PM hasta stay away
Ugly rumour Johnson will wait in wings
MERCIFULLY, we have endured our final Boris Johnson PMQS as his long goodbye continues.
An oddly flat occasion, it has to be said. He’s never really risen to the challenge, Mr Johnson, which is weird for such a “larger-than-life” character. Conference speeches have always fallen flat, all the big set pieces.
He’s better on TV, reading a statement. Anything where he can look down a camera and read something out unchallenged. Not interviews.
PMQS has never really been his thing. PM in general was never really his thing. But everyone expected some sort of grand exit. The stage was set. Rhetorical flourishes and all that.
Nothing came. Just a flat, angry performance and a Schwarzenegger quote: “Hasta la vista, baby,” from Terminator 2. You could see he was almost tempted to go for: “I’ll be back.” There was a little bit of that in the air.
There is an ugly rumour – a really ugly rumour – going round Westminster about the prospect of some sort of return. Mr Johnson is said to be very keen for his allies to back Liz Truss as she’s more likely to immediately implode when she gets the job.
Probably right, to be fair. But it won’t help Mr Johnson. The Tories are extremely quick about moving on, always have been, and he will remain little more than a footnote.
Anyways, the contest to replace him is nearly over. Except, of course, it’s not. The two finalists are now going to tour the country. Mr Sunak’s team reckon the more people see of Ms Truss, the more they’ll realise we would be making the same mistake we did with Mr Johnson. I still can’t quite work out how she’s made it into the final two. Incredible really.
Betfair said: “It has been quite the journey for Liz Truss in becoming the odds-on favourite. On the day Johnson resigned, Truss was 10/1 to succeed him, the fourth-favourite, but is now 8/17 and way ahead of her rival.”
Incredible. And worrying, to be honest. The early reports of who she would put in her cabinet are nothing short of chilling. Simon Clarke (me neither) to the Treasury, or maybe Kwasi Kwarteng. Not ideal. Then
Therese Coffey at the Home Office and – hang on a minute – James Cleverly (I know, I know) to Foreign Secretary.
Also mentioned for big departments are Jacob Rees-mogg and, wait for it, Nadine Dorries. I mean, all this should automatically disqualify Ms Truss but, of course, it won’t.
The whole thing is bad news for us. An endless summer of watching these two fight it out. And who do you want to win, really? Truss would be beyond bad but get wiped out in a general election, problem being there wouldn’t be much of a country left. Rishi Sunak would be harder work, probably steady the ship for a bit but isn’t going to do what the country needs to get us out of the mire. Difficult choice.
Like watching Chelsea and Liverpool in the cup final this year. Can’t they find a way that no one can win?
Incidentally, neither of these characters has mentioned climate change. I dunno what it’s like round your way but here everything has been on fire.
But that’s the way with these two. Ignore the problems to get your hands on the prize. Not what politics is supposed to be about. Not even slightly.