scandals will hit harder and harder and they'll struggle to reset the narrative of 'one rule for us, another for them'.

The other thing is they don't have Corbyn to contrast against anymore. Starmer is a bit 'meh' but he isn't hated. He isn't going to scare voters away.

[tweetiepooh]

Originally Posted by Mr K

But you declared him innocent of criminal charges before knowing the facts !

He is innocent until proven guilty. Well presumed innocent anyway.

[daveeb]

Originally Posted by tweetiepooh

He is innocent until proven guilty. Well presumed innocent anyway.

Ordinarily yes, but the evidence isn't normally freely available for everyone to form a conclusion.

[OLD BOY]

Originally Posted by daveeb

Ordinarily yes, but the evidence isn't normally freely available for everyone to form a conclusion.

The ‘evidence’ is the allegations. And allegations are not evidence by themselves.

We all agree it’s a bad look. But waiting for the Gray report and police investigation before forming an opinion seems a sensible way forward.

The report is out: https://assets.publishing.service.go...s_-_Update.pdf

Nothingburger, completely gutted of any content.

Does find a 'failure of leadership' and it turns out the police are investigating 12 parties but reckon Johnson will be happy with that.

[Dave42]

Ben Kentish
@BenKentish
Sue Gray investigated 16 gatherings - the Met Police has said it won’t investigate 4 of them. So that’s at least 12 likely to be part of the police investigation. This includes an alleged gathering in Boris Johnson’s flat.

Reading more of it it does seem pretty bad given what she could actually report on.

[Sephiroth]

Here are the findings of the Gray report.

In short, inappropriate gatherings were held at Downing Street. The word "party" is not used in her findings.

The fact that the police are examining certain gatherings from a crimninal perspective leaves much open to speculation.

Boris has some wrigglew room.

General findings
i. 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.

ii. 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.

iii. 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 judgment 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.

iv. The excessive consumption of alcohol is not appropriate in a professional workplace at any time. Steps must be taken to ensure that every Government Department has a clear and robust policy in place covering the consumption of alcohol in the workplace.

v. The use of the garden at No 10 Downing Street should be primarily for the Prime Minister and the private residents of No 10 and No 11 Downing Street. During the pandemic it was often used as an extension of the workplace as a more covid secure means of holding group meetings in a ventilated space. This was a sensible measure that staff appreciated, but the garden was also used for gatherings without clear authorisation or oversight. This was not appropriate. Any official access to the space, including for meetings, should be by invitation only and in a controlled environment.

vi. Some staff wanted to raise concerns about behaviours they witnessed at work but at times felt unable to do so. No member of staff should feel unable to report or challenge poor conduct where they witness it. There should be easier ways for staff to raise such concerns informally, outside of the line management chain.

vii. The number of staff working in No 10 Downing Street has steadily increased in recent years. In terms of size, scale and range of responsibility it is now more akin to a small Government Department than purely a dedicated Prime Minister’s office. The structures that support the smooth operation of Downing Street, however, have not evolved sufficiently to meet the demands of this expansion. The leadership structures are fragmented and complicated and this has sometimes led to the blurring of lines of accountability. Too much responsibility and expectation is placed on the senior official whose principal function is the direct support of the Prime Minister. This should be addressed as a matter of priority.

Conclusion
24.The gatherings within the scope of this investigation are spread over a 20-month period – a period that has been unique in recent times in terms of the complexity and breadth of the demands on public servants and indeed the general public. The whole of the country rose to the challenge. Ministers, special advisers and the Civil Service, of which I am proud to be a part, were a key and dedicated part of that national effort. However, as I have noted, a number of these gatherings should not have been allowed to take place or to develop in the way that they did. There is significant learning to be drawn from these events which must be addressed immediately across Government. This does not need to wait for the police investigations to be concluded.

As others have pointed out the meeting in Johnson's flat which he said didn't happen is being investigated by the police.

Originally Posted by Damien

The report is out: https://assets.publishing.service.go...s_-_Update.pdf

Nothingburger, completely gutted of any content.

Does find a 'failure of leadership' and it turns out the police are investigating 12 parties but reckon Johnson will be happy with that.

I really don’t know what people were expecting from what we already knew.

[papa smurf]

Very disappointing i was hoping the recipe for the alleged cake would be published.
the question now is how much longer will this none story be on the front pages.

[Dave42]

Originally Posted by papa smurf

Very disappointing i was hoping the recipe for the alleged cake would be published.
the question now is how much longer will this none story be on the front pages.

a non story the PM is under police investigation we all know you never say that if it was a labour pm under police investigation

Yup, Johnson pretending he is there to sort out what happened in No 10 as if it was nothing to do with him.