The court of King Boris and kitchen cabinets

THE refurbishment of Boris Johnson’s flat and the court of King Boris continued to be debated by columnists in the newspapers.

Daily Express

Ann Widdecombe believes the Prime Minister was an “ass not to have said ‘no’ when Carrie moaned that perfectly adequate accommodation did not suit her modern taste”.

But she thinks it pales into insignificance compared to the issues surrounding the inconsistencies in lockdown policy.

“He should, of course, have declared it, but it is still a sideshow compared to the real drama, which is a collapsing economy under increasingly unnecessary restrictions,” she said.

“There never was any good reason to limit funerals to 30 persons. The deciding factor should have been the size of the church or crematorium and its ability to accommodate social distancing, which is the criterion used for normal church services.

“The vaccination policy has been a roaring success and were Boris really following the data not the dates we would now be almost back to normal. Yet still he cowers in his bunker. That is the real scandal.”

The Guardian

Rafael Behr said Number 10 has always had informal cliques and “kitchen cabinets” but the current situation is unprecedented.

He said there were three reasons for it – Brexit and Boris Johnson burning all his bridges in securing it, lockdown and the surrender of power on a scale unknown outside wartime with business done casually “in the VIP contacts lane”, and Johnson’s character. “The prime minister approaches truth the way a toddler handles broccoli,” he said.

“He understands the idea that it contains some goodness, but it will touch his lips only if a higher authority compels it there.

“The court of King Boris combines the zealotry of a revolution with the conceit of an empire and the probity of gangsters. It is hard to predict how long such a regime can last.”

The Independent

Andrew Grice said Number 10’s carefully worded statement that Johnson has paid in full [for the refurb] deliberately avoids whether someone else footed the bill before he did.

“For me, this conjured up an image of Downing Street officials working out how to try to defuse the story without telling a porkie,” he said.

“Indeed, ministers who regard themselves as Johnson allies worry his failure to register a possible £58,000 donation or loan he received last July within a month as required under the rules, could land him in trouble with Kathryn Stone, the parliamentary commissioner for standards.

“It would be much better for

Johnson to reveal where the money for the flat refurb initially came from and doing something that never comes naturally to him – making a grovelling apology.”