With plummeting approval ratings and MPs in revolt, a virtual event offered the prime minister some much-needed cover
An empty hall, with no overly enthusiastic ministers in sight or bespectacled Tory activists on hand to cheer: this year’s Conservative conference was billed as Boris Johnson’s worst nightmare. A politician who has spent his career trading on his ability to rally a crowd had to give a leader’s speech with no audience, attempting to offer optimism looking down the camera lens. At moments like this, of all prime ministers who could have had their premiership dominated by social distancing, Johnson seems the least suited.
Yet as this year’s Tory conference draws to a close, several of Johnson’s colleagues are in truth relieved the event ended up being a virtual one. Although the website crashed, MPs complained about Zoom call capacity, and the virtual stalls failed to make a splash, the online format did allow the prime minister one conference win: Johnson managed to avoid his own party.
