It’s been quite the afternoon in the Commons.
Boris Johnson faced sustained criticism over the findings of the Sue Gray report. The most effective were the contributions that fought his fire and bluster with ice rather than more fire.
That’s why Theresa May’s takedown of her successor was so effective. I will never forgive her for what she did at the Home Office, nor in her pursuit of a hard Brexit, but her contribution today was brilliant, asking him if he had read the rules, ignored them or didn’t think they applied to him.
Ian Blackford just had to make it all about him, daring the Speaker to throw him out of the Chamber for saying the PM had misled Parliament. The rule may be daft. But it is the rule, and not to observe it when we are talking about rulebreaking seems illogical. There is a debate to be had around whether that rule is fit for purpose when the man at the despatch box has plainly misled Parliament, but it should have been about Boris today, not Blackford. They are both experts at meaningless bluster and not so good at the incisive point.
There were two brilliant contributions from Ed Davey. He really spoke up for all of us who had followed the rules, often in searingly painful, heartbreaking circumstances.
"Does the Prime Minister understand, does he care about the enormous hurt his actions have caused to bereaved families across our country?"@EdwardJDavey pic.twitter.com/5ADm9Wq8Wy
— Liberal Democrats (@LibDems) January 31, 2022
Later he added that the PM’s performance had been “horrific.”
That was an horrific Commons display from Boris Johnson. He doesn’t have the basic decency and integrity to serve as Britain’s Prime Minister. Tory MPs know it, yet refuse to take any action.
— Ed Davey (@EdwardJDavey) January 31, 2022
Christine Jardine said that people were livid not just at the culture of rule-breaking in No 10, but at the dodging of accountability by the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister is doing everything he can to save his own skin despite the public wanting him to go. Enough is enough. He must resign. pic.twitter.com/T4W6QAoQ88
— Christine Jardine 🔶 (@cajardineMP) January 31, 2022
* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
Follow @LibDemVoice on Twitter
Like us on Facebook
Subscribe to our feed
Sign-up for our daily email digest
Mystery at Witchend is Went the Day Well? and Seven White Gates is A Matter of Life and Death
The long role of the Jewish community in Liverpool
Labour's post-election (non-)honeymoon: The Week in Polls
September now
Farron photos
Peter Martin
Mick Taylor
Michael BG
Jennie
Nell Jerram
12 Comments
I wish Ian Blackford had not spoiled his powerful contribution by childishly getting himself sent out, but it is ironic that he gets put out for telling the truth in Parliament while Boris gets to stay when he is clearly lying to Parliament.
Come on Caron, it’s clear you don’t particularly like the wee man; but surely he had a point. In telling Parliament initially that no lockdown rules were broken, in the light of the Grey Report, the Prime Minister was clearly not telling the truth. As for Mr Blackford’s refusal to take the Speaker’s ‘advice’, I seem to think that he jumped before he was pushed. He may have made a fool of himself in some people’s eyes; but I bet that many people watching, particularly north of the border; but elsewhere as well, would have raised a quiet cheer when he stuck to his guns.
I appreciate that this is LDV but, with no mention of Starmer’s evisceration of Johnson, this article fails as an serious comment on yesterday’s debate..
IMO Blackford didn’t ‘play to the gallery’ he pointed out the obvious failing of an archaic rule that currently allows outright lies but prevents any censure of the liar..Someone needed to say it!
There are many people waking up to the idea that the Westminster system protects bad behaviour but condemns pointing bad behaviour out which is presumably exactly what Ian Blackford wanted. If Westminster and those in it are unwilling to adapt and make a better effort of it then maybe there is an alternative…
I still think too much is being said about Boris Johnson and not enough about how this is a large section of the Conservative Party. I don’t want whoever comes next to perform the same magic trick Boris did in pretending the past 10 years were a completely different party.
@Brad Barrows
Ironic indeed but maybe Blackford did it on purpose to emphasise the ridiculous situation.
Churchill used the phrase ‘terminological inexactitude’
Raab on support for Johnson:
” at the meeting of Conservative MPs – overwhelmingly MPs backing him, wanting to see us getting on with the job.”
This quotation needs to be highlighted in Focus flyers in every constituency with a Conservative MP.
Boris Johnson is the appointed leader, at the moment, of a very dangerous group of Tory MPs and it will take the combined effort of all MPs opposed to this group to prove to the electorate what a mistake they made in giving them the power they did at the last election, not much chance of that happening? well I can live in hope!
Chesham@ Amersham and North Shropshire offer some of that hope.
Publication of Gray’s report was delayed when the Metropolitan Police force launched its own investigation last week into the most serious alleged breaches of coronavirus rules. The force said it had asked for Gray’s report to make only “minimal reference” to the events being investigated by detectives “to avoid any prejudice to our investigation.”
Johnson’s opponents accused the government of trying to water down a report that could trigger an attempt to oust the prime minister by his own party. Some Conservative lawmakers say they will push for a no-confidence vote if Gray finds Johnson was at fault or lied to Parliament about his actions.
https://worldabcnews.com/u-k-pm-boris-johnson-handed-partygate-report/
@George Thomas “I still think too much is being said about Boris Johnson”
Hear hear! The Lib Dems and Labour seem content to position themselves as “We’re not Boris”, and that risks being completely undermined by a new Tory leader saying, “Neither am I”. 🙁
I can only state my own personal view and that is, as someone of a certain age, I have more than disliked Boris Johnson and his take on politics for many years and will be relieved if and when he receives the justice he deserves for his behaviour over that time.
Just a follow up to what I said earlier:
In response to tweet which says: “Speaker Lindsay Hoyle says the PM won’t have to correct the record after his Jimmy Savile slur at Keir Starmer. ”
“The differential treatment of Johnson and Blackford created a session where falsehood is rewarded and honesty is punished. That just can’t go on.” Ian Dunt, columnist at The I Newspaper.
On reflection, I think Ian Blackford was justified in saying that Johnson had lied to parliament and justified in not ceding ground. If we were in the same position as the SNP in Westminster, I would have supported a Liberal Democrat leader doing the same.
Johnson abused parliamentary privilege to make outrageous claims about Starmer (as DPP) and of the Labour front bench (drugs allegation). Standards had already been debased; I would not describe saying what everyone knows to be true as only bluster.