Even his ministers say it’s a matter of when, not if, he goes. But the damage Partygate is doing makes his removal urgent
We can’t know for certain how long Boris Johnson will survive as prime minister or whether his departure is indeed, as one of his ministers whispers, “a matter of when, not if”. But there are two things we do know, because they are true right now. We saw vivid evidence of both this week. The first is that his authority is shot. The second is that his continued presence in office is already corroding and corrupting our democratic system, and that this is not a hypothetical threat awaiting us in the future. It is already here.
The proof of his vanished authority came 13 minutes before MPs were due to debate a Labour motion to investigate Johnson on the gravely serious charge of deliberately misleading parliament. Johnson and his team had hoped to order Tory MPs to block it, or at least to delay it. But too many Conservatives refused to do as they were told. They didn’t fancy going into the next election with their faces on opposition leaflets, alongside a reminder that they had voted to cover up Johnson’s lies about partying during lockdown. Downing Street was late getting that message. So late that, with just minutes to go, it had to back down and let Labour have its way.
Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnist
