| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Welcome back Boris | Forum Home |
| Posted by: | Mark Evans | |
| Date/Time: | 22/10/22 15:49:00 |
| I think the 1922 Committee designed the voting system to stop getting Johnson in. They incorrectly assumed that people who a few weeks ago called for his resignation because of his fecklessness and dishonesty would not nominate him. It looks like Johnson is stuck on around 48 nominations with the majority of MPs holding fire. The rest all know that Johnson will be Prime Minister if he gets to 100 but will resume his holiday in the Caribbean if he doesn't. I doubt very much whether any of the remaining 150 or so undeclared MPs believe Johnson is fit for the office as they have had personal experience of him. However, they will be conscious that picking the right person to nominate will be career defining. If you want an insight into how this works you should listen to Rory Stewart on The Rest is Politics talking about his leadership bid and how firm but private backing disappeared as soon as Johnson got momentum from people who acknowledged he was terrible but said they had 'kids and a mortgage to support'. Johnson's side are feverishly briefing they are at 100 and his opponents are saying he is nowhere near. The reality probably is that it is on a knife edge. If Johnson wins it will be a further slide into chaos. He will need to make Hunt, Sunak or Javid Chancellor and then undermine them as they insist on one unpopular policy after another leading to ever higher interest rates. The instability will be compounded by the privileges committee judgement which many are predicting will result in the severest sanction because he clearly did knowingly mislead the house on more than one occasion. The only person who could possibly benefit from Johnson being chosen other than the man himself is Liz Truss who may lose her record of being the shortest serving Prime Minister. |