Tory Anarchy Breaks Out as Revolt Looms on Brexit Laws

THE GUARDIAN: Ex-ministers attack Rishi Sunak’s leadership as pro-Johnson wing calls for lower taxes

Rishi Sunak is likely to face a Commons mutiny over the retained EU law bill reminiscent of the rows over the Maastricht treaty. Photograph: House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA
Rishi Sunak was losing control of an increasingly anarchic Tory party on Saturday as former cabinet ministers openly criticised the direction of policy under his leadership and dozens of backbench MPs plotted a new rebellion over Brexit.

Amid recriminations over the heavy Conservative losses in recent council elections, and with pro-Brexit MPs incensed that Sunak’s government is dropping plans to shred more than 4,000 EU laws within months, discipline was at risk of completely disintegrating on the right of the party.

Speaking at the inaugural conference of the pro-Boris Johnson Conservative Democratic Organisation (CDO) in Bournemouth on Saturday, former home secretary Priti Patel suggested the party’s high command under Sunak was responsible for the losses.

In a clear swipe at those now in charge, she said some senior figures at Westminster had “done a better job at damaging our party” over the past year than Labour. She also criticised MPs for removing Johnson, saying they had overseen the “ousting of our most electorally successful prime minister since Margaret Thatcher”. » | Toby Helm and Michael Savage | Saturday, May 13, 2023

Peter Oborne Demolishes Boris Johnson's Legacy

Jul 11, 2022 | "Boris Johnson was able to rise because of powerful anti-democratic forces"

The Conservative Party Is 'Dragging the BBC through the Mud', Says Sir Ed Davey

Apr 28, 2023 | Sir Ed Davey has criticised the Conservative Party's handling of Richard Sharp's appointment to the BBC and said they were "dragging the BBC through the mud". The leader of the Liberal Democrats said: "I think the British public will be very angry. This is another example of this government's incompetence. "Boris Johnson should never have appointed Mr Sharp in the first place and Rishi Sunak should have shown some leadership by sacking him."

Related.

BBC Chairman Richard Sharp Resigns after Boris Johnson Loan Row - BBC News

Apr 28, 2023 | Richard Sharp has announced his resignation as chairman of the BBC after a report found he breached the code on public appointments. Mr Sharp said the report found he did not properly disclose his involvement in the facilitation of a £800,000 loan guarantee to former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Announcing his resignation, Mr Sharp said: "I have always maintained the breach was inadvertent and not material, which the facts he lays out substantiate." He said he was resigning to “prioritise the interests of the BBC” and would remain in post until the end of June while the process to appoint his successor took place.

Rishi Sunak: Der technokratische Premierminister hat die Briten aus der akuten Krise geführt – doch nun steht er im politischen Gegenwind

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Rishi Sunak präsentiert sich als Krisenmanager, der die grossen Probleme in der Wirtschafts-, Migrations- und Gesundheitspolitik lösen will. Doch die Autorität des neuen Premierministers ist begrenzt, und im Haifischbecken von Westminster liebäugelt Boris Johnson bereits mit einem Comeback.

Rishi Sunak gibt sich als lösungsorientierter Macher, doch mangelt es ihm an politischer Durchsetzungsfähigkeit. | Toby Melville / Reuters
Es hätte ein Moment für die Geschichtsbücher werden sollen. Hunderte von Briten waren Anfang Woche zum Flughafen Newquay im Südwesten Englands gepilgert, um der ersten Entsendung eines Satelliten ins All von britischem Boden aus beizuwohnen – Premierminister Rishi Sunak sprach im Vorfeld stolz von einem «unglaublichen Job». Doch als die zweite Stufe des Raketentriebwerks zündete, kam es zu einer Panne: Die Firma Virgin Orbit sprach von «einer Unregelmässigkeit im System, die die Mission vorzeitig beendete».

Beruhigungspille für die Märkte

Der Fehlstart wirkte symptomatisch für den Zustand Grossbritanniens unter Sunak. Der 42-Jährige war Ende Oktober als dritter Premierminister innert drei Monaten an die Macht gekommen. Seine Vorgängerin Liz Truss hatte in ihren bloss 45 Tagen im Amt mit einem durch Schulden finanzierten Steuersenkungsprogramm Chaos an den Märkten ausgelöst. Sunak und seinem Schatzkanzler Jeremy Hunt ist es gelungen, die Investoren mit einem Bekenntnis zu Steuererhöhungen und haushaltspolitischer Vernunft zu beruhigen und das Land auf stabilen Grund zurückzuführen. » | Niklaus Nuspliger, London | Freitag, 13. Januar 2023

Boris Johnson ‘Quit PM Race over Risk to £10m Earnings’, Sources Say

THE OBSERVER: If the ex-PM had lost the leadership contest, his value stood to drop by half, according to the entertainment industry

Boris Johnson is known to have been in talks with entertainment and talent agencies.Photograph: Henry Nicholls/Reuters
Boris Johnson would have forfeited earnings of at least £10m a year from speeches and sales of his memoirs if he had fought a leadership battle against Rishi Sunak and lost, according to informed sources in the entertainment industry, who believe financial considerations played a part in his decision to pull out.

Since he resigned in July, Johnson is known to have been in talks with entertainment and talent agencies including Endeavour, run by US businessman Ari Emanuel, and the Harry Walker Agency (HWA), one of its subsidiaries.

HWA’s clients include Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Serena Williams.

Johnson’s earning potential is said by some of those he had been in talks with before Liz Truss’s resignation to have been put at about £20m a year. » | Toby Helm, Political editor | Sunday, November 6, 2022

No 10 Alarm as Boris Johnson Plans to Attend Cop27 Climate Summit

THE OBSERVER: Ex-PM’s Cop27 visit is seen as snub to Rishi Sunak as Labour attacks government’s policy failures on environmental crisis

Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak during a visit to an energy company in 2020. Photograph: Leon Neal/AP
A row over prime minister Rishi Sunak’s refusal to attend the Cop27 climate summit took an extraordinary twist on Saturday night as the Observer was informed that his predecessor but one – Boris Johnson – is planning to attend the event.

Several sources said they had been told that Johnson is intending to go to the crucial meeting of world leaders in Egypt to show his solidarity with the battle against the climate crisis.

Johnson’s attendance would be potentially explosive just days after Sunak took over as prime minister and decided he did not have time to attend.

Johnson’s involvement would be seen as both an implicit criticism of Sunak for not going and an attempt to maintain and bolster his profile just a week after he abandoned his own attempts at a dramatic comeback to No 10. Several sources close to Johnson did not deny that he was set to go. » | Toby Helm and Fiona Harvey | Saturday, October 29, 2022

Rishi Sunak statt Boris Johnson: Die konservativen Abgeordneten zeigen Verantwortungsbewusstsein

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Nach den Turbulenzen der letzten Monate haben sich die Tories für Stabilität statt Chaos entschieden und Rishi Sunak zum Premierminister gewählt. Sunak geniesst das Vertrauen an den Finanzmärkten. Doch er wird mehr sein müssen als nur ein smarter Krisenmanager.

Der richtige Mann zur richtigen Zeit: Der Ex-Banker Rishi Sunak wird Premierminister, um das Vertrauen der Finanzmärkte zurückzugewinnen. | Dylan Martinez / Reuters
KOMMENTAR
Wenn es um die Hypothekenzinsen für das Eigenheim geht, stösst der Populismus an seine Grenzen. Boris Johnson musste am Wochenende diese Erfahrung machen. Sein dritter Angriff auf den Regierungssitz in der Downing Street ist am fehlenden Support der konservativen Abgeordneten im Unterhaus gescheitert. Diese haben mit grosser Mehrheit den «Anti-Johnson» Rishi Sunak zu ihrem Vorsitzenden und zum neuen Premierminister gewählt: einen braven, berechenbaren Manager, der die Staatsfinanzen wieder ins Lot bringen und das Vertrauen der Finanzmärkte in die Kreditwürdigkeit des britischen Staates zurückgewinnen soll.

Es mutet bizarr an, dass Johnson überhaupt wieder einen Versuch lanciert hat, an der Downing Street einzuziehen. Hatte ihm nicht erst vor dreieinhalb Monaten sein eigenes Kabinett das Vertrauen entzogen? Hatten nicht dieselben Abgeordneten, die ihn jetzt unterstützen sollten, ihn zum Rücktritt gezwungen? Hatte der historische Absturz der Konservativen Partei in den Wählerumfragen nicht schon unter seinem Vorsitz begonnen? War er nicht wegen seiner Überheblichkeit, seiner notorischen Ausflüchte und Lügen einer der unbeliebtesten Premierminister, seit es diese Umfragen gibt? » | Peter Rásonyi | Montag, 24. Oktober 2022

Tentative business welcome for Sunak amid deepening economic gloom: UK industry leaders hope for urgent steps from new PM to repair battered business confidence »

Boris Johnson Says He Will Not Stand in Tory Leadership Contest

THE GUARDIAN: Move means Rishi Sunak almost certain to be PM

Boris Johnson at Gatwick Airport on Saturday morning after cutting short his Caribbean holiday.Photograph: Henry Nicholls/Reuters
Boris Johnson will not stand in the Conservative leadership race, leaving Rishi Sunak very likely to enter No 10.

The former prime minister had not formally declared but he had told supporters he wanted to run, drumming up backing from seven cabinet ministers – Jacob Rees-Mogg, James Cleverly, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Nadhim Zahawi, Alok Sharma, Simon Clarke and Chris-Heaton Harris.

After cutting short a Caribbean holiday, Johnson spoke to rivals Sunak and Penny Mordaunt in a bid to persuade them to get onboard with his attempted political comeback.

However, Johnson has said he is not running after only making it to about 60 declared backers by Sunday afternoon – well short of the 100-MP threshold required to make it on to the ballot. » | Rowena Mason, Whitehall editor | Sunday, October 23, 2022

Gott sei Dank! Dieu merci ! Alhamdulillah! Diolch i Dduw! Thank God! – Mark

Tories Choose Third PM This Year As Reality of Brexit Bites

Following the resignation of Liz Truss after just 44 days in office, the Tories are choosing their fifth prime minister in six years and the third this year. In the meantime, the economy is in serious difficulty with soaring prices and interest rates, food shortages and widespread anxiety.

Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt are expected to be joined by the disgraced Boris Johnson who was rejected by his party and forced to resign less than three months ago

. Whilst Sunak has the support of the majority of the parliamentary party, Johnson is still popular with the members of the Tory party who are likely to be asked to choose if a winner is not decided upon on Monday. BREXIT - It's not going too well, is it?"

My book is available from my website here

"We Are a Democracy in Name Only": George Monbiot on Truss Resignation & Who Will Be Next British PM

British Prime Minister Liz Truss resigned Thursday after just 45 days in office, the shortest term in the nation's history. Her low-tax, low-regulation financial policies were widely criticized after they sent the pound plummeting, causing several senior ministers to quit. We speak to George Monbiot, British journalist at The Guardian, about her short-lived time in office, what this says about the Conservative Party, and who her likely successor will be. "You'd think we'd have a general election after all this chaos, … but that's not how it works in this country, because we are a democracy in name only," says Monbiot.

Sir Ed Davey: Johnson Return Would Be 'Disaster'

Leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Ed Davey MP says that allowing Boris Johnson to stand for the Conservative party leadership would create "more political instability".

Sir Ed said that Johnson had "lied on an industrial scale, he broke the law, he failed to handle a sex abuse case within his own ranks" and was "an absolute disaster".


In my humble opinion, Sir Ed Davey is the man who should be prime minister. He is a very sensible, thoroughly decent politician – a rarity in political life these days. The LibDems are also pro-EU, so that's a huge plus. – © Mark Alexander

Boris Johnson 'Flying Back to Take Soundings' over Leadership Bid

A former adviser to Boris Johnson says the former prime minister is returning from holiday to consider joining the Conservative Party leadership election race.

Will Walden, who worked as Mr Johnson's press secretary, said his former boss is unlikely to run unless he is sure he can get the support of the 100 MPs needed to make the second round.

Mark Drakeford: 'The Conservative Party Is Ungovernable'

First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford has said the Conservative Party is "ungovernable" and has called for a general election.

He also spoke about Boris Johnson's chances of a comeback and said "anyone who thinks Boris Johnson returning is a get out of jail card must have some of the shortest memories in political history."


FFS! Keep BoJo the Clown well away from the levers of power! We’ve only just managed to get rid of that idiot. – © Mark Alexander

Britain hangs by a thread. Give the end to Boris Johnson and we’ll unravel: This must be the moment to root out the C-listers and crackpots who have dominated the Tory party ever since Brexit »

Liz Truss tritt zurück, Boris Johnson erwägt offenbar Comeback | ZDFheute live

Gescheiterte Steuersenkungen und Konflikte mit den Parteikollegen: Nach nur 45 Tagen hat die britische Premierministerin Liz Truss ihren Rücktritt angekündigt. «Ich habe mit dem König gesprochen, um ihm mitzuteilen, dass ich als Chefin der Konservativen Partei zurücktrete», sagte die konservative Politikerin in der Londoner Downing Street. Rund 24 Stunden vor ihrem Rücktritt hatte sie noch im britischen Unterhaus beteuert, nicht aufgeben zu wollen und „eine Kämpferin“ zu sein. Nun wies sie zwar auf die schwierigen ökonomischen Zeiten und die politische Instabilität auf dem ganzen Kontinent hin, räumte aber auch ein, unter den aktuellen Bedingungen ihre Vision des radikalen Wirtschaftswachstums nicht mehr umsetzen zu können. Die Amtszeit von Truss war von Beginn an kritisch bis hämisch begleitet worden. Die Boulevardzeitung "Daily Star" hatte seit Freitag ein Livevideo laufen, in dem gefragt wurde, wer länger durchhalte: ein Salatkopf oder Liz Truss.

Als Premierministerin will sie noch im Amt bleiben, bis klar sei, wer ihr nachfolge. Die konservative Fraktion kündigte an, dass ein Nachfolger oder eine Nachfolgerin bis Ende Oktober ins Amt gehoben werde. Damit wäre Truss mit höchstens 55 Tagen die Regierungschefin mit der kürzesten Amtszeit in der britischen Geschichte.

Berichten von “Times” und “Telegraph” zufolge, soll der skandalgeplagte britische Ex-Premierminister Boris Johnson eine erneute Kandidatur als Premierminister planen. Johnson, der ach der «Partygate»-Affäre und vielen weiteren Skandalen Anfang Juli zum Rücktritt gezwungen wurde, hat noch immer in Teilen der Partei eine loyale Unterstützerbasis. In Umfragen unter Parteimitgliedern schnitt er zuletzt wieder gut ab.

Was erwartet Großbritannien nun? Geht das Chaos nach Liz Truss weiter? Wie stehen die Chancen auf eine Neuwahl, wie sie die Oppositionsparteien fordern? ZDFheute live spricht mit dem britischen Labour-Abgeordneten und ehemaligen BBC-Journalisten Ben Bradshaw, mit Politikwissenschaftler Anthony Glees und ZDF-Korrespondent Andreas Stamm über die ungewisse Zukunft des Landes.

Tory Party Members Want Truss Out - and Boris In

A poll of Conservative party members shows 55% want Liz Truss to quit now - and Boris Johnson to replace her.

Boris Johnson Took Accommodation Worth £10,000 from Tory Donor’s Wife

THE GUARDIAN: Register of MPs’ interests shows ex-PM accepted gift from Lady Carole Bamford, wife of JCB chairman, Lord Anthony Bamford

Lady Carole Bamford and Lord Bamford at an event in 2020. Boris and Carrie Johnson’s wedding reception in the grounds of the Bamfords’ 18th-century mansion, Daylesford House in the Cotswolds, in July, is said to have included a steel band, rum punch, Abba songs and a conga.Photograph: David M Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Positive Luxury
Boris Johnson accepted free accommodation worth £10,000 from the wife of the leading Tory donor who hosted his wedding party this summer, it has emerged.

The updated register of MPs’ interests shows that the former prime minister accepted a £10,000 gift from Lady Carole Bamford, for “concessionary use of accommodation for me and my family in September”.

Lord Anthony Bamford, a pro-Brexit Conservative peer who is chairman of construction equipment manufacturer JCB, has been a major Tory donor for decades. The billionaire entrepreneur, who supported Johnson’s successful leadership bid in 2019, has given more than £10m in donations and gifts to the party since 2001.

The latest register of MPs’ interests data published this week shows Liz Truss also accepted an £8,000 donation from Bamford, to cover “transport” during her leadership campaign.

It comes after the register showed that the prime minister was given more than £500,000 for her leadership campaign. Around half of that came from donors linked to hedge fund bosses, venture capitalists and other City financiers. » | Alexandra Topping | Friday, October 7, 2022

It just goes to show what the Tories are about! Greasing palms and corruption comes as standard to these people. Little wonder that we, the ordinary citizens of the UK–sorry! subjects of His Majesty–lost all our European citizens' rights during that farcical, but extremely sad, Brexit referendum. – © Mark Alexander

Boris Johnson: The Definitive Biography, from the Day He Was Born to His Final Downfall

he definitive biography, from the day he was born to his final downfall as UK prime minister.

Boris Johnson’s Farewell Speech as UK Prime Minister – BBC News

Boris Johnson has given his final speech as the UK’s prime minister before Liz Truss takes over the role.

In a televised address outside Downing St, the outgoing prime minister said "I am like one of those booster rockets that has fulfilled its function".

He and his successor Liz Truss will now travel to Balmoral in Scotland where Johnson will offer his resignation to the Queen who will then appoint Truss as the new PM.


What has this dude been smoking? Whatever it was, it was pretty strong. – © Mark Alexander

The Moment the Queen Appointed New Prime Minister at Balmoral