On Tuesday Boris Johnson gave the BBC an insight into his soul life. He was "very sad" about allegations that he had sexually harassed women, announced the British Prime Minister in front of the camera. The allegations were "not true", he was wronged: even in "every organization" he headed, he had always taken special care of women.
The interview was notable, Johnson broke in with his golden rule of not publicly commenting on his private life. The fact that he does it shows how much the panic has grown in 10 Downing Street in the last few days.
As if the Brexit madness was not enough, reports have accumulated in recent days that Boris Johnson in the past has become intrusive in the presence of women. And those allegations, though unproven, have what it takes to bring him down.
In Manchester, where Johnson's conservative party has held its annual convention since Sunday, virtually no member of the government escapes embarrassing questions about the boss. On the fringes called side events, which are spread over the city center, Johnson vassals can be observed in verbal contortions and evasive maneuvers. And if they then jump aside for the prime minister, such as the Tory MP Rachel Maclean, they reap loud resounding protest. Maclean had commented with the original remark that Johnson was in truth a "feminist."
Thought the whole thing was different. Manchester - this should be a grandiose campaigning start, even though in the Brexit-crazy kingdom nobody knows when this election will actually take place. "Get Brexit Done" is the party motto of the Downing Street strategists who promise tens of billions from the cornucopia of post-EU exit: health, education, impoverished communities, disadvantaged youth. In short: For all those areas that were almost bled by the almost ten-year brutal Austeritätspolitik various Tory governments.
To keep the opposition Labor party in check, the conservatives even want to raise the minimum wage to 10.50 pounds, 50 cents more than Labor. "We are the true workers' party," said Chancellor Sajid Javid on Monday. Meanwhile, the Fringes program, dominated by housing shortages, the NHS healthcare system, and nursing, read as if it were being tapped by the Labor Socialists.
Johnson's misogyny is a well-known problem
But even before the Tory line set off on Sunday towards Manchester, the show plans of the government were thwarted by spicy stories about the head of government. It began with the Sunday Times, which details Johnson's relationship with US entrepreneur Jennifer Arcuri. With her, Johnson is said to have not only had an affair in his time as London mayor. Tricky are messages according to which London & Partners, Johnson's then-PR company, Arcuris companies should have awarded public subsidies in five-digit amount. In addition, the woman accompanied, allegedly at the urging of the London City Council, Johnson several times on business trips.
Even before the fuss broke, reputed journalist Charlotte Edwardes wrote that the head of government had immoralized her at a dinner table table 20 years ago, and had done the same with a second dinner companion. Shortly thereafter, another woman came forward with similar allegations.
This is not surprising: The British public has been well informed for many years about Johnson's extramarital escapades, which he denied before he had to grant them. No secret is his countless macho and feminine objections of the past. Recently, the nation was able to read about how Johnson described his predecessor David Cameron: as a "girlish nerd".
Only: The bulk of the allegations hit Johnson when he was still a journalist and later conservative backbencher. Now he is prime minister. And there are signs that Britons, and especially Britons, are setting different standards for this office.
The fact that Boris Johnson has a problem with women was already clear at the end of September in a devastating survey for him. According to him, significantly more women than men refuse: 47 percent of Britons meanwhile say they dislike the head of government, more than half (51 percent) call him incompetent, and only 19 percent consider him to be honest. And that was before the recent allegations.
However, to win an election in the coming months, Johnson needs all the male and female voters he can somehow get. According to pollsters, he has already spiked countless liberal conservatives through his pompous Brexit class in recent weeks. Should mass voters turn away from him, he could go down in British history as one of the shortest-serving heads of government.
It is therefore anticipated in Manchester whether and how Johnson will try to win the female electorate in his grand closing speech on Wednesday.
In Downing Street, the Times writes, try to set an example for another political graver: Bill Clinton. After the affair to the intern Monica Lewinsky, this had shunned the Washington Politzirkus and addressed directly to the Americans instead. In the end, Clinton's approval rates were even higher than before. Johnson, it is said, has what it takes to do the same.
