Markus Andrews

The majority of Conservative voters and two thirds of Britons think Boris Johnson should resign as prime minister after a series of high-profile government resignations shook his premiership, a poll has found.The snap survey published by YouGov on Tuesday night revealed that 54 per cent of Tory voters were in favour of Mr Johnson stepping down, while 33 per cent said he should remain. The pollster said it was the first time that the number calling for him to leave had been higher those who want him to stay.Meanwhile, the number of Britons who were in favour of Mr Johnson resigning reached a record high, at 69 per cent.It comes as Mr Johnson faces the biggest leadership crisis of his premiership after Rishi Sunak quit as chancellor and Sajid Javid resigned as health secretary.The twin resignations came in the wake of No 10 ‘s bodged handling of the row over scandal-hit former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher.A humiliating apology from the prime minister was unable to prevent the departure of two senior ministers and potential leadership rivals, with both writing incendiary resignation letters.Mr Sunak said “the public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously”, adding: “I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning.”Nadhim Zahawi was promoted to be the new chancellor, with universities minister Michelle Donelan taking his place as education secretary.Mr Javid said the British people “expect integrity from their government” but voters now believed Mr Johnson’s administration was neither competent nor “acting in the national interest”.He was replaced as health secretary by Steve Barclay, the prime minister’s chief of staff.By the skin of his teeth, Mr Johnson survived a confidence vote last month which saw almost 150 of his own MPs try to force him from the helm of the Conservative party.And Tory backbencher Andrew Bridgen has today warned the PM that the backbench 1922 Committee will “deal” with his leadership.Mr Bridgen said: “The portcullis is the emblem of our Parliament, it is the last defence of our democracy.“The 1922 committee will deal with this turbulent prime minister, it’s what it was created for.” More

Shortly after the clock struck 6pm on Tuesday, two of the most senior figures in Boris Johnson’s cabinet broke a gentle sweat, and decided to pick up the knife. They published their resignation letters just as a broadcast interview with Boris Johnson aired on the BBC.Damning in different ways and just nine minutes apart, the resignations were not, according to those close to the former chancellor and health secretary, coordinated.Still, the political maths of the two former bankers was certainly arrived at the same answer: the Johnson stock had bombed and it was time to cut the losses.Rishi Sunak’s unhappiness, according to one of his senior officials, had been writ large for several weeks. “Back, camel, straw and a grope for good measure”, one texted. He had already considered resigning in the aftermath of revelations about his wife’s tax affairs.The possibility of quitting was also considered in the aftermath of the two by-election defeats that saw Oliver Dowden, Mr Sunak’s friend quit as chair of the Conservative party.However, there’s no doubt that Mr Sunak took the allegations of sexual misconduct against the deputy chief whip – and how they were handled – hard. A draft of a letter was sketched out on Monday, one insider claimed.But this was not just a throw-away remark: “We both want a low-tax, high-growth economy, and world-class public services, but this can only be responsibly be delivered if we are prepared to work hard, make sacrifices and take difficult decisions.”This gripe was truly a fundamental disagreement about a different kind of honesty: the immaculate truth of tax and spend. Mr Johnson’s attempt at Tuesday morning’s cabinet meeting to pass off what essentially amounts to a tax rise for most, as a glorious tax cut, did not sit well with the former chancellor.He had, even in his speech to a business school laying out his economic vision earlier this year, been crystal clear that tax cuts have to be paid for. With low GDP growth, record-busting inflation, and an NHS backlog to clear, trimming the tax burden was going to be an uphill struggle.The message that needed to be communicated – particularly post-Partygate – was a sober tale of tough choices, in Mr Sunak’s view, a source close to the chancellor said.However, Mr Johnson’s boosterism did not allow for the communication of tough choices and fiscal responsibility. Fear of pressure to pull out the chequebook yet again was one factor which prompted Mr Sunak to call time on his chancellorship, two Treasury insiders said.Both the former chancellor and health secretary faced a tough road ahead in their roles: strikes and the need to prepare for a winter potentially chock-full of NHS crises were shared concerns.Mr Javid was outraged at the handling of the Pincher affair. It added to a view of what one source close to his private office said he felt “Johnson simply wasn’t serious about the challenges of government in the months ahead”.But he could also see his own challenges coming thick and fast in the role of health secretary. Junior doctors had already indicated that they are prepared to pursue strike action in the face of a well-below inflation pay rise. Nurses are discussing the possbility of stikes. Meanwhile. the hopes of addressing the dire need to clear waiting lists from mental health care to surgeries in any meaningful manner ahead of the next election are vanishingly small.“There was a bit of a calculation about whether it made sense to take the pain of that, while also having to take the criticism of backbenchers and activists for sticking by Johnson,” a source with knowledge of Javid’s political thinking said. “But he’d have taken the reputational hit of a rough NHS winter for the right leader,” they added.Neither’s potential pull in a future leadership contest can be overlooked and neither seem to have written off futures at the top of British politics.Mr Javid has emerged as a strong contender in a leadership contest among backbenchers of late. Mr Sunak is still regarded as highly competent at the job of governing, if a bit less slick and the game of politics.They will both be key players in the coming weeks, and their early resignation may prove a key factor in the horse trading ahead. More

Boris Johnson’s chief of staff Steve Barclay will be appointed health secretary after the shock resignation of Sajid Javid on Tuesday evening, say Whitehall sources.Mr Johnson faces the biggest leadership crisis of his premiership after his handling of the row over scandal-hit ex-deputy chief whip Chris Pincher sparked a flurry of resignations on Tuesday evening.Rishi Sunak quit as chancellor, saying government was not being conducted “properly, competently and seriously”, shortly after Mr Javid stepped down as health secretary.In scathing remarks, the departing health secretary said the British people “expect integrity”, but voters now believed Mr Johnson’s administration was neither competent nor “acting in the national interest”.Nadhim Zahawi was named as Mr Sunak’s replacement as chancellor. Meanwhile junior minister Michelle Donelan stepped up to fill Mr Zahawi’s shoes as education secretary.Mr Barclay, the new health secretary, had been given a top job at No 10 as part of an attempted reset of Mr Johnson’s premiership in February, made chief of staff while remaining a minister at the Cabinet Office.Having struggled to move on from Parytygate, the PM is again attempting a desperate reset, rocked by accusations from a former top Foreign Office official that No 10 lied about whether the PM knew about sexual misconduct complaints against Mr Pincher.Mr Johnson admitted he should have sacked Mr Pincher when he was told about misconduct claims against him in 2019, but instead went on to appoint him deputy chief whip.“I think it was a mistake and I apologise for it,” he told broadcasters. “In hindsight it was the wrong thing to do. I apologise to everybody who has been badly affected by it.”But Mr Sunak and Mr Javid resigned soon after the PM’s comments. Bim Afolami then quit as Tory vice chair live on air – telling TalkTV that Mr Johnson no longer had his support and should now “step down”.The prime minister was then hit by a series of resignations by parliamentary private secretaries (PPS), including the shock exit of one of his most loyal backbenchers.Red wall Tory MP Jonathan Gullis – who has been a fierce defender of Mr Johnson – resigned as PPS to the Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis, saying the government had become distracted “dealing with our reputational damage”.Tory MP Saqib Bhatti stepped down as PPS to outgoing health secretary Sajid Javid, saying the governement’s “integrity and trust” had been fatally undermined. Virginia Crosbie resigned as PPS to the Wales Office, while Andrew Murrison resigned as one of the PM’s trade envoys.In the most severe condemnation of the PM, Ms Crosbie said: “You cannot be trusted to tell the truth. This can never be a position to inhabit for anyone in public life, let alone prime minister.”Dominic Raab, Liz Truss, Michael Gove, Priti Patel, Ben Wallace, Nadine Dorries and Therese Coffey were among the senior cabinet ministers standing by Mr Johnson on Tuesday night as the government appeared to implode.Jacob Rees-Mogg backed Mr Johnson to remain PM, claiming that he is “a big man who is willing to apologise”. The Brexit opportunities minister claimed that it was “a wonderfully 18th century view” to think the PM had to resign because his ministers had quit.Tory rebels urged Mr Johnson to quit – but also vowed to oust him in the weeks ahead by staging a fresh confidence vote if he does decide to cling on.One backbencher opposed to the PM told The Independent: “I had been hoping some cabinet ministers would show some backbone. If he clings on, we will have to get rid of him.”Veteran Tory MP Sir Roger Gale: “There comes a time when the game is up. I would like to think that even at this stage Boris Johnson is an honourable man, has to go and resign. If he doesn’t we’ll do it for him.”Rebels hope that a majority of anti-Johnson MPs will be elected onto the 18-member 1922 committee during the powerful backbench groups elections next week.Current committee rules mean the prime minister is safe from another no-confidence vote for another 12 months, after narrowly survived a ballot last month, but rebels are hoping to change the rules and allow a fresh contest.Tory MP Andrew Bridgen, who is putting himself forward for the 1922 committee, said that he believed there would be “pro-rule change” committee after the imminent elections.“Whatever the cabinet do, I think we’ll be changing the rules before summer recess to remove the prime minister [through] a second confidence vote,” he told Sky News.Mr Bridgen added: “Any cabinet minister who doesn’t resign his position in the next 24-hours are ruling themselves out of any future leadership bids.” More

Boris Johnson was forced into a chaotic reshuffle on Tuesday night after potential leadership rivals Rishi Sunak quit as chancellor and Sajid Javid resigned as health secretary.The prime minister faces the biggest leadership crisis of his premiership after his handling of the row over scandal-hit ex-deputy chief whip Chris Pincher also sparked a flurry of resignations by envoys and parliamentary aides.In scathing remarks, Mr Javid said voters believed the government was neither competent nor “acting in the national interest”, while Mr Sunak said Britain deserved an administration that is run “properly, competently and seriously”.Nadhim Zahawi was promoted to be the new chancellor, with universities minister Michelle Donelan stepping up to take his place as education secretary. Steve Barclay, the PM’s chief of staff, was given the role of health secretary.Mr Zahawi made no comment when asked by press if he would “spray public money around to save Boris Johnson’s skin” before leaving Downing Street in a ministerial car.According to reports, Mr Johnson had wanted Liz Truss as chancellor but Mr Zahawi forced his hand by threatening to join the rebellion and quit if he was not given the job at No 11.Mr Barclay’s move to health comes only six months after he was appointed Downing Street chief of staff to help steady a premiership still floundering from the Partygate revelations.Having struggled to move on from the scandal, the PM has been forced once again attempting a desperate reset, rocked by accusations from a former top Foreign Office official that No 10 lied about how much the PM knew about complaints against Mr Pincher.Mr Johnson admitted he should have sacked Mr Pincher when he was told about misconduct claims against him in 2019, but instead went on to appoint him deputy chief whip. “I think it was a mistake and I apologise for it,” he told broadcasters.But Mr Sunak and Mr Javid resigned soon after the PM’s comments. Bim Afolami then quit as Tory vice chair live on air – telling TalkTV that Mr Johnson no longer had his support and should now “step down”.The prime minister was then hit by a series of resignations by parliamentary private secretaries, including the shock exit of one of his most loyal backbenchers.Red wall Tory MP Jonathan Gullis – who has been a fierce defender of Mr Johnson – resigned as PPS to the Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis, saying the government had become distracted “dealing with our reputational damage”.Tory MP Saqib Bhatti stepped down as PPS to outgoing health secretary Sajid Javid, saying the governement’s “integrity and trust” had been fatally undermined. Theo Clarke left as trade envoy to Kenya, while Andrew Murrison resigned as one of the PM’s Middle East envoys.In the most scathing resignation, Virginia Crosbie quit as PPS to the Wales Office, telling the PM: “You cannot be trusted to tell the truth. This can never be a position to inhabit for anyone in public life, let alone prime minister.”Tory vice chair Bim Afolami resigns on live TVDominic Raab, Liz Truss, Michael Gove, Priti Patel, Ben Wallace, Nadine Dorries and Therese Coffey were among the senior cabinet ministers standing by Mr Johnson on Tuesday night as the government appeared to implode.Jacob Rees-Mogg backed Mr Johnson to remain PM, claiming that he is “a big man who is willing to apologise”. The Brexit opportunities minister claimed that it was “a wonderfully 18th century view” to think the PM had to resign because his ministers had quit.Tory rebels urged Mr Johnson to quit – but also vowed to oust him in the weeks ahead by staging a fresh confidence vote if he does decide to cling on.One backbencher opposed to the PM told The Independent: “The last few days have been appalling. I had been hoping some cabinet ministers would show some backbone. If he clings on, we will have to get rid of him.”Veteran Tory MP Sir Roger Gale: “There comes a time when the game is up. I would like to think that even at this stage Boris Johnson is an honourable man, has to go and resign. If he doesn’t we’ll do it for him.”Rebels hope that a majority of anti-Johnson MPs will be elected onto the 18-member 1922 committee during the powerful backbench groups elections next week.Current committee rules mean the prime minister is safe from another no-confidence vote for another 12 months, after narrowly survived a ballot last month, but rebels are hoping to change the rules and allow a fresh contest.Tory MP Andrew Bridgen, who is putting himself forward for the 1922 committee, said that he believed there would be “pro-rule change” committee after the imminent elections.“Whatever the cabinet do, I think we’ll be changing the rules before summer recess to remove the prime minister [through] a second confidence vote,” he told Sky News.Mr Bridgen added: “Any cabinet minister who doesn’t resign his position in the next 24-hours are ruling themselves out of any future leadership bids.” More

Boris Johnson is clinging to power by a thread after the twin resignations of his chancellor and health secretary over the Chris Pincher scandal plunged him into his biggest crisis yet. The disintegration of the cabinet – long seen as the event most likely to force the prime minister out of No 10 – dramatically cut the odds on his premiership ending imminently.Sajid Javid, the health secretary, walked out telling Mr Johnson the Conservative party is “bigger than any one individual” – while Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, protested that “standards are worth fighting for”.Earlier on Tuesday, No 10 had admitted the prime minister knew a misconduct complaint had been upheld against Mr Pincher when he appointed him to the whips’ office, triggering an eruption of Tory anger.The resignations came just moments after a grovelling apology by Mr Johnson for the “mistake” of promoting the minister – a move No 10 had spent five days defending.Keir Starmer said it was “clear that this government is now collapsing” and lashed out at ministers who had been “complicit” as the prime minister “disgraced his office”.The Labour leader called for a general election – something No 10 threatened Tory MPs with only weeks ago, to stop them moving against Mr Johnson – saying: “We need a fresh start for Britain. We need a change of government.”Bim Afolami, a vice chair of the Tory party resigned dramatically on air, and David Frost, the former Brexit minister, also called on Mr Johnson to go.But other cabinet ministers rallied around to stem the bleeding, including Liz Truss, Dominic Raab, Michael Gove, Nadhim Zahawi and Kwasi Kwarteng.Jacob Rees-Mogg brushed off talk that the end was near, arguing the prime minister had only made “a minor mistake” and saying: “Losing chancellors is something that happens.”Mr Johnson also moved swiftly to make clear he will not be quitting with an emergency reshuffle to fill the vacant posts.Mr Zahawi was made the new chancellor, a promotion from education secretary, after winning a tussle with Ms Truss, while Stephen Barclay was moved from the Cabinet Office to health.The dual resignations came after the tactic of filming cabinet meetings backfired when its members were captured with worried, gloomy faces – prompting speculation that a revolt was near.Senior Tories had urged Mr Johnson’s top team to pull the plug on his premiership, as party rules prevent – for now – a second no-confidence vote for one year.“Backbenchers have done all they can. It is up to the cabinet to decide if they will put up, or if they will continue to shut up,” the former health minister Steve Brine told The Independent.Nick Gibb, the respected former schools minister, likened the situation to the crisis in the US where “you worry whether democracy is safe” – as he also urged the cabinet to act.“We have to make sure that doesn’t happen in this country. We have to get rid of the rot in our political system,” he told BBC Radio 4.Tim Loughton, another former anti-Johnson minister, said: “At last, we’ve got two very senior cabinet ministers who have absolutely done the decent thing. And I hope this will now set the course that we do need, a change of leader at the top.”Mr Javid and Mr Sunak’s resignations were announced within moments of each other, but sources close to the pair denied they were discussed in advance or were coordinated.Earlier, in a devastating intervention, a former head of the Foreign Office revealed Mr Johnson was briefed personally about the complaint against Mr Pincher, in 2019.Simon McDonald said he was speaking out because the account given by Downing Street – which first claimed the prime minister was unaware of any allegations – was “not true”.In a letter to the parliamentary standards commissioner, the retired mandarin said the 2019 allegations “were similar to those made about his behaviour at the Carlton Club” – where Mr Pincher had been accused of groping two men.“Mr Pincher deceived me and others in 2019. He cannot be allowed to use the confidentiality of the process three years ago to pursue his predatory behaviour in other contexts,” he wrote.The prime minister’s spokesperson had continued to insist the information about Mr Pincher’s behaviour was no reason to bar him from the job as deputy chief whip, with responsibility for Tory MP’s welfare.In his resignation letter, Mr Sunak also cast doubt on the prime minister’s honesty about the true state of the economy, writing that their approaches are “fundamentally too different” and that “people know that if something is too good to be true then it’s not true”.Four unpaid parliamentary aides also quit, as did Andrew Murrison as the government’s trade envoy to Morocco, telling Mr Johnson: “Your position has become unrecoverable. I strongly urge you to resign.”The respected Institute for Government hit out at dishonesty in No 10, calling on cabinet secretary Simon Case to step in and saying: “The prime minister’s official spokesman cannot double as a liar.”Nicola Sturgeon predicted the prime ministers is now doomed, tweeting: “Feels like end might be nigh for Johnson – not a moment too soon.”Roger Gale, a Tory critic of Mr Johnson, predicted he would not go willingly, saying: “He will try to hang on but I don’t think that he can.”Mr Johnson must now face a two-hour grilling by a Commons committee on Wednesday, when the topics on the agenda include “integrity in politics and the rule of law”.In his response to Mr Sunak, the prime minister praised his “outstanding service” and made no mention of the reason for the chancellor quitting.Likewise, he told Mr Javid he “will be greatly missed”, but omitted any reference to his former health secretary’s attack on his “integrity”. More

Boris Johnson’s government is “collapsing” and the prime minister is “unfit” to government, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said as he backed the idea of a snap general election.The Labour leader also said he would support a vote if one were called in the days ahead, after Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid threw No 10 into turmoil by quitting as chancellor and health secretary.Mr Johnson faces the biggest leadership crisis yet of his premiership as his handling of the row over scandal-hit ex-deputy chief whip Chris Pincher became the latest issue to raise questions over his judgement.“He is unfit to be prime minister, he is not fit to govern the country,” Sir Keir told broadcasters. “We need a change of government.”Asked if he would support an election if one were called in the next few weeks, Starmer said: “Yes. We need a fresh start for Britain. We need a change of government.”Sir Keir described Mr Sunak and Mr Javid as the prime minister’s “cheerleaders throughout this sorry saga”, pointing out that they “backed him for months and months and months”.The Labour leader said: “Backing him when he broke the law, backing him when he lied repeatedly, backing him when he mocked the sacrifices of the British people.”Starmer added: “Resigning today means nothing against their complicity for all those months when they should have seen him for what he was, they knew who he was.”The Labour leader also suggested a change of government would help to address the “big issues” like the cost-of-living crisis and could provide “political stability”.Mr Johnson admitted he should have sacked Mr Pincher when he was told about misconduct claims against him when he was a Foreign Office minister in 2019, but instead Mr Johnson went on to appoint him to other government roles.Asked if that was an error, Mr Johnson said: “I think it was a mistake and I apologise for it. In hindsight it was the wrong thing to do. I apologise to everybody who has been badly affected by it.”But Mr Sunak and Mr Javid resigned soon after his comments to broadcasters. Bim Afolami the quit as Tory vice chair live on air – telling TalkTV the PM no longer had his support or the support of the country and should now “step down”.Dominic Raab, Liz Truss, Michael Gove, Priti Patel and Ben Wallace were among the senior cabinet ministers standing by Mr Johnson on Tuesday night as the government implodes.But red wall Tory MP Jonathan Gullis, a Johnson loyalist, then resigned as PPS to the Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis, saying the government had become distracted “dealing with our reputational damage”Tory MP Saqib Bhatti stepped down as PPS to outgoing health secretary Sajid Javid, saying “integrity and trust” had been undermined, while Andrew Murrison resigned as one of the PM’s trade envoys.Tory rebels urged Mr Johnson to quit – before vowing to oust him soon through a fresh confidence vote if he clings on.One backbencher opposed to the PM told The Independent: “I had been hoping some cabinet ministers would show some backbone. If he clings on, we will have to get rid of him.”Veteran Tory MP Sir Roger Gale: “There comes a time when the game is up. I would like to think that even at this stage Boris Johnson is an honourable man, has to go and resign. If he doesn’t we’ll do it for him.” More

Nadhim Zahawi is the new Chancellor, after winning a tussle with Liz Truss for the role in Boris Johnson’s crisis reshuffle.The education secretary – a likely leadership contender if the prime minister is forced out – emerged as the big winner from the shock resignation of Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid.The announcement came after an hour-long stand-off in Downing Street, during which Mr Zahawi was rumoured to be ready to quit unless he was handed the job at No 11.Instead, he has thrown the beleaguered Mr Johnson a lifeline – but the prime minister is still fighting for his political life after a long-expected cabinet coup was launched.A snap YouGov poll found that 69 per cent of Britons now say that he should resign, up 11 per cent in just one month.The universities minister Michelle Donelan becomes the new education secretary, in another significant promotion, after Stephen Barclay was moved from the Cabinet Office to health.The disintegration of the cabinet – long seen as the event most likely to force the prime minister out of No 10 – dramatically cut the odds on his premiership ending within months, or even weeks.Mr Javid, the health secretary, walked out telling Mr Johnson the Conservative party is “bigger than any one individual” – while MrSunak, the chancellor, protested that “standards are worth fighting for”.Earlier, No 10 had admitted the prime minister was told a misconduct complaint had been upheld against Mr Pincher when he promoted him to the whips’ office, triggering an eruption of Tory anger.The resignations came just moments after a grovelling apology by Mr Johnson for the “mistake” of promoting the minister – a move No 10 had spent five days defending.Keir Starmer said it was clear “clear that this government is now collapsing” and lashed out at ministers who had been “complicit” as the prime minister “disgraced his office”.The Labour leader called for a general election – something No 10 threatened Tory MPs with only weeks ago, to stop them moving against Mr Johnson – saying: “We need a fresh start for Britain. We need a change of government.”Bim Afolami, a vice chair of the Tory party resigned dramatically on air, and David Frost, the former Brexit minister, called on Mr Johnson to go.But other cabinet ministers joined Mr Zahawi in rallying around to stem the bleeding, including Ms Truss, Dominic Raab, Michael Gove, and Kwasi Kwarteng. More

If Boris Johnson’s downfall is triggered by the resignations of Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid, it will be a remarkably swift one. It is easy to forget that only nine months ago, Johnson was riding high. The Tory conference in Manchester was a delayed (by Covid-19) celebration of his greatest triumph – the thumping majority of 80 he won at the 2019 general election. The first act of Johnson’s fall from grace came when he foolishly tried to save the skin of fellow Brexiteer Owen Paterson after he broke Commons rules on lobbying. Although a revolt by Tory MPs forced Johnson to back down, this was the first in a series of self-inflicted disasters which exposed fatal weaknesses in Johnson’s character (that were always there) – a tendency to think the rules do not really apply to him, and a determination to defend members of his loyal tribe even when they transgress. These traits would return with a vengeance during Johnson’s shambolic handling of the scandal engulfing Chris Pincher, who he made his deputy chief whip in February despite knowing about previous complaints about his behaviour – a reward for Pincher’s role in saving Johnson when the Partygate row blew up in January this year. (The traits were also apparent when Johnson declined to sack his closest aide Dominic Cummings for his trip to Durham during lockdown). The Pincher and Partygate controversies highlighted another Johnson character flaw: the former journalist liked to dismiss any media storm as something that would soon blow over. This led him to dissemble rather than find out the facts during any crisis before rushing out a statement that, at best, was economical with the truth. So there were “no parties” at Downing Street during lockdown and the rules were observed at all times, he told the Commons. Allies fear that statements Johnson made during two sessions of prime minister’s questions last December will form the danger points in the privileges committee’s investigation into whether the PM “knowingly misled parliament” – a resigning matter if he is found guilty. Not that Johnson would necessarily obey this rule either – one reason why his Tory backbench critics are determined to force another vote of confidence in him before the committee’s inquiry concludes this autumn. Even his critics acknowledge Johnson’s strengths. The former Mayor of London has never been a conventional politician; his appearances on Have I Got News for You showed he could appeal to parts of the electorate the Tories had long since been unable to reach. Few politicians are known by their first names. The Leave campaign would not have won the 2016 Brexit referendum without him, as Nigel Farage acknowledged. No other Tory leader would have scooped up traditional Labour seats in the north and Midlands. Yet his undoubted campaigning and communications skills were no qualification for the hard grind of government, which requires an attention to detail and a laser-like focus to ensure delivery that have never been Johnson’s strong suit. Perhaps Michael Gove saw this coming in 2016 when he spectacularly ended Johnson’s first Tory leadership bid by quitting as his campaign manager and running himself. Gove said memorably: “Boris cannot provide the leadership or build the team for the task ahead.” Remarkably, Cummings considered a plan to remove Johnson only weeks after the 2019 election – another recognition that his boss was unsuited to government. Those doubts would grow as, despite rhetoric about levelling up, his government failed to find a mission, or resolve the Tories’ split between tax-cutters and big spenders like Johnson himself. His party knew what it was getting when they chose Johnson. It knew he had been sacked by The Times for making up a quote, and later from the Tory frontbench by Michael Howard for lying about an affair. As one Tory MP put it: “We knew we were making a pact with the devil, but we thought he could run a government. He can’t.” After the Paterson, Partygate and Pincher affairs, the character traits that were once widely seen as strengths – as someone who would ignore convention and bulldoze the establishment to “get Brexit done” for the people – turned into weaknesses. Whenever he departs, Johnson’s political epitaph will probably be that he believed in “one rule for us, and another for everyone else.” More