| Topic: | Did Boris Johnson cry himself to sleep last night? | |
| Posted by: | Jeremy Parkinson | |
| Date/Time: | 21/07/23 09:13:00 |
| Despite the mendacity, bad faith, lack of principle and egotism, I have always been prepared to give Johnson some credit for political nous. It now emerges he could possibly have faced down the privileges committee and stood again for Uxbridge and South Ruislip and remained an MP. Imagine how his supporters would have crowed if he had won in the context of an overall catastrophic night for Rishi Sunak. With the Tory majority continually shrinking, he would have been leading a faction big enough to bring down the government which would have meant Sunak would have had to pander to him. Thankfully, he made the wrong choice and was too chicken to put his popularity to the test even though it would have been the ULEZ that saved him. He probably doesn't appreciate the irony that it was originally his policy. This was a sliding doors moment and the nation definitely dodged a bullet. The man will have many regrets in his life but despite the betrayal of wives, children and friends, I suspect this is the one he will dwell most on when he looks back. |