By Tony O’Reilly-
Boris Johnson is a flawed individual who made a stupid embarrassing mistake, but he did not set out to do it maliciously.
This was the verdict of transport minister Grant Shapp, as he made a case for the prime minister to stay in power and focus of the job at hand.
Shapps views are up against strong feelings that the prime minister must not survive his law breaking at a time when the country was debarred from visiting their friends and family, including their loved ones in hospital.
The Tory leader is believed to have attended at least six illegal parties investigated by the Metropolitan Police, meaning that there could be more fines headed his way.
Mp Nigel Mills expressed his strong view that he does not think a prime minister should survive breaking the law he put in place. Mills position was supported by Labour’s shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves, who told told Sky News: “Britain deserves better than this prime minister and this chancellor who lie and lie and lie and can’t stick to the rules that they tell everybody else are so essential.”
When the British public listen to Labour’s shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves assertion that “Britain deserves better than this prime minister and this chancellor who lie and lie and lie and can’t stick to the rules that they tell everybody else are so essential,” one gets a feeling that a vast majority of the British public could actually be completely turned off the Tory leader, and go for Sir Keir Starmer in the next general election, if the prime minister stays in power.
The scathing attack from SNP’s leader, Ian Blackford’s adds to feelings of anger as he describes Johnson’s leadership as ‘a stain on the British democracy’. There is a feeling that a vast majority of the British public could actually become completely turned off the Tory leader, and go for Sir Keir Starmer in the next general election, if the prime minister stays in power.
Over half of the British public now believe the prime minister should go after breaking his own rules, but this does not mean they have thought their opinions through properly. A snap poll for YouGov found 57% of voters thought the prime minister should resign and 75% said he had knowingly lied, while a survey by Savanta ComRes showed 61% said he should quit.
The Tories are clearly in trouble with the public, and will need to radically impress the British public to stay in power in the next elections, should the prime minister and his chancellor, Rushi Sunak, actually survive this political nightmare.
Honesty And Integrity
Honesty and integrity are high on the British Public’s minds when it comes to our leaders, and partygate was an embarrassing let down. The breaking of the rules by the prime minister, the chancellor and other ministers, is unforgivable to the Covid-19 Bereaved families For Justice. who have had to endure a delayed inquiry, originally set for spring 2022.
Shapps’s point is that Johnson is just as flawed as everyone else who broke those laws during a difficult time of national crises, and that what should determine whether he resigns is his performance as prime minister of the country.
“I’m not saying that the prime minister isn’t a flawed individual – we’re all flawed in different ways, we all err, Shapps said.
“The question is did somebody set out to these things with malice? And actually overall is he doing a good job as prime minister?
“He made a mistake – it was embarrassing and stupid, the prime minister’s mortified about it.
“But I think there’s a big job for him to get on and do – on behalf of the British people and on behalf of the world fighting this cruel war.” 
Hanging on to Power: Boris Johnson Image: Getty Images
Shapp’s reference to the point that the prime minister did not set out to break the law out of malice is irrelevant and besides the point, a snot all law breakers break the law out of malice. Drunk driver who kill innocent victims every year were indeed having fun behind the wheels over the limit whilst breaking the law, but there was no malice involved. They still broke the law.
Shapps can at best try and stick to the all individuals being flawed rhetoric, his point sounds weaker when he points to the unconnected notion of malice.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, is not having any of Shapp’s words.
He told Sky News: “There were tens of thousands of people who wanted to have just five minutes holding the hand of their dying relative… and they weren’t allowed to.
“That’s why, listening to people who were bereaved during COVID – really cross and angry with the government – they’re calling for the prime minister to do the decent thing and resign.”
Tory Mps who can trigger a leadership challenge once 54 of the party’s 360 parliamentary members demand a confidence vote will eventually determine the prime minister’s future.
More fines to covid law breakers in Westminster are on their way, not that the chicken feed £50 fine is something very highly paid ministers would feel at all.
Among those already fined includes the prime minister’s wife, Carrie Johnson, and former Uk ethic chief, Helen MacNamara.
Others who may have been fined, or yet to be fined include include Dominic Cummings, the Prime Minister’s former chief aide-turned-adversary, who it is believed attended a No10 garden party on May 15, 2020.
Also to be fined is shamed former Cabinet minister Matt Hancock and his lover Gina Coladangelo. However, that party is not being probed by police. But Mr Reynolds could be fined for attending another No10 party five days later under criminal investigation.
Scotland Yard is investigating 12 allegedly illegal boozy gatherings across government, where a number of officials will have met to party while millions of people were forced to comply with draconian stay-at-home measures in the fight against Covid.