The Conservative government of Boris Johnson is in serious trouble as it is once again embroiled in a scandal that is at least partially of his own making.
And compared to previous instances, this one is significantly worse.
Two senior Cabinet ministers resigned on Tuesday evening, ending days in which Downing Street had been under fire for its handling of accusations of sexual misconduct by a member of the government.Sajid Javid, the health secretary, declared he could not proceed "with good faith." Rishi Sunak, the minister of finance, also announced his resignation, claiming that "rightfully, people expect government to be done correctly, competently, and sincerely."
The immediate source of the situation was the impact from deputy chief whip Chris Pincher's resignation last Thursday, which came in response to claims that he had grabbed two guests at a private dinner the previous evening. Pincher wrote to Johnson and acknowledged that "last night I drank much too much" and "embarrassed myself and other people," while he refrained from openly denying the accusations.
But what really got Johnson in trouble—and amid a surge of revelations about Pincher's earlier behavior—were the gyrations that Downing Street press staff undertook to try to justify why Pincher was ever in government in the first place. In a letter that was published on Tuesday, a senior former civil servant effectively charged Downing Street with lying when it claimed that the Prime Minister was unaware of at least one of the historical claims.
Johnson apologized and claimed he was incorrect to have reinstated Pincher to the whip's office earlier this year, which paradoxically is in charge of party discipline, in an effort to put an end to the roiling debate. But the resignation of the two Cabinet members eclipsed that in a matter of minutes.
It is important to explain how Downing Street came to be in such a mess. Downing Street first claimed the Prime Minister was aware of the allegations when fresh information about Pincher's past behavior first surfaced in the wake of his resignation.
When it became evident that this could not stand, Johnson's staff said that although he was aware of the prior accusations, they had been "settled." Johnson's spokeswoman clarified that "resolved" may imply that one of the previously undisclosed allegations against Pincher had been confirmed when it became known that it had.
Then on Tuesday morning, Simon McDonald, a former senior official at the Foreign Office, disclosed that Johnson had received a personal briefing on the findings of a probe into Pincher's behavior.Whatever defense Downing Street may have attempted to offer, Johnson's judgment and handling of this most recent crisis are now seriously questioned.A recurring thread in the numerous controversies involving him is how the government has handled the consequences of the original issue, from "Partygate," when Johnson was penalized by police for violating lockdown guidelines, to his attempts to shield an MP who had done the same.
One top government official stated that "the biggest challenge to this government is its own astonishing incompetence." "Discipline has totally collapsed."
They continued, "The Prime Minister's team seems to be unaware of how bad things are." "Nobody is skilled at conducting interviews. We can't stay on one track. We are totally out of control."
According to a government minister, Johnson's example-setting behavior is one of the main issues.
They claimed that it was difficult for him to correct incorrect behavior because of his colorful personal life.
Conservatives who believe Johnson has become the party's biggest electoral detractor are doing nothing about the growing feeling of instability and the perception that the administration has lost control of yet another narrative.
Since the Partygate scandal surfaced, both the Prime Minister's personal approval ratings and the party's polling numbers have declined. Both the public and his own MPs appear to be losing faith in Johnson as a leader. Last month, members of the Conservative Party attempted—but failed—to topple him.
But even if Johnson is removed from office, Conservative MPs are beginning to lose faith that the damage he has done to the party can be repaired in time for the next scheduled election in 2024.
For those who still have faith in the PM, it is even more concerning that he appears willing to continue fighting.
This worries Conservative lawmakers, especially those who are in tight races and have all but given up on keeping their seats. Few of them believe Johnson has a firm grasp on just how terrible things have gotten, and they are unable to imagine how to persuade the Prime Minister to use common sense.
Because of how poorly the administration handled Pincher's resignation, Johnson is now directly implicated in the affair. He made the decision to promote Pincher to a high position in the government, despite being aware of the seriousness of the accusations made against him and the fact that a complaint had been upheld.
For many years, Johnson's ability to relate to people on a human level has been his key selling point. According to Conservative MPs, his style of upbeat populism was the driving force behind the Brexit decision by the majority of British citizens in 2016 and the Tories' 80-seat parliamentary majority in 2019.
But as Johnson's administration stumbles from one problem to the next, his lawmakers worry that they are about to discover the hard way what happens when a populist loses support.
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