Boris Johnson cancels journey after member of the family’s optimistic Covid check whereas Tory management disaster grows – UK politics stay

Good morning. Boris Johnson’s place as Conservative occasion chief and prime minister is extra perilous than ever earlier than however, after a wretched and humiliating day – which additionally noticed open warfare get away between the party in Scotland and the UK national leadership – his future is unclear, as a result of the parliamentary occasion collectively remains to be making up its thoughts about what to do subsequent.

We had been on account of hear from him this morning, as a result of he had a go to deliberate in Lancashire. However that has been cancelled “on account of a member of the family testing optimistic for coronavirus”, Downing Avenue says. A No 10 spokesperson mentioned:

The prime minister will not be visiting Lancashire immediately on account of a member of the family testing optimistic for coronavirus. He’ll comply with the steerage for vaccinated shut contacts, together with day by day testing and limiting contact with others.

Most Tory MPs who’ve commented on Johnson’s management say they need to wait till they learn the findings of Sue Grey’s report into all of the partygate allegations. However Grey is a senior civil servant, which implies that she most likely takes the view that finally whether or not or not the PM stays is a political judgment that should be taken by politicians (his colleagues). Final night time Nick Macpherson, former everlasting secretary on the Treasury, posted this on Twitter.

The Grey report might come subsequent week, but when Macpherson and others are proper, it received’t clearly settle the problem of whether or not or not the PM ought to go.

Though many Tory MPs are privately saying that Johnson’s place is untenable, however there may be little proof that they’re working actively to do away with him. Final night time Kitty Donaldson, Bloomberg’s political editor, mentioned she thought solely 4 of them have written letters to the 1922 Commitee chairman asking for a confidence vote.

And up to now solely 4 Tory MPs (Sir Roger Gale, Douglas Ross, William Wragg and Caroline Nokes) have referred to as for Johnson’s resignation. The Spectator is keeping a tally.

MPs will making a judgment concerning the impression Johnson’s management can have on their probabilities of re-election, and this morning a brand new YouGov ballot provides Labour its greatest lead over the Conservatives since 2013.

However even polling figures like this received’t essentially settle the problem for the parliamentary occasion. MPs will do not forget that being 10-points behind Labour in 2013 didn’t cease the Conservatives successful the following election, and there’s no consensus over who would succeed Johnson if there have been a contest, and whether or not they would undoubtedly do significantly better.

So the occasion appears caught in the mean time. However that doesn’t make Johnson’s place secure and his difficulties had been illustrated this morning when the cupboard minister doing interviews this morning did not deny reviews that privately Johnson has been telling colleagues he has performed nothing flawed.

Laura Kuenssberg, the BBC’s political editor, picked this up yesterday.

And several other papers report the identical factor immediately. “MPs had been additionally irritated by the prime minister showing much less contrite in non-public conversations after his Commons look than he had been in public,” the Guardian reports.

The Times (paywall) reviews the identical factor. It says:

Inside minutes of delivering a “heartfelt” apology to the Commons for attending a drinks occasion within the backyard of No 10 throughout the first lockdown, Boris Johnson had a considerably totally different message for Tory MPs within the tearoom.

The prime minister was, in response to these current, removed from contrite. He instructed colleagues that “we have now taken quite a lot of hits in politics and that is one in all them”, including: “Typically we take the credit score for issues we don’t deserve and this time we’re taking hits for one thing we don’t deserve.”

Douglas Ross, the chief of the Scottish Conservatives, mentioned that Johnson took the same tone when he spoke to him yesterday afternoon. He mentioned that the prime minister instructed him that he “believes he didn’t do something flawed”.

And right here is an excerpt from the FT’s story (paywall).

A number of MPs mentioned Johnson was nonetheless in denial. “He mentioned that typically in life you get the credit score for belongings you don’t deserve, whereas typically you get the blame for one thing you don’t deserve, too,” mentioned one Tory MP. “He goes by means of his life pondering he doesn’t deserve the blame.”

Requested about these reviews on the At the moment programme, Brandon Lewis, the Northern Eire secretary, dismissed them as “tittle tattle that will or might not have come out of the [Commons] tea room”. He mentioned he had not heard Johnson himself say that he was to not blame for what occurred, and he mentioned Johnson was “very, very honest” in his apology.

I will probably be focusing totally on the fall-out from this disaster immediately. Johnson is just not doing his go to, however we’ll get a No 10 foyer briefing, and Jacob Rees-Mogg, the chief of the Commons, will probably be taking questions within the Commons.

I attempt to monitor the feedback beneath the road (BTL) however it’s unimaginable to learn all of them. You probably have a direct query, do embody “Andrew” in it someplace and I’m extra more likely to discover it. I do attempt to reply questions, and if they’re of basic curiosity, I’ll submit the query and reply above the road (ATL), though I can’t promise to do that for everybody.

If you wish to appeal to my consideration shortly, it’s most likely higher to make use of Twitter. I’m on @AndrewSparrow.

Alternatively, you possibly can electronic mail me at andrew.sparrow@theguardian.com