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Partygate: Why Boris Johnson is still in office

2022-02-09T10:04:29.346Z


Demands for his resignation have been hailing for weeks, party friends are turning against him, employees are fleeing – and yet: Boris Johnson is clinging to 10 Downing Street. How does he do it?


AreaRead the video transcript expand here

Boris Johnson, British Prime Minister

"I beg your pardon"

Boris Johnson has been in the "Partygate" crossfire for weeks.

New details are constantly emerging about boozy celebrations at the seat of government - despite the fact that the whole of Britain has been stuck in a tough lockdown.

But Johnson is still there.

How so?

Joerg Schindler, DER SPIEGEL

"Because it's very difficult to remove a British Prime Minister from office, so if he doesn't want to leave himself and he's made it clear several times that he's ready to fight to the last bullet, then the only option is that his own party will overthrow him.«

That would require a vote of no confidence.

In the end, at least half of his own MPs, i.e. 180 of the 360 ​​Tories in Parliament, would have to vote against Johnson.

That is considered extremely unlikely – even if party colleagues like Theresa May openly dish out against Johnson.

Theresa May, former British Prime Minister

'Either the Honorable Member had not read the rules or understood what they meant and others around him, or he felt the rules did not apply to number 10.

What was it?"

Both the British media and Johnson's own ranks have been talking about resignation for weeks, but Boris Johnson has made a number of major missteps.

What is different about this scandal?

Joerg Schindler, DER SPIEGEL

"I actually think that if we had had that outside of Corona, it would have been a side note, then everyone would have basically thought a bit: Oh, well, Boris.

With this pandemic, with 150,000 Brits dying from or with Covid, unofficially many more, it's just reached a level that could bring him down."

Johnson reacted with diversionary maneuvers: he was concerned about the health system, tried to ensnare conservatives, wanted to turn off the funding for the BBC, which was allegedly too liberal, and attacked opposition leader Starmer with unfair accusations.

This has meanwhile led to Starmer being harassed by a mob and having to be protected by the police.

Five members of his staff, like Johnson's longtime important political adviser Munira Mirza, had already had enough of the fuss: they resigned.

Joerg Schindler, DER SPIEGEL

“I actually feel like there might be a tipping point, that what Boris Johnson was allowed to get away with, which is not going into detail very well, blustering all the time, not answering questions, bending the truth that Partygate has reached the point where many have said: well, now we're really tired of it, including our own people.«

On the other hand: Johnson is considered a stand-up man, he has survived many a political scandal that would have been fatal to others.

While even Scotland Yard is investigating the Partygate, he presents himself as a foreign politician with great concern for Ukraine - is there a way for him to redeem himself politically?

Joerg Schindler, DER SPIEGEL

“Johnson's line of defense isn't just that: I got Brexit done, I personally, Boris Johnson, cut that Gordian knot and led us to freedom, and he's already compared himself to Moses.

And the other thing is that he can rightly say at the moment: I led us out of the pandemic, so to speak, the second Moses story.

My God, then he just had a few parties, that's just the way he's going to defend himself and it's quite possible that he'll get away with it."

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2022-02-09

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