No repeat of Tory history as PM skips Boris’ big moment
When Geoffrey Howe delivered his resignation statement in November 1990, it was the beginning of the end of Margaret Thatcher’s premiership.
It was political theatre at its finest, with Howe accusing the Prime Minister of “breaking her ministers’ bats” as she looked on from a few feet away. She resigned two weeks later.
Like the damned in Hades, Conservatives must tear themselves apart over Europe for all eternity – who remembers that Howe’s speech was about the “hard ECU”?
So the stage was set yesterday, with Thatcher’s confidant Jeffrey Archer watching from the MPS’
gallery, and there, lurking over the Prime Minister’s shoulder, the pale spectre of Boris Johnson.
Never in danger of underestimating himself, Johnson was in Howe’s spot on the green benches a full three hours early, hair combed for the occasion.
But at PMQS, far from being diminished by weeks
of ultimatums, insults and knife-edge votes, the Prime Minister sounded like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Tuesday’s crucial customs union vote, won by a margin of six, effectively saved her from her own party until the end of the summer.
So there were no broken bats as May rose to the Despatch Box. She was hitting everything bowled at her by opponents in front – and behind.
It was the Tory Brexiteer Andrea Jenkyns who made the first attack, with an unsubtle full frontal assault. “Can the Prime Minister inform the House at what point it was decided that Brexit means Remain?”
The Prime Minister brushed her aside, and Jeremy Corbyn after her,
dismissing his attempts to link Brexiteer ministers to a finding that the Vote Leave campaign broke electoral spending laws.
“He should stand up, think very carefully about making accusations… and withdraw,” she ordered, in a telling off worthy of Thatcher.
In fact, it was Johnson who came out of PMQS worst, with the MP Keith Simpson commending May for “dealing with a giant ego— somebody who believes that truth is fake news and leaks continually”, before pointing out he meant Donald Trump.
Johnson brought support in numbers – plenty of Brexiteer ex-ministers, and in the next row back, Aberdeen South MP Ross Thomson.
But by the time he got to his feet, the crucial figure
was missing. The Prime Minister hadn’t bothered to stick around for Johnson to plunge in the knife – she was sitting in front of Commons committee chairs, listening to the SNP’S Angus Macneil tell her how she reminded him of Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive. The look she gave over her glasses also carried a hint of Thatcher.
Would she listen to Johnson’s speech this evening, May was asked? “I’ll be doing my red box.”
By the time May went in front of the 1922 Committee, where last week it looked like her fate could be sealed, MPS were falling over themselves to declare loyalty. It could fall apart so easily, and after the summer, it probably will. But yesterday afternoon, at least, history didn’t repeat itself.