Boris Johnson: Why is he still there?

For months, new details about Boris Johnson’s “Partygate” affair have been coming to light. But the Prime Minister is still there and there is no prospect of him being voted out or resigning – for various reasons.

From remorse to attack in seconds. Boris Johnson just looked like a caught schoolboy, assured that he had learned his lesson in the “Partygate” affair. But puff cake: The British Prime Minister was already firing a new broadside. Opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer, who enjoyed beer and curry with employees during lockdown, was mocked as “Sir Beer Korma”, and he even insulted his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn as the allegedly pro-Moscow “Vladimir Corbyn”. Behind Johnson, MPs from his Tory party cheered.

“His appearance in the lower house shows that he hasn’t changed in the slightest,” political scientist Mark Garnett told the German Press Agency. It’s the same pattern: Johnson is at the center of an affair, is counted, criticism is also stirring in his own camp. Johnson then presumably gives in, shows humility, and assures concessions. And then the “master of announcements”, as critics call him, turns to the next topic. If the old scandal catches up with him again, the 57-year-old is happy to hand it out or reinterpret the charges in his favor – as is the case with the affair about lockdown celebrations at the seat of government.

Like a bull

The whole country had just read what internal investigator Sue Gray had come to: That the political leadership was responsible for the incredible conditions in Downing Street with binge drinking during the pandemic. But what did Johnson read from the report? He was washed clean, he said. After all, Gray had made no further allegations against him, and the police investigations had only led to a penalty order in one case. That he is still the first incumbent prime minister to be prosecuted for breaking the law? gift.

The Prime Minister was “bullish”, commented British media afterwards. The word translates as stubborn, defiant, stubborn — and it suits Johnson. Like a bull, arms outstretched like horns towards the other side, he targets the opposition in parliament. Critics regularly prove him lying. But his scam often catches the eye, if only because other MPs are not allowed to accuse him of lying, according to the strict rules of parliament – no matter how obvious it is. Thanks to his jovial nature, he often manages to recapture the excitement behind the scenes.

“A lot of them don’t like him”

Still, it wasn’t that long ago that Johnson was on the verge of being eliminated. In February it seemed a matter of when, not if, that his party would force him out of office. As more and more shocking details about “Partygate” came to light, more and more Tories called on their boss to resign. Possible successors such as Finance Minister Rishi Sunak distanced themselves. But the threshold of 54 votes by dissatisfied Tory MPs required for an internal vote of no confidence was apparently not reached – after all, the Russian attack on Ukraine saved the prime minister. In such a crisis, one should not risk power struggles, former critics of the prime minister assured.

A good third of the necessary votes have now been obtained: 19 Tory MPs are publicly calling for Johnson’s resignation. But that also means that 340 conservatives support or at least tolerate the prime minister. The relationship is by no means a love affair, as experts emphasize. “A lot of them don’t like him. Even more of them don’t trust him,” commented political scientist Tim Bale. And yet the Tories are sticking with Johnson. Where does this loyalty to the Nibelungs come from?

The crisis saves Johnson from being thrown out

On the one hand, Johnson is still considered by far the best campaigner in the party. The overwhelming victory in the 2019 general election reinforced this reputation. Many conservatives are still under Johnson’s spell, Bale said. Despite poor poll numbers, they clung to him in hopes that he would lead them to victory again in the 2024 vote. In fact, they are at his mercy. In the wake of Johnson’s brilliant election victory, many politicians were newly elected to parliament. Without him, many of these “2019s” are also threatened with extinction.

Expert Garnett sees another myth growing – that Johnson can talk his way out of any crisis. And the country is currently facing several crises: in addition to the Ukraine war, the consequences of the pandemic and Brexit are weighing on the economy, and consumers are complaining about skyrocketing costs. Populist Johnson is a symbol of hope for better times.

And another point speaks for Johnson, said Garnett. There is no obvious successor, especially since the most promising candidate, Sunak, is associated with economic hardship. “The prospects for Great Britain are becoming so bleak that no sensible politician would want the post of prime minister,” said the political scientist.