Are you sure your trip was wise, PM?
THE PM should have brushed up on history before flying off to India.
It would have reminded him that overseas visits are never advisable for leaders in trouble.
Margaret Thatcher’s departure in 1990 was sealed when she rather unwisely attended a Paris summit rather than staying home to shore up support for her flagging leadership.
Will a similar fate now befall Johnson? His visit was born out of hubris. He thought that by acting the statesman he could draw a line under Partygate.
But while he was gurning in Gujarat, Tory
MPs were gunning for his departure. Johnson doubly misjudged.
He failed to understand the country is not yet willing to forget his law-breaking however many times he claims it is time to move on.
And he failed to understand hostility towards his leadership is not confined to the usual suspects but encompasses Brexiteers, Red Wallers, Shire Tories and One Nation Conservatives.
No10 should be especially alarmed that those demanding his departure now include Steve Baker, whose organisational skills helped install him in No10, and former Chief Whip Mark Harper, equally well-versed in Tory machinations. Some rebels will have been motivated by a sense of honour; far more by the fear of losing their jobs if the party remains contaminated by Johnson.
The PM appeared unmoved by these concerns when he first ordered MPs to vote down Labour’s motion calling on him to be referred to the Standards and Privileges Committee.
Now he is paying the price for such disdain.
Labour deserves credit for maximising this discomfort but it was, ultimately, a selfinflicted wound by a man who still resents having to follow the conventions by which the rest of us abide.
There will be little sympathy from a public bruised by ever-rising prices and dispirited by the state of public services.
Johnson’s ousting is not inevitable but his grip on power becomes weaker by the day.
To survive he needs to clear the hurdles of the local elections, the prospect of more police fines, the Sue Gray report, the Wakefield by-election and now a probe by the Standards Committee.
He could stumble at any of them.