The worst week of Boris Johnson’s premiership – so far – has finally come to an end.
After dozens of bombshell headlines which have even cut through to I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!, and growing calls for the prime minister’s resignation, here’s a recap of everything that has hit Downing Street in the last seven days.
1. Christmas party chaos
Undoubtedly the largest story of the week, Johnson has been attempting to fight off claims No.10 held a party on December 18, 2020 when London was in tier 3 restrictions – meaning it would have breached Covid rules.
He – and his ministers – have repeatedly claimed all the guidance was followed, but failed to clarify if an event had occurred at all.
A video of his former spokesperson and later adviser, Allegra Stratton, then emerged, dating back to December 22 last year. She can be seen laughing and joking with colleagues over holding a party in breach of lockdown rules.Stratton then resigned in tears when ITV News shared the footage on Tuesday evening.
The video cemented the public outcry over the alleged party and health secretary Sajid Javid even refused to do his morning media rounds on Wednesday.
During PMQs, Johnson apologised – but only for the video – and promised that there would be an inquiry into the alleged party conducted by top civil servant Simon Case.
The reports haven’t stopped either, as The Times claimed the party was planned for three weeks with invitations sent to officials and aides.
Case’s workload then widened after there have been further reports of other government parties – seven as of Friday – held throughout November when England was in a firebreak lockdown and in December 2020.
The Met has declared it will not be investigating the claims a party took place on December 18.
Even right-leaning newspapers which usually support Johnson, such as The Sun, The Daily Mail and his older employer The Daily Telegraph, spoke out against him during the fallout over the party.
2. Plan B and a Tory rebellion
The prime minister announced that he was moving England into a series of stricter Covid measures in a bid to curb the Omicron variant’s spread.
He will be launching ‘plan B’ next week, which will see more mandatory face-mask rules in crowded settings, tighter travel rules, working from home guidance in place and the use of the NHS Covid pass to gain access to certain venues.
However, a Conservative rebellion among backbenchers is expected next week when the Commons votes on whether to support the motion for further restrictions.
While Labour has said it will support the motion, this could prove extremely sticky for the prime minister and undermine his position as leader of the Tory party if plan B is only carried through parliament with the opposition’s backing.
More than 50 Tory MPs have criticised Johnson in the media over the last week as well – leading pundits to suspect backbenchers could put forward a motion of no confidence in the Conservative leader.
3. Wallpapergate
The Conservative Party has just been fined £17,800 by the Electoral Commission for its connection to Johnson’s newly-decorated No.10 flat.
The party has been punished for “failing to accurately report a donation” which paid for the refurbishment.
While it sounds like the matter has now been put to bed, Johnson’s testimony in the row is now in doubt.
The prime minister initially told the independent standards adviser Lord Christopher Geidt that he only knew a Tory peer, David Brownlow, had paid towards the refurbishment of his own flat in February 2021.
Yet, WhatsApp messages between Brownlow and the prime minister suggest reality is slightly different, according to the Electoral Commission’s investigation, as Johnson indicated to the peer he was aware where the funding was coming from.
Downing Street has denied that Johnson misled the ethics adviser over the refurb and claimed: “Lord Brownlow did not make a decision about becoming the person to cover the costs until after that exchange.”
It alleged Johnson was asking for a “blind trust” when he sent those texts.
Yet, Lord Geidt is reportedly considering resigning or reopening his investigation unless the prime minister can provide a satisfactory explanation as to what happened.
He is said to be “deeply unhappy” with all of the mixed reports, but only Johnson can actually reopen the investigation.
Labour has called for a new investigation into Johnson’s conduct as a result.
Opposition leader Keir Starmer has also called for a backbench rebellion among Tory MPs to remove Johnson from office.
4. Crime week
It’s easy to forget that this whole week was actually the government’s self-proclaimed ‘crime week’ and began with Johnson dressed up as a police officer for a drugs raid with local officers.
Not only does that create a rather awkward clash with the hefty fine awarded to the Tory Party over Johnson’s flat refurb, but the government’s strict proposed policies around the “lifestyle” drug users is undermined by the admissions from top Tories that they have taken drugs casually in the past.
5. Tumbling public opinion
As even outspoken Conservative supporters such as comedian Geoff Norcott have announced they will no longer back the Tories with Johnson at the helm, polls show the prime minister’s popularity plummeting.
YouGov’s surveys show Johnson’s favourability has dropped to an all-time low. Now 66% of respondents have an unfavourable opinion of him – the highest number of critics since he was elected in 2019.
Labour are clamouring ahead in the polls too for the first time since Starmer took over as leader of the opposition.
It’s a similar story with the poll produced for Survation for the Mirror, as Labour are up on 40% as the Tories trail behind with just 34%.
Johnson is taking some time off after his first daughter with his wife Carrie Johnson was born on Thursday. It remains to be seen if he will be able to steady the boat in the coming weeks.
