Michael Lambert : More Lies and Corruption under Boris Johnson and It Is Only Week 1 of 2022

Jan 9, 2022 • We are only one week into 2022 and Boris Johnson has already lied to parliament and when asked to by the Speaker to withdraw, he refused, preferring to stick by his lie.

Michelle Mone, a friend of David Cameron who elevated her to the Lords, proposed a company which did not exist as a prospective PPE supplier under the 'fast track' The company which was then formed with two directors employed by her husband was then awarded £200 million of contracts.

Lord Geidt who Johnson appointed to look into the 'wallpaper affair' was not given vital WhatsApp messages by Johnson during his enquiry. These messages have now come to light via Lord Brownlow who paid for much of the £140,000 decoration of the No 10 flat.

Johnson continues to spend money on himself and his own image despite the country being in severe crisis with rising prices and taxes and a rapidly declining economy.


I was raised in a Conservative household; indeed, I myself have been a lifelong, dyed-in-the-wool Conservative voter – that is until Brexit! And until BoJo came along.

I started going off the Conservative Party when I saw how shabbily they treated Margaret Thatcher. Seeing that lady coming out of Number 10 in tears, demeaned, after all the hard work she had done for that Party and this country, I was appalled.

I realise full well that Mrs. Thatcher wasn’t to everyone’s liking; and, in retrospect, many of her policies have done untold damage to this country, especially the policies which have contributed to the enormous wealth gap that we now have here. The wealth gap is now so large that one could think of it as immoral. Obscene! However, I should like to say that, in many ways, Thatcher shouldn’t shoulder all the blame for that. The problem has been exacerbated because no politicians since Thatcher have had the courage—the balls—to say enough is enough. And in fairness to Thatcher, one should ask oneself the question what she would have thought of such a yawning gap between the rich and the poor. Would she really have wished for such a chasm? Who knows? This will have to remain an unanswered question. What is true, however, is that it is highly unlikely that she could ever have imagined the rich becoming as rich as they are today whilst so many of the underclass have to frequent food banks to put sustenance on the table for their children. When Thatcher was in power, we had no food banks in this country.

So the shabby treatment of Thatcher was the first nail in the coffin of the Conservative Party as far as I was concerned. Still, I was able to overlook it to some extent given time. Then along came Brexit. When I could observe just how self-serving the Tories are – especially BoJo, corrupt as he is, and his henchmen. They have brought Brexit about to line their own pockets, the ordinary citizen be damned. It doesn’t matter to those unscrupulous people that my own and my countrymen’s European rights have been stripped away from us. All that mattered to thos tw*ts (use the vowel of your choice) is that BoJo enter Number 10.

Brexit was, is, and will always remain an idiotic idea; in fact, it was insane. One day, it will have to be reversed. – © Mark

Johnson Faces Trust Crisis as Sleaze Shatters Faith in MPs

THE OBSERVER: Poll reveals huge public cynicism, with just 5% of respondents believing politicians work for public good

Boris Johnson campaigning in the North Shropshire byelection, which was called following the resignation of Owen Paterson. Photograph: Andrew Parsons CCHQ/Parsons Media
Trust in politicians to act in the national interest rather than for themselves has fallen dramatically since Boris Johnson became prime minister, according to figures contained in a disturbing new study into the state of British democracy.

The polling data from YouGov for the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) shows a particularly sharp fall in trust in the few weeks since the Owen Paterson scandal triggered a rash of Tory sleaze scandals.

In 2014, when David Cameron was prime minister, 48% of voters believed politicians were “out merely for themselves” as opposed to their country or party. This had increased to 57% by May 2021 after nearly two years of Johnson in No 10, and leapt to 63% last week in the wake of the Paterson affair. In the same poll, just 5% of voters thought politicians were in the job primarily for the good of their country.

While the polls have asked about politicians of all colours, the main opposition parties now believe the Tories are particularly vulnerable on questions of trust and sleaze, offering them a chance to break through. » | Toby Helm and Michael Savage | Saturday, November 4, 2021

Why trust politicians? How UK voters lost faith in our leaders: More people than ever before feel disaffected by our political system. But what are the reasons for this and what risks does it pose? »

One thing is for sure: history will not be kind to Boris Johnson. In years to come, pages in the history books describing his administration will be stamped with the words ‘sleaze and corruption’. In addition, the chapters written on Brexit will be stamped almost certainly with the following words: sleazy, corrupt, undemocratic, ‘financed by foreigners’.

Johnson’s apparent victory is but an illusion. One day, it will be shown to have been pyrrhic. – © Mark

Boris Johnson’s Rule Is a Throwback to the 18th-century Golden Age of Sleaze

THE GUARDIAN – OPINION: This prime minister is a reminder of an era when government jobs were sold and political leverage was bought with cash

Boris Johnson speaks during Prime Minister's Questions, 3 November 2021. Photograph: Jessica Taylor/UK Parliament/AFP/Getty Images
Corruption is a word used nervously in the UK. We’re quite happy applying it to other countries; but in Britain even critics of the status quo can be surprisingly reluctant to describe as corrupt our society’s tight, often concealed circulation of power and rewards.

Partly, this is because corruption is a slippery concept. “There has never been a single, fixed, universal definition,” wrote Mark Knights of Warwick University in 2016. “Notions about what is unfair, unjust or immoral change over time.”

As a small, centralised country with a huge capital city, Britain has for centuries been run by elites with overlapping memberships and interests, and offered a wide range of services to foreigners with dubious fortunes. To attack this system as corrupt is to risk being called unworldly – and experience feelings of deep frustration and futility. From the House of Lords to the City of London, the capital is lined with ancient institutions that anti-corruption campaigners have failed to cleanse.

Yet there are periods when the charge of corruption suddenly acquires potency. Having struggled for two years to find an effective way of criticising Boris Johnson’s government, Labour seems finally to have discovered one. “Corruption,” said the party’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner, on Monday, “is rife right through this Conservative government.” Keir Starmer, often too measured, has become just as blunt about the issue. » | Andy Beckett | Friday, December 3, 2021

Brexit and Tory Corruption: Two Sides of the Same Coin | Truth To Power

Nov 17, 2021 • Brexit and the tsunami of corruption scandals over the last week or two are inextricably linked and involve pretty much the same people.

Jennifer Arcuri: ‘How Johnson pledged help for my business to win my love’: I’ll be your throttle, he told Arcuri as mayor / Diaries could reopen misconduct inquiry »

Sleaze & Corruption - Is This the End for Boris Johnson?

Nov 13, 2021 • Boris Johnson has demonstrated time and again that he is not a prime minister who is interested in detail. Instead, he prefers grand gestures and being in the limelight where he can wisecrack and entertain.

He has a widespread reputation for lying and for not keeping his word, something he does without any concern for the consequences.

He has presided over the mishandling of the Covid crises where the UK consistently comes second in the world for the number of new cases reported daily despite budgeting a staggering £37,000,000,000 on Test & Trace, which has generally been considered a failure.

His Brexit is a disaster which can only get worse ,especially if he triggers Article 16 next week.

The attempt to sweep away the Parliamentary Standards Committee and replace it with a more sympathetic alternative was an extraordinary misjudgment resulting in an embarrassing climb-down and U-turn a week later.

Recent events have annoyed many Tory backbenchers especially those with slim majorities such as those in the ‘red wall’ seats. Newspapers which have normally been supportive have been critical of him during the past week. His personal poll ratings are at an all-time low as it seems public opinion is turning against him. He has gone from being a vote winner to a vote loser and it seems difficult to see how he can find a way back

‘Shameful’: John Major Hits Out at Handling of Owen Paterson Scandal

THE GUARDIAN: Former PM said trying to shield MP from punishment suggested Johnson’s government was ‘politically corrupt’

John Major said the government’s actions had ‘the effect of trashing the reputation of parliament’. Photograph: Jeff Overs/BBC/PA
Sir John Major has launched a searing attack on the government over its handling of the Owen Paterson lobbying scandal, condemning its actions as “shameful and wrong”.

The former prime minister said it suggested Boris Johnson’s administration was “politically corrupt”, and that Major would be posed with a dilemma if he had to consider voting for Johnson to remain PM at the next election.

The comments came after the government briefly tried to shield Paterson from punishment for what the standards committee called an “egregious case” of breaching lobbying rules.

Major told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I think the way the government handled that was shameful, wrong and unworthy of this or indeed any government. It also had the effect of trashing the reputation of parliament.” » | Nicola Slawson | Saturday, November 6, 2021

Once upon a time, this country used to have decent and honourable Conservative governments and decent prime ministers like Sir John Major. Now, however, we are stuck with BoJo and his administration made up of people of questionable integrity. Sleaze and corruption abound, to say nothing of the questionable way BoJo entered Number 10 by duping the public. – © Mark

Boris Johnson sleaze crisis deepens amid pressure on Covid deals: Sir John Major attacks PM’s actions as ‘shameful’ while poll shows slump in Tory support »

The Paterson Fiasco Confirms the Threat Boris Johnson Poses to British Democracy

THE GUARDIAN – OPINION: The PM either ignores or rewrites the rules meant to hold him in check. He was thwarted this week, but the danger persists

‘This was merely the latest instance of Boris Johnson deciding that an ally clearly in breach of the rules should escape all consequence.’ Prime minister's questions, 3 November, 2021.Photograph: Jessica Taylor/UK PARLIAMENT/AFP/Getty Images
How many more times does it need to happen? How much more proof do we need that the country is run by a man with contempt for the rule of law, who believes that he and his friends are beyond its reach?

Boris Johnson demonstrated that again to the nation this week, as vividly as he could. Faced with the prospect that Owen Paterson, a comrade from the Brexit trenches of 2016, would be punished for what parliament’s standards committee called “an egregious case of paid advocacy”, Johnson instructed MPs to let his chum off the hook. The prime minister’s orders, dutifully followed by 250 of his troops, were to halt Paterson’s 30-day suspension from the House of Commons and to scrap the system that had found him guilty, replacing it with one that would be gentler in its treatment of Conservatives – because Conservatives would design it and dominate it.

The move was shocking because it was so brazen, not because it was novel. For this was merely the latest instance of Johnson deciding that an ally clearly in breach of the rules should escape all consequence. The roll call should be familiar by now. When Dominic Cummings decided the national lockdown did not really apply to him, Johnson stood by him. When Robert Jenrick fast-tracked an “unlawful” planning decision that would save Richard Desmond, a Tory donor, £45m in local taxes, Jenrick stayed in his post. When Priti Patel’s bullying behaviour was found to be a violation of the ministerial code, she too kept her job. If you’re on Team Johnson, the normal rules don’t apply.

Sometimes it’s about rewarding loyalty or a valuable favour. So when the Lords Appointments Commission decided that another Tory donor, Peter Cruddas, was not fit to receive a peerage, Johnson gave him one anyway. But just as often, the prime minister’s disregard for the rules extends to the gravest matters of state. » | Jonathan Freedland | Friday, November 5, 2021

Owen Paterson was just the fall guy. This week’s chaos was all about Boris Johnson: The prime minister has faced multiple investigations. You can see why the obliteration of the standards commissioner might seem appealing »

Owen Paterson, Sleaze, Corruption and Another U-turn by Johnson

Nov 6, 2021 • Boris Johnson's attempt to reform and replace the Parliamentary Commission for Standards by whipping his MPs to vote against the Commissioner's recommended 30-day suspension of MP Owen Paterson for 'egregious breaches of lobbying rules' proved to be a further massive misjudgement. Yet another public backlash resulted in a total U-turn only 24 hours later leaving those including Kwasi Karteng and Andrea Leadsome, who had backed the prime minister's proposals less than 24 hours earlier, looking foolish. In a pitiful attempt to gain sympathy, Paterson claimed that the worry of the investigation had contributed to his wife's suicide. This is yet further evidence of sleaze and corruption in the Tory party.