Updated: Boris resigns as party leader

[OLD BOY]

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

I'm at a loss to understand why you set your self up for the fall like this. It's past the point of any belief in his exoneration if it occurs. The investigation will become discredited if a witness or two come forward to say he was there and the investigation says he wasn't.

Quite simply, his word is not trusted and that's fatal in politics.

Oh, ye of little faith. They are digging in…

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics...olation-email/

Boris Johnson will not resign, a minister insisted on Tuesday, as pressure continued to grow over an email inviting more than 100 people to drinks at Downing Street at the height of the first lockdown.

The email was sent by Martin Reynolds, Mr Johnson's Principal Private Secretary, and emerged on Monday night.

It asked staff to attend a "bring your own booze" party in the Downing Street garden on May 20, 2020 from 6pm onwards, and urged them to "make the most of the lovely weather" at a "socially distanced drinks reception".

Asked if Mr Johnson would resign if he broke the law, Michael Ellis, the paymaster general, told MPs: "The Prime Minister is going nowhere.

"He seeks to draw me into making a supposition about the result of any inquiry, but the Prime Minister retains the confidence of the people of this country and he did so two years ago with the biggest majority in decades."

Mr Reynolds will stay in his role as principal private secretary and has the "full confidence" of Mr Johnson, No 10 has said.

It came as Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, accused Boris Johnson of "lying to the British public" and urged him to "come clean" on what had happened at Downing Street.

[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by OLD BOY

Oh, ye of little faith. They are digging in…

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics...olation-email/

Boris Johnson will not resign, a minister insisted on Tuesday, as pressure continued to grow over an email inviting more than 100 people to drinks at Downing Street at the height of the first lockdown.

The email was sent by Martin Reynolds, Mr Johnson's Principal Private Secretary, and emerged on Monday night.

It asked staff to attend a "bring your own booze" party in the Downing Street garden on May 20, 2020 from 6pm onwards, and urged them to "make the most of the lovely weather" at a "socially distanced drinks reception".

Asked if Mr Johnson would resign if he broke the law, Michael Ellis, the paymaster general, told MPs: "The Prime Minister is going nowhere.

"He seeks to draw me into making a supposition about the result of any inquiry, but the Prime Minister retains the confidence of the people of this country and he did so two years ago with the biggest majority in decades."

Mr Reynolds will stay in his role as principal private secretary and has the "full confidence" of Mr Johnson, No 10 has said.

It came as Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, accused Boris Johnson of "lying to the British public" and urged him to "come clean" on what had happened at Downing Street.

If Boris was on the invite list, why doesn't he publish his reply instructing the PPS to cancel the party?

[jfman]

The fact Boris won’t resign is of negligible impact on the longevity of his political career at this point.

[OLD BOY]

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

If Boris was on the invite list, why doesn't he publish his reply instructing the PPS to cancel the party?

Because he has passed it to the inquiry, presumably. Anyway, why should he indulge the arguments of his opponents?

[Mad Max]

Originally Posted by Hugh

They wouldn’t advise a client to not say "not guilty" if they were not guilty…

On the day Boris won’t say if he was, or wasn’t , at the booze-fest, we were standing outside my mother-in-law’s care home window, trying to communicate with a very elderly lady with Alzheimer’s & Senile Dementia; we were doing this, rather than face to face, because it was illegal for us to be with her.

Excuse me if I don’t have a lot of patience with someone who is defending Johnson allegedly breaking the law by stating it’s not very important and no one cares…

Are you Michael Fabricant?

Now there's a knob if ever you've seen one, wig of the year contender.

Originally Posted by Paul

Now ? No.
Atm, its an allegation, nothing more.

Last I checked, we are still innocent until proven guilty in the UK.

True - but I think he should go not just because of these persistent party allegations, because he's got a very large seat majority and he's squandered chances to do vital stuff and also done stuff that I do not agree with like vaccine mandates for carers and now NHS staff.

[jfman]

Here’s a thought. Does Boris still think he’s a net positive? And worse for the party what if he’s right?

He’s killed off UKIP to the right, yet gained ground to the left. He’s “delivered Brexit” ending the great schism in the party. Can anyone else do that? Or do they rip open old wounds.

I don't think Johnson takes Government seriously. I think he likes the idea of being Prime Minister more than the job itself and so is more likely to be willing to resign if it all gets too much.

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by OLD BOY

The inquiry will clear him.

Your name is Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf and I claim my ten Pounds!

Originally Posted by OLD BOY

Because he has passed it to the inquiry, presumably. Anyway, why should he indulge the arguments of his opponents?

Because he’s an elected politician, not a God-Emperor - he’s answerable to the public and the House of Commons.

[BenMcr]

And he's now bring asked to answer it directly by his own party

https://news.sky.com/story/just-answ...rinks-12513756

A "furious" Douglas Ross tells Sky News the prime minister should "settle this right now" as to whether he was present at a Number 10 drinks event during lockdown. And the Scottish Tory leader says Boris Johnson should resign if he has breached COVID rules or misled MPs.

[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by OLD BOY

Because he has passed it to the inquiry, presumably. Anyway, why should he indulge the arguments of his opponents?

He needs to shut his opponents down. Labour is in the lift going up, right now.

Think about it - absolution by the investigator, presumably on technical grounds like No. 10 is a place of work, will simply not be credible with the public.

That buffoon seems not to know how the public works. Do you?

[GrimUpNorth]

Originally Posted by OLD BOY

The inquiry will clear him. Just as the inquiry about his expenses cleared him.

If he said he wasn’t at that party, would you believe him? It would only lead to further questions.

As I said before, why give these blowhards the oxygen they crave? It will be satisfying enough to see their deflated looks when the inquiry exonerates him. Assuming it does, of course. If it doesn’t, he will have to consider his position before others do it for him.

One of you best goalpost moving posts of all time. The first line has exoneration as certain as certain can be. Then less than 4 dozen words later in the same post you're covering your ass by advocating he should resign!!! Classic Old Boy at its best.

[OLD BOY]

Originally Posted by Hugh

Because he’s an elected politician, not a God-Emperor - he’s answerable to the public and the House of Commons.

But if he answers the question and says he was not there, they still wouldn’t believe him. That’s why he’s set up the inquiry.

The Opposition would love him to be found wanting - he's a huge barrier for them to overcome.

This whole issue has a distinct whiff of the mischievous Cummings.