I thought this an interesting overview of what Johnson's team are doing behind the scenes to influence public opinion.
Quote:
How No 10 is testing out excuses to enable Boris Johnson to escape the Partygate scandal
Friendly newspapers are being briefed about what are either, depending on your point of view, the clever arguments his lawyers will employ – or their increasingly desperate excuses.
The motive is clear: this is a softening up exercise to try to shift public opinion about what was acceptable behaviour for Mr Johnson, during the lockdowns he imposed, with a none-too-subtle threat to the police tossed in...
So, it has been briefed that Mr Johnson will acknowledge he attended up to 6 rule-busting gatherings the Met is investigating, but will argue they were “part of his working life”.
“For each event, the prime minister will use details in his diary and call logs to highlight that he was present only briefly and that he continued with other work-related events afterwards,” The Times was told...
Meanwhile, slavishly loyal Tory MPs are sent out to argue a fine for breaking Covid rules is no more serious than a speeding ticket, or parking on a red line.
To understand what a seismic shift this is, we need to remember both what Mr Johnson originally told parliament and what broke the rules he brought in.
As a former Tory attorney-general has reminded us, MPs were told there were no parties and that no rules were breached – so, not only the goalposts, but the entire pitch is being uprooted by No 10.
And, as lawyers have repeatedly pointed out, no such thing as a “work event” existed in the lockdown laws. What matters is whether gatherings were “reasonably necessary for work”. It is clearly hard to argue an event was necessary for work when those attending have been told to “bring your own booze” or ABBA songs are blasting out – so that effort needs to start now.
|
From The Independent via MSN
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/other...?ocid=msedgntp
---------- Post added at 18:13 ---------- Previous post was at 17:44 ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sephiroth
The PM was/is not above the law, especially when he has made the law.
That said, I can see a defence he could use; namely that he was at his place of work doing stuff his work demands.
|
See above.
It is hard to argue that the parties were necessary for work and no such thing as a work event existed during lockdown. And let's not forget that Johnson told Parliament that there had been no parties.