Senior Tory sources say that Johnson has taken out a commercial loan to repay the money he owes to the party. No 10 refuses to confirm or deny this claim. The ministerial code of conduct stipulates that even bank loans should be registered, to avoid conflicts of interest. The register of ministerial interests has not been updated since July last year.
Senior Conservatives say donors have been approached about funding other aspects of the couple’s lifestyle. A prominent MP received a complaint from a Tory donor that they were asked to foot the bill for a nanny for Wilfred, Johnson’s son with Symonds, who turned one last week. The donor is alleged to have said: “I don’t mind paying for leaflets but I resent being asked to pay to literally wipe the prime minister’s baby’s bottom.”
He cannot possibly have been so stupid, can he? I get all the stuff about who you hang out with, and he will judge against the super rich, and his divorces etc, but his past earnings and salary are enough to live on very comfortably, why is he so bloody skint?
Boris Johnson is emulating Churchill's inability to live within his means.
And that to my mind is why I expect he will leave Office sooner rather than later
He can make millions outside the HOC
Although Churchill held on for at least two years (arguably six) longer than he should have done. Eden was getting very impatient with his reluctance to retire and Macmillan actually thought there was a chance the government was drifting to collapse because Churchill’s brain damage from his second stroke was so severe.
Politicians give up power very reluctantly. Am I right in thinking the only Prime Minister in your lifetime who has given it up willingly before it was effectively dragged off him was Wilson in 1976? And arguably, he should have resigned after the debacle of 1970.
Er, Blair went before he was pushed.
You could even make an argument that Cameron could have kept going after the referendum.
Cameron could have forced the issue, but knew a challenge would come. Blair probably counts more.
Camden is en fete tonight. Like Paris in the Liberation. Young people are VERY determined to enjoy their freedom: and good for them, they'd behaved better than I would have, at that age, in this situation,
This, however, is on a cold almost-wintry evening.
May 17th just about coincides with the first predicted good spell of warm, sunny weather. The country might EXPLODE
Worth bearing in mind polls are testing opinion during the peak of bad news stories across Wednesday-Friday last week, and could be down to things like Labour voting intention firming up, with Tories certainty to vote down, rather than any fundamental movement.
Everyone's minds is now on the bank holiday weekend and their families. It makes the headlines on Tuesday and Wednesday next week fairly crucial for the Tories.
If I were the Government I'd be trying to ride the Sundays and knock any further revelations out through big headline capturing announcements on those two days.
Boris Johnson is emulating Churchill's inability to live within his means.
And that to my mind is why I expect he will leave Office sooner rather than later
He can make millions outside the HOC
Although Churchill held on for at least two years (arguably six) longer than he should have done. Eden was getting very impatient with his reluctance to retire and Macmillan actually thought there was a chance the government was drifting to collapse because Churchill’s brain damage from his second stroke was so severe.
Politicians give up power very reluctantly. Am I right in thinking the only Prime Minister in your lifetime who has given it up willingly before it was effectively dragged off him was Wilson in 1976? And arguably, he should have resigned after the debacle of 1970.
Er, Blair went before he was pushed.
He really, really didn’t. He had intended to stay until at least 2009.
Senior Conservatives say donors have been approached about funding other aspects of the couple’s lifestyle. A prominent MP received a complaint from a Tory donor that they were asked to foot the bill for a nanny for Wilfred, Johnson’s son with Symonds, who turned one last week. The donor is alleged to have said: “I don’t mind paying for leaflets but I resent being asked to pay to literally wipe the prime minister’s baby’s bottom.”
I don’t see the problem. Surely it’s at least one step up for the usual arse lickers ?
My postal vote for the various London elections has gone in.
Was proud to vote for Khan again, who despite not being perfect in any way, was a far better choice than the useless Bailey. I also wanted to register my disgust with the Tory Party.
Darn. I had you down as a maybe.
Lol.
As an illustration of how electoral systems can fox voters, a friend who is a senior foreign affairs journalist told me that she'd voted 1. Khan 2. The rejoin-EU candidate, as she likes Khan but wanted to show support for the EU too. I asked why she'd not done it the other way round, since this way her 2nd vote won't count. She was completely nonplussed - "Is that how it works? I thought you just put your order of preference."
My postal vote for the various London elections has gone in.
Was proud to vote for Khan again, who despite not being perfect in any way, was a far better choice than the useless Bailey. I also wanted to register my disgust with the Tory Party.
Darn. I had you down as a maybe.
Lol.
As an illustration of how electoral systems can fox voters, a friend who is a senior foreign affairs journalist told me that she'd voted 1. Khan 2. The rejoin-EU candidate, as she likes Khan but wanted to show support for the EU too. I asked why she'd not done it the other way round, since this way her 2nd vote won't count. She was completely nonplussed - "Is that how it works? I thought you just put your order of preference."
The scruffiest street urchin in Dublin could have told her the score. But then again, the Irish have been using Single Transferable Vote ever since Lloyd George and the Tories imposed it upon them in 1920.
I still don't see what there is to motivate Labour voters to get off their arse and vote on Thursday.
Tories: gratitude at being jabbed and set free
Labour: ???
Have to say that, from my canvassing, there's not much movement between parties but neither is there a sense of Conservatives feeling highly motivated to turn out.
I have a sense of the past 18 months having been intensely political in one sense, but not intensely PARTY political. As partisans on this site, I think we've missed that a bit. Party politics just hasn't been on many minds.
I'm a core Conservative, and I don't think I've been this apathetic in years.
I have to agree. Minus the first bit. Folk are emotionally drained.
I'd like a really looooooong period of Zero Politics, voter apathy, boring elections, NO REFERENDUMS
Just the usual stale rubbish. Like it used to be, like 2000-2008, or 1985-1990. Or the 9th century, when all you had to worry about was a potential monster in the mere, and the Anglo Saxon kings ruled serenely, justly and apparently forever
Boris Johnson is emulating Churchill's inability to live within his means.
And that to my mind is why I expect he will leave Office sooner rather than later
He can make millions outside the HOC
Although Churchill held on for at least two years (arguably six) longer than he should have done. Eden was getting very impatient with his reluctance to retire and Macmillan actually thought there was a chance the government was drifting to collapse because Churchill’s brain damage from his second stroke was so severe.
Politicians give up power very reluctantly. Am I right in thinking the only Prime Minister in your lifetime who has given it up willingly before it was effectively dragged off him was Wilson in 1976? And arguably, he should have resigned after the debacle of 1970.
Er, Blair went before he was pushed.
He really, really didn’t. He had intended to stay until at least 2009.
By 2006 Labour Party politics were such that he'd have been pushed out in 2007 if he hadn't agreed to quit.
Senior Conservatives say donors have been approached about funding other aspects of the couple’s lifestyle. A prominent MP received a complaint from a Tory donor that they were asked to foot the bill for a nanny for Wilfred, Johnson’s son with Symonds, who turned one last week. The donor is alleged to have said: “I don’t mind paying for leaflets but I resent being asked to pay to literally wipe the prime minister’s baby’s bottom.”
Is this for real?
You've already given us a hatful of unbelievable Johnson/NutNuts stories this evening. Is it April 1st not May 1st?
A week ago I wouldn't have believed the story but now it passes the smell test
With reference to TSE's story, are you sure Wilfred's nappies pass the smell test? Perhaps that's why the donor declined.
Boris Johnson is emulating Churchill's inability to live within his means.
And that to my mind is why I expect he will leave Office sooner rather than later
He can make millions outside the HOC
Although Churchill held on for at least two years (arguably six) longer than he should have done. Eden was getting very impatient with his reluctance to retire and Macmillan actually thought there was a chance the government was drifting to collapse because Churchill’s brain damage from his second stroke was so severe.
Politicians give up power very reluctantly. Am I right in thinking the only Prime Minister in your lifetime who has given it up willingly before it was effectively dragged off him was Wilson in 1976? And arguably, he should have resigned after the debacle of 1970.
Yes indeed but if the comments on his flat as expressed on here tonight are confirmed I cannot see him having any choice
One shouldn't mock, but...
If the scandal of paying for redecorating the Downing Street flat stops BoJo living in the Downing Street flat...
That would be an elegantly absurd ending to an absurd political career.
Not sure what is more shocking , just the one point lead for the Tories or the fact that 44% say Bozo is trustworthy ! The poll is bizarre with the results of the other questions supporting a bigger Tory lead . Regardless it does seem that people judge Bozo by different standards compared to other politicians and he can get away with things others can’t .
It does seem to contradict itself
Boris leads
Trustworthy 44/26 Better represents people like me 44/30
Better to take tough decisions 48/27 More competent 47/28
Red wall 44/45 to labour
I think the personal leads are down to name recognition - lots of people still have no clear opinion about Starmer. Having said I thought Survation was an outlier, it seems not!
Anecdata: did a lot of phone canvassing today - I put my foot out doing too much leafleting over the last two weeks, so retreated to the phone. The phone bank focuses on target voters so I've little picture of what Tory voters are doing, but the Lab and LD votes seem very solid. Quite a lot of motivated voters, to my surprise - just 2 out of 60 didn't know there was an election, and just 7 definitely won't vote.
Your canvassing anecdotes are legendary.
You've never posted a mixed one near election time - ever.
I still remember his tick tock posts and then the post after 10pm election night
Boris Johnson is emulating Churchill's inability to live within his means.
And that to my mind is why I expect he will leave Office sooner rather than later
He can make millions outside the HOC
Although Churchill held on for at least two years (arguably six) longer than he should have done. Eden was getting very impatient with his reluctance to retire and Macmillan actually thought there was a chance the government was drifting to collapse because Churchill’s brain damage from his second stroke was so severe.
Politicians give up power very reluctantly. Am I right in thinking the only Prime Minister in your lifetime who has given it up willingly before it was effectively dragged off him was Wilson in 1976? And arguably, he should have resigned after the debacle of 1970.
Yes indeed but if the comments on his flat as expressed on here tonight are confirmed I cannot see him having any choice
One shouldn't mock, but...
If the scandal of paying for redecorating the Downing Street flat stops BoJo living in the Downing Street flat...
That would be an elegantly absurd ending to an absurd political career.
The bad news is we will have to pay for the god awful gold wallpaper to be replaced. That is reason enough to keep Johnson in post.
Senior Conservatives say donors have been approached about funding other aspects of the couple’s lifestyle. A prominent MP received a complaint from a Tory donor that they were asked to foot the bill for a nanny for Wilfred, Johnson’s son with Symonds, who turned one last week. The donor is alleged to have said: “I don’t mind paying for leaflets but I resent being asked to pay to literally wipe the prime minister’s baby’s bottom.”
He cannot possibly have been so stupid, can he? I get all the stuff about who you hang out with, and he will judge against the super rich, and his divorces etc, but his past earnings and salary are enough to live on very comfortably, why is he so bloody skint?.
He's not very good with money plus his divorces and child support costs him, and his ex wife took him to the cleaners.
Friends say Johnson rarely spends money on himself and is often careless with his financial affairs. “He was often the sort of person who would forget to pay at the end of a meal or would leave lots of money on the table and then forget to pick up the change,” said one former aide. He once left a tip for a hairdresser in euros not pounds, to her dismay. Johnson’s one indulgence is a pair of Church’s shoes, which can cost £750. However, they were often full of holes, according to friends, because he used them to brake as he rode around London on his bike.
“He gives a lot of control over his affairs to staff in his office, including his tax return, which is why it sometimes blows up in his face,” the former aide said.
Johnson has been reprimanded in the past for failing to register financial interests in parliament as required. The concern in No 10 is that the commissioner for standards, who is considering whether to investigate the redecoration of the flat, in addition to the inquiry into the Mustique holiday, could recommend that he is suspended from the Commons.
The Conservative lead over Labour has narrowed sharply with five days to go until the local elections on Thursday, as the furore over Boris Johnson’s flat refurbishment starts to cut through.
An exclusive poll for The Sunday Times shows a slump in support for the Tories after a turbulent week for the prime minister, who is facing a string of sleaze allegations. Labour is now on 39 per cent, one point behind the Tories on 40 per cent.
More worrying for the Conservative Party is that Johnson is losing his grip on the “red wall” seats that propelled him to power. According to the poll, Labour has pushed ahead of the Tories and now leads in the party’s former heartlands in the Midlands and the north of England. In the 43 “red wall” seats that the Conservatives won at the last election, Sir Keir Starmer’s party is on 45 per cent, with the Tories on 44 per cent.
Carrie Antoinette really has damaged Boris Johnson.
You told me off for digging at her a few months back!
On her private life.
On her opulent tastes that is fine.
Some MPs and old friends of Johnson blame Symonds — whom they call “Carrie Antoinette” — for the excessive spending on the flat, saying Johnson has little regard for opulent furnishings or clothing. “Boris didn’t really know anything about it until Carrie handed him the bill,” said one Downing Street insider. “She has champagne tastes and a lemonade budget.”
Politically speaking, "Carrie Antoinette" is a damn sight more insightful AND hurtful (to her & her pard) than "Princess Nut Nut".
I don’t believe anything - good or bad - that is written about Carrie.
It’s all bullshit by those with other motives.
A valid point & position. That said, "Carrie Antoinette" is NOT what I'd wish to be called IF I was the PM's consort.
Princess Nut Nut much much better, because it's meaningless to about 95% of The Great British Public. Whereas maybe 85% will pick up on Carrie Antoinette.
The Conservative lead over Labour has narrowed sharply with five days to go until the local elections on Thursday, as the furore over Boris Johnson’s flat refurbishment starts to cut through.
An exclusive poll for The Sunday Times shows a slump in support for the Tories after a turbulent week for the prime minister, who is facing a string of sleaze allegations. Labour is now on 39 per cent, one point behind the Tories on 40 per cent.
More worrying for the Conservative Party is that Johnson is losing his grip on the “red wall” seats that propelled him to power. According to the poll, Labour has pushed ahead of the Tories and now leads in the party’s former heartlands in the Midlands and the north of England. In the 43 “red wall” seats that the Conservatives won at the last election, Sir Keir Starmer’s party is on 45 per cent, with the Tories on 44 per cent.
I still don't see what there is to motivate Labour voters to get off their arse and vote on Thursday.
Tories: gratitude at being jabbed and set free
Labour: ???
Have to say that, from my canvassing, there's not much movement between parties but neither is there a sense of Conservatives feeling highly motivated to turn out.
I have a sense of the past 18 months having been intensely political in one sense, but not intensely PARTY political. As partisans on this site, I think we've missed that a bit. Party politics just hasn't been on many minds.
I'm a core Conservative, and I don't think I've been this apathetic in years.
I have to agree. Minus the first bit. Folk are emotionally drained.
I'd like a really looooooong period of Zero Politics, voter apathy, boring elections, NO REFERENDUMS
Just the usual stale rubbish. Like it used to be, like 2000-2008, or 1985-1990. Or the 9th century, when all you had to worry about was a potential monster in the mere, and the Anglo Saxon kings ruled serenely, justly and apparently forever
If you want that* then the key place to watch for on Thursday is Scotland.
(*we won't get it anyway because both those periods you cite were predicated on a confident West that defined the international order and delivered decent economic growth, with debate on how to best to deploy it/ allocate it rather than existential self-doubt and identity politics)
Not sure what is more shocking , just the one point lead for the Tories or the fact that 44% say Bozo is trustworthy ! The poll is bizarre with the results of the other questions supporting a bigger Tory lead . Regardless it does seem that people judge Bozo by different standards compared to other politicians and he can get away with things others can’t .
It does seem to contradict itself
Boris leads
Trustworthy 44/26 Better represents people like me 44/30
Better to take tough decisions 48/27 More competent 47/28
Red wall 44/45 to labour
I think the personal leads are down to name recognition - lots of people still have no clear opinion about Starmer. Having said I thought Survation was an outlier, it seems not!
Anecdata: did a lot of phone canvassing today - I put my foot out doing too much leafleting over the last two weeks, so retreated to the phone. The phone bank focuses on target voters so I've little picture of what Tory voters are doing, but the Lab and LD votes seem very solid. Quite a lot of motivated voters, to my surprise - just 2 out of 60 didn't know there was an election, and just 7 definitely won't vote.
Your canvassing anecdotes are legendary.
You've never posted a mixed one near election time - ever.
I still remember his tick tock posts and then the post after 10pm election night
I know, I think he's doing his duty to raise party morale (and I get that, I might do the same if I was as dedicated as Nick) but they should be viewed through that filter.
Boris Johnson is emulating Churchill's inability to live within his means.
And that to my mind is why I expect he will leave Office sooner rather than later
He can make millions outside the HOC
Although Churchill held on for at least two years (arguably six) longer than he should have done. Eden was getting very impatient with his reluctance to retire and Macmillan actually thought there was a chance the government was drifting to collapse because Churchill’s brain damage from his second stroke was so severe.
Politicians give up power very reluctantly. Am I right in thinking the only Prime Minister in your lifetime who has given it up willingly before it was effectively dragged off him was Wilson in 1976? And arguably, he should have resigned after the debacle of 1970.
Er, Blair went before he was pushed.
He really, really didn’t. He had intended to stay until at least 2009.
By 2006 Labour Party politics were such that he'd have been pushed out in 2007 if he hadn't agreed to quit.
ConHome’s Cabinet League Table. Johnson’s rating falls by almost 30 points into the bottom third
This is much the same panel that gave Boris Johnson a 93 per cent approval rating after the last general election…
…And that gave him a minus ten point negative rating last October, when there seemed to be no way out of a cycle of lockdowns and loosenings.
He is down from sixth, with a score of 61, to nineteenth, with one of 34 – and into the bottom third of the table. There is little movement elsewhere in terms of scores. Liz Truss is top for a fifth month running.
Which suggests that the Prime Minister has done something in particular to disturb activists, and the most straigtforward explanation is his conduct over the Downing Street flat.
Our best guess is that Party members think he’s done nothing wrong, but aren’t convinced that an expensive makeover of the flat was necessary, and think that neither Johnson nor Carrie Symonds should be offering hostages to fortune.
All I'll offer is tonight's polls are the clearest signs the country has moved on from Covid.
For many, the pandemic is over due to vaccinations and it may be (and you see it on here), there's an almost febrile desire to put the last 14 months into a box, put it in the basement and never open it again.
Life may well be for living, as someone once said, but that means politics also goes back to the more mundane and away from virus-related matters. It's little surprise that is less favourable to the Government - memories are short and gratitude fleeting.
Yes, I agree, you can feel the Vaccine Gratitude fading. UKG did well, but that's what they're meant to do. Next
Senior Conservatives say donors have been approached about funding other aspects of the couple’s lifestyle. A prominent MP received a complaint from a Tory donor that they were asked to foot the bill for a nanny for Wilfred, Johnson’s son with Symonds, who turned one last week. The donor is alleged to have said: “I don’t mind paying for leaflets but I resent being asked to pay to literally wipe the prime minister’s baby’s bottom.”
He cannot possibly have been so stupid, can he? I get all the stuff about who you hang out with, and he will judge against the super rich, and his divorces etc, but his past earnings and salary are enough to live on very comfortably, why is he so bloody skint?.
He's not very good with money plus his divorces and child support costs him, and his ex wife took him to the cleaners.
Friends say Johnson rarely spends money on himself and is often careless with his financial affairs. “He was often the sort of person who would forget to pay at the end of a meal or would leave lots of money on the table and then forget to pick up the change,” said one former aide. He once left a tip for a hairdresser in euros not pounds, to her dismay. Johnson’s one indulgence is a pair of Church’s shoes, which can cost £750. However, they were often full of holes, according to friends, because he used them to brake as he rode around London on his bike.
“He gives a lot of control over his affairs to staff in his office, including his tax return, which is why it sometimes blows up in his face,” the former aide said.
Johnson has been reprimanded in the past for failing to register financial interests in parliament as required. The concern in No 10 is that the commissioner for standards, who is considering whether to investigate the redecoration of the flat, in addition to the inquiry into the Mustique holiday, could recommend that he is suspended from the Commons.
Church’s have only been priced “up to £750” very recently as part of a brand positioning exercise by the owners, Prada.
The thing I find somewhat uncommented on about the refurbishment story, is questioning quite why the (temporary) occupants can implement a total overhaul, just because they don’t like its current decor. Most temporary occupants of flats don’t have the right to do this, so why should the PM? Why be allowed to implement refurbishments designed to last 10-15 years when PMs on average last a lot shorter? Given anyway the generousity of the 30k budget, I don’t see why they should be allowed to spend any more, even if paid for themselves.
Boris Johnson is emulating Churchill's inability to live within his means.
And that to my mind is why I expect he will leave Office sooner rather than later
He can make millions outside the HOC
Although Churchill held on for at least two years (arguably six) longer than he should have done. Eden was getting very impatient with his reluctance to retire and Macmillan actually thought there was a chance the government was drifting to collapse because Churchill’s brain damage from his second stroke was so severe.
Politicians give up power very reluctantly. Am I right in thinking the only Prime Minister in your lifetime who has given it up willingly before it was effectively dragged off him was Wilson in 1976? And arguably, he should have resigned after the debacle of 1970.
"Few die and none resign" - attributed to Thomas Jefferson
What POTUS 3 actually said (or rather wrote) was, "if a due participation of office is a matter of right, how are vacancies to be obtained? those by death are few. by resignation none." (1801, letter to New Haven, Connecticut merchants)
The Conservative lead over Labour has narrowed sharply with five days to go until the local elections on Thursday, as the furore over Boris Johnson’s flat refurbishment starts to cut through.
An exclusive poll for The Sunday Times shows a slump in support for the Tories after a turbulent week for the prime minister, who is facing a string of sleaze allegations. Labour is now on 39 per cent, one point behind the Tories on 40 per cent.
More worrying for the Conservative Party is that Johnson is losing his grip on the “red wall” seats that propelled him to power. According to the poll, Labour has pushed ahead of the Tories and now leads in the party’s former heartlands in the Midlands and the north of England. In the 43 “red wall” seats that the Conservatives won at the last election, Sir Keir Starmer’s party is on 45 per cent, with the Tories on 44 per cent.
Carrie Antoinette really has damaged Boris Johnson.
I'm not sure it's Carrie. Who givea a fuck about wallpaper paid for by Boris OR Tories OR anonymous donors
If he's been damaged it is surely "pile the bodies high"
It’s both. Getting a favour for a gazillionaire chum, shitting on one of the UKs aspirational brands as not good enough for him. Clearly not caring about ordinary folk.
It’s one of the worse thing you can be today, he’s out of touch elite
Senior Conservatives say donors have been approached about funding other aspects of the couple’s lifestyle. A prominent MP received a complaint from a Tory donor that they were asked to foot the bill for a nanny for Wilfred, Johnson’s son with Symonds, who turned one last week. The donor is alleged to have said: “I don’t mind paying for leaflets but I resent being asked to pay to literally wipe the prime minister’s baby’s bottom.”
He cannot possibly have been so stupid, can he? I get all the stuff about who you hang out with, and he will judge against the super rich, and his divorces etc, but his past earnings and salary are enough to live on very comfortably, why is he so bloody skint?.
He's not very good with money plus his divorces and child support costs him, and his ex wife took him to the cleaners.
Friends say Johnson rarely spends money on himself and is often careless with his financial affairs. “He was often the sort of person who would forget to pay at the end of a meal or would leave lots of money on the table and then forget to pick up the change,” said one former aide. He once left a tip for a hairdresser in euros not pounds, to her dismay. Johnson’s one indulgence is a pair of Church’s shoes, which can cost £750. However, they were often full of holes, according to friends, because he used them to brake as he rode around London on his bike.
“He gives a lot of control over his affairs to staff in his office, including his tax return, which is why it sometimes blows up in his face,” the former aide said.
Johnson has been reprimanded in the past for failing to register financial interests in parliament as required. The concern in No 10 is that the commissioner for standards, who is considering whether to investigate the redecoration of the flat, in addition to the inquiry into the Mustique holiday, could recommend that he is suspended from the Commons.
Church’s have only been priced “up to £750” very recently as part of a brand positioning exercise by the owners, Prada.
I'm more of a Louis Vuitton and Gucci shoes kinda guy.
Boris Johnson is emulating Churchill's inability to live within his means.
And that to my mind is why I expect he will leave Office sooner rather than later
He can make millions outside the HOC
Although Churchill held on for at least two years (arguably six) longer than he should have done. Eden was getting very impatient with his reluctance to retire and Macmillan actually thought there was a chance the government was drifting to collapse because Churchill’s brain damage from his second stroke was so severe.
Politicians give up power very reluctantly. Am I right in thinking the only Prime Minister in your lifetime who has given it up willingly before it was effectively dragged off him was Wilson in 1976? And arguably, he should have resigned after the debacle of 1970.
Yes indeed but if the comments on his flat as expressed on here tonight are confirmed I cannot see him having any choice
One shouldn't mock, but...
If the scandal of paying for redecorating the Downing Street flat stops BoJo living in the Downing Street flat...
That would be an elegantly absurd ending to an absurd political career.
All I'll offer is tonight's polls are the clearest signs the country has moved on from Covid.
For many, the pandemic is over due to vaccinations and it may be (and you see it on here), there's an almost febrile desire to put the last 14 months into a box, put it in the basement and never open it again.
Life may well be for living, as someone once said, but that means politics also goes back to the more mundane and away from virus-related matters. It's little surprise that is less favourable to the Government - memories are short and gratitude fleeting.
Yes, I agree, you can feel the Vaccine Gratitude fading. UKG did well, but that's what they're meant to do. Next
The thing I find somewhat uncommented on about the refurbishment story, is questioning quite why the (temporary) occupants can implement a total overhaul, just because they don’t like its current decor. Most temporary occupants of flats don’t have the right to do this, so why should the PM? Why be allowed to implement refurbishments designed to last 10-15 years when PMs on average last a lot shorter? Given anyway the generousity of the 30k budget, I don’t see why they should be allowed to spend any more, even if paid for themselves.
I don't know why you'd care. You're there for 5-10 years (at most) and only there during the weeks when you're working - the rest of the time at Chequers or overseas. And you can be turned out at a moment's notice.
I'd make sure it was functional, comfortable and adequate for my needs - with a few portable personal touches but no more than that - and I'd save myself for my permanent home afterwards.
Boris Johnson is emulating Churchill's inability to live within his means.
And that to my mind is why I expect he will leave Office sooner rather than later
He can make millions outside the HOC
His memoir will earn him sensational money. A colourful life, a flamboyant career, then PM of the UK for Brexit and Covid, the most interesting period in British history since 1945. AND he writes well, so he doesn't need a ghost
He will make £10m. The US publishers will want it. The French and Germans. Everyone will want it. Might easily be serialised by TV, movies. The Crown Mark 2
Squillions beckon. He could leave in 2022 having guided us thru Brexit and seen off Covid. Job done
Boris Johnson is emulating Churchill's inability to live within his means.
And that to my mind is why I expect he will leave Office sooner rather than later
He can make millions outside the HOC
Although Churchill held on for at least two years (arguably six) longer than he should have done. Eden was getting very impatient with his reluctance to retire and Macmillan actually thought there was a chance the government was drifting to collapse because Churchill’s brain damage from his second stroke was so severe.
Politicians give up power very reluctantly. Am I right in thinking the only Prime Minister in your lifetime who has given it up willingly before it was effectively dragged off him was Wilson in 1976? And arguably, he should have resigned after the debacle of 1970.
Yes indeed but if the comments on his flat as expressed on here tonight are confirmed I cannot see him having any choice
One shouldn't mock, but...
If the scandal of paying for redecorating the Downing Street flat stops BoJo living in the Downing Street flat...
That would be an elegantly absurd ending to an absurd political career.
The bad news is we will have to pay for the god awful gold wallpaper to be replaced. That is reason enough to keep Johnson in post.
Oh I don't know. If I were to be the Prime Minister after Johnson I might be tempted to keep the wallpaper as a reminder of one of the ways my predecessor went wrong.
The thing I find somewhat uncommented on about the refurbishment story, is questioning quite why the (temporary) occupants can implement a total overhaul, just because they don’t like its current decor. Most temporary occupants of flats don’t have the right to do this, so why should the PM? Why be allowed to implement refurbishments designed to last 10-15 years when PMs on average last a lot shorter? Given anyway the generousity of the 30k budget, I don’t see why they should be allowed to spend any more, even if paid for themselves.
Because quite frankly Downing Street is a dump, especially when compared to other houses of world leaders.
It needs constant improvements.
There's a reason PMs regularly decamp to Chequers.
Chevening is the best government residence. It is why I would accept being Foreign Secretary.
The Conservative lead over Labour has narrowed sharply with five days to go until the local elections on Thursday, as the furore over Boris Johnson’s flat refurbishment starts to cut through.
An exclusive poll for The Sunday Times shows a slump in support for the Tories after a turbulent week for the prime minister, who is facing a string of sleaze allegations. Labour is now on 39 per cent, one point behind the Tories on 40 per cent.
More worrying for the Conservative Party is that Johnson is losing his grip on the “red wall” seats that propelled him to power. According to the poll, Labour has pushed ahead of the Tories and now leads in the party’s former heartlands in the Midlands and the north of England. In the 43 “red wall” seats that the Conservatives won at the last election, Sir Keir Starmer’s party is on 45 per cent, with the Tories on 44 per cent.
Carrie Antoinette really has damaged Boris Johnson.
I'm not sure it's Carrie. Who givea a fuck about wallpaper paid for by Boris OR Tories OR anonymous donors
If he's been damaged it is surely "pile the bodies high"
If it's true that Boris had to be dragged kicking and screaming away from the anti-lockdown crowd, I can see why Dominic Cummings would be furious. Boris was getting the credit for the vaccine rollout, but if only he'd listened to the right advice on lockdowns a bit earlier, we could have had one of the best overall outcomes in the world.
Senior Conservatives say donors have been approached about funding other aspects of the couple’s lifestyle. A prominent MP received a complaint from a Tory donor that they were asked to foot the bill for a nanny for Wilfred, Johnson’s son with Symonds, who turned one last week. The donor is alleged to have said: “I don’t mind paying for leaflets but I resent being asked to pay to literally wipe the prime minister’s baby’s bottom.”
He cannot possibly have been so stupid, can he? I get all the stuff about who you hang out with, and he will judge against the super rich, and his divorces etc, but his past earnings and salary are enough to live on very comfortably, why is he so bloody skint?.
He's not very good with money plus his divorces and child support costs him, and his ex wife took him to the cleaners.
Friends say Johnson rarely spends money on himself and is often careless with his financial affairs. “He was often the sort of person who would forget to pay at the end of a meal or would leave lots of money on the table and then forget to pick up the change,” said one former aide. He once left a tip for a hairdresser in euros not pounds, to her dismay. Johnson’s one indulgence is a pair of Church’s shoes, which can cost £750. However, they were often full of holes, according to friends, because he used them to brake as he rode around London on his bike.
“He gives a lot of control over his affairs to staff in his office, including his tax return, which is why it sometimes blows up in his face,” the former aide said.
Johnson has been reprimanded in the past for failing to register financial interests in parliament as required. The concern in No 10 is that the commissioner for standards, who is considering whether to investigate the redecoration of the flat, in addition to the inquiry into the Mustique holiday, could recommend that he is suspended from the Commons.
Church’s have only been priced “up to £750” very recently as part of a brand positioning exercise by the owners, Prada.
I'm more of a Louis Vuitton and Gucci shoes kinda guy.
Crockett and Jones brogues are well designed, very comfortable, British made, and won’t break the bank.
Senior Conservatives say donors have been approached about funding other aspects of the couple’s lifestyle. A prominent MP received a complaint from a Tory donor that they were asked to foot the bill for a nanny for Wilfred, Johnson’s son with Symonds, who turned one last week. The donor is alleged to have said: “I don’t mind paying for leaflets but I resent being asked to pay to literally wipe the prime minister’s baby’s bottom.”
He cannot possibly have been so stupid, can he? I get all the stuff about who you hang out with, and he will judge against the super rich, and his divorces etc, but his past earnings and salary are enough to live on very comfortably, why is he so bloody skint?.
He's not very good with money plus his divorces and child support costs him, and his ex wife took him to the cleaners.
Friends say Johnson rarely spends money on himself and is often careless with his financial affairs. “He was often the sort of person who would forget to pay at the end of a meal or would leave lots of money on the table and then forget to pick up the change,” said one former aide. He once left a tip for a hairdresser in euros not pounds, to her dismay. Johnson’s one indulgence is a pair of Church’s shoes, which can cost £750. However, they were often full of holes, according to friends, because he used them to brake as he rode around London on his bike.
“He gives a lot of control over his affairs to staff in his office, including his tax return, which is why it sometimes blows up in his face,” the former aide said.
Johnson has been reprimanded in the past for failing to register financial interests in parliament as required. The concern in No 10 is that the commissioner for standards, who is considering whether to investigate the redecoration of the flat, in addition to the inquiry into the Mustique holiday, could recommend that he is suspended from the Commons.
Church’s have only been priced “up to £750” very recently as part of a brand positioning exercise by the owners, Prada.
I'm more of a Louis Vuitton and Gucci shoes kinda guy.
Crockett and Jones brogues are well designed, very comfortable, British made, and won’t break the bank.
I have wide feet, I'm very fussy about my shoes, as some PBers are aware of.
The thing I find somewhat uncommented on about the refurbishment story, is questioning quite why the (temporary) occupants can implement a total overhaul, just because they don’t like its current decor. Most temporary occupants of flats don’t have the right to do this, so why should the PM? Why be allowed to implement refurbishments designed to last 10-15 years when PMs on average last a lot shorter? Given anyway the generousity of the 30k budget, I don’t see why they should be allowed to spend any more, even if paid for themselves.
Because quite frankly Downing Street is a dump, especially when compared to other houses of world leaders.
It needs constant improvements.
There's a reason PMs regularly decamp to Chequers.
Chevening is the best government residence. It is why I would accept being Foreign Secretary.
Downing St is a fortified compound, it must be a nightmare. Imagine living in the heart of the west end and never being able to enjoy the freedom and fun it offers.
The terrorists over the years had such an impact by making sure those gates were erected. In the 50s and 60s he PM could easily go out and take in a show or have a meal. You know, be human.
Senior Conservatives say donors have been approached about funding other aspects of the couple’s lifestyle. A prominent MP received a complaint from a Tory donor that they were asked to foot the bill for a nanny for Wilfred, Johnson’s son with Symonds, who turned one last week. The donor is alleged to have said: “I don’t mind paying for leaflets but I resent being asked to pay to literally wipe the prime minister’s baby’s bottom.”
He cannot possibly have been so stupid, can he? I get all the stuff about who you hang out with, and he will judge against the super rich, and his divorces etc, but his past earnings and salary are enough to live on very comfortably, why is he so bloody skint?.
He's not very good with money plus his divorces and child support costs him, and his ex wife took him to the cleaners.
Friends say Johnson rarely spends money on himself and is often careless with his financial affairs. “He was often the sort of person who would forget to pay at the end of a meal or would leave lots of money on the table and then forget to pick up the change,” said one former aide. He once left a tip for a hairdresser in euros not pounds, to her dismay. Johnson’s one indulgence is a pair of Church’s shoes, which can cost £750. However, they were often full of holes, according to friends, because he used them to brake as he rode around London on his bike.
“He gives a lot of control over his affairs to staff in his office, including his tax return, which is why it sometimes blows up in his face,” the former aide said.
Johnson has been reprimanded in the past for failing to register financial interests in parliament as required. The concern in No 10 is that the commissioner for standards, who is considering whether to investigate the redecoration of the flat, in addition to the inquiry into the Mustique holiday, could recommend that he is suspended from the Commons.
Church’s have only been priced “up to £750” very recently as part of a brand positioning exercise by the owners, Prada.
I'm more of a Louis Vuitton and Gucci shoes kinda guy.
Crockett and Jones brogues are well designed, very comfortable, British made, and won’t break the bank.
I have wide feet, I'm very fussy about my shoes, as some PBers are aware of.
I also have wide feet. Too much walking around barefoot as a child in NZ.
The Conservative lead over Labour has narrowed sharply with five days to go until the local elections on Thursday, as the furore over Boris Johnson’s flat refurbishment starts to cut through.
An exclusive poll for The Sunday Times shows a slump in support for the Tories after a turbulent week for the prime minister, who is facing a string of sleaze allegations. Labour is now on 39 per cent, one point behind the Tories on 40 per cent.
More worrying for the Conservative Party is that Johnson is losing his grip on the “red wall” seats that propelled him to power. According to the poll, Labour has pushed ahead of the Tories and now leads in the party’s former heartlands in the Midlands and the north of England. In the 43 “red wall” seats that the Conservatives won at the last election, Sir Keir Starmer’s party is on 45 per cent, with the Tories on 44 per cent.
Carrie Antoinette really has damaged Boris Johnson.
I'm not sure it's Carrie. Who givea a fuck about wallpaper paid for by Boris OR Tories OR anonymous donors
If he's been damaged it is surely "pile the bodies high"
I completely agree, but the wallpaper story is taking on a life of its own. TSE's revelations this evening are beyond belief. Fortunately they are stories that the mainstream media will fail to notice.
Senior Conservatives say donors have been approached about funding other aspects of the couple’s lifestyle. A prominent MP received a complaint from a Tory donor that they were asked to foot the bill for a nanny for Wilfred, Johnson’s son with Symonds, who turned one last week. The donor is alleged to have said: “I don’t mind paying for leaflets but I resent being asked to pay to literally wipe the prime minister’s baby’s bottom.”
He cannot possibly have been so stupid, can he? I get all the stuff about who you hang out with, and he will judge against the super rich, and his divorces etc, but his past earnings and salary are enough to live on very comfortably, why is he so bloody skint?.
He's not very good with money plus his divorces and child support costs him, and his ex wife took him to the cleaners.
Friends say Johnson rarely spends money on himself and is often careless with his financial affairs. “He was often the sort of person who would forget to pay at the end of a meal or would leave lots of money on the table and then forget to pick up the change,” said one former aide. He once left a tip for a hairdresser in euros not pounds, to her dismay. Johnson’s one indulgence is a pair of Church’s shoes, which can cost £750. However, they were often full of holes, according to friends, because he used them to brake as he rode around London on his bike.
“He gives a lot of control over his affairs to staff in his office, including his tax return, which is why it sometimes blows up in his face,” the former aide said.
Johnson has been reprimanded in the past for failing to register financial interests in parliament as required. The concern in No 10 is that the commissioner for standards, who is considering whether to investigate the redecoration of the flat, in addition to the inquiry into the Mustique holiday, could recommend that he is suspended from the Commons.
Church’s have only been priced “up to £750” very recently as part of a brand positioning exercise by the owners, Prada.
I'm more of a Louis Vuitton and Gucci shoes kinda guy.
Crockett and Jones brogues are well designed, very comfortable, British made, and won’t break the bank.
I have wide feet, I'm very fussy about my shoes, as some PBers are aware of.
Senior Tory sources say that Johnson has taken out a commercial loan to repay the money he owes to the party. No 10 refuses to confirm or deny this claim. The ministerial code of conduct stipulates that even bank loans should be registered, to avoid conflicts of interest. The register of ministerial interests has not been updated since July last year.
He could leave in 2022 having guided us thru Brexit
Brexit is a quagmire. It's only getting worse.
You're the Japanese soldier stranded in Papua New Guinea, still fighting the war in the 1974. You refuse to be persuaded to lay down your arms unless you hear it direct from The Emperor.
I am willing to chip in for Barnier to pay you a visit.
A couple of years ago I wore a new pair of shoes to go shopping, to get used to them. A gentleman standing behind me in the queue at the fishmongers commented on them. "Very smart shoes, are they Church's?" To which I replied "No, Samuel Windsor, two pairs for £39."
I still don't see what there is to motivate Labour voters to get off their arse and vote on Thursday.
Tories: gratitude at being jabbed and set free
Labour: ???
Have to say that, from my canvassing, there's not much movement between parties but neither is there a sense of Conservatives feeling highly motivated to turn out.
I have a sense of the past 18 months having been intensely political in one sense, but not intensely PARTY political. As partisans on this site, I think we've missed that a bit. Party politics just hasn't been on many minds.
I'm a core Conservative, and I don't think I've been this apathetic in years.
I have to agree. Minus the first bit. Folk are emotionally drained.
I'd like a really looooooong period of Zero Politics, voter apathy, boring elections, NO REFERENDUMS
Just the usual stale rubbish. Like it used to be, like 2000-2008, or 1985-1990. Or the 9th century, when all you had to worry about was a potential monster in the mere, and the Anglo Saxon kings ruled serenely, justly and apparently forever
If you want that* then the key place to watch for on Thursday is Scotland.
(*we won't get it anyway because both those periods you cite were predicated on a confident West that defined the international order and delivered decent economic growth, with debate on how to best to deploy it/ allocate it rather than existential self-doubt and identity politics)
Sadly, I agree, hence my *poignant* reference to Anglo-Saxon England and the Dark Ages.
The West is in swift relative decline, periods of decline against a rising new superpower (especially one as punchy and culturally confident as China) are rarely peaceful
Expect yet more fireworks. Almost literally. Literally
The thing I find somewhat uncommented on about the refurbishment story, is questioning quite why the (temporary) occupants can implement a total overhaul, just because they don’t like its current decor. Most temporary occupants of flats don’t have the right to do this, so why should the PM? Why be allowed to implement refurbishments designed to last 10-15 years when PMs on average last a lot shorter? Given anyway the generousity of the 30k budget, I don’t see why they should be allowed to spend any more, even if paid for themselves.
Because quite frankly Downing Street is a dump, especially when compared to other houses of world leaders.
It needs constant improvements.
There's a reason PMs regularly decamp to Chequers.
Chevening is the best government residence. It is why I would accept being Foreign Secretary.
Isn't Chevening Johnson's favoured retreat?
I'd house the b******in a towerblock off the Westway. At least the cladding would be replaced a toute vitesse.
Boris Johnson is emulating Churchill's inability to live within his means.
And that to my mind is why I expect he will leave Office sooner rather than later
He can make millions outside the HOC
Although Churchill held on for at least two years (arguably six) longer than he should have done. Eden was getting very impatient with his reluctance to retire and Macmillan actually thought there was a chance the government was drifting to collapse because Churchill’s brain damage from his second stroke was so severe.
Politicians give up power very reluctantly. Am I right in thinking the only Prime Minister in your lifetime who has given it up willingly before it was effectively dragged off him was Wilson in 1976? And arguably, he should have resigned after the debacle of 1970.
Yes indeed but if the comments on his flat as expressed on here tonight are confirmed I cannot see him having any choice
One shouldn't mock, but...
If the scandal of paying for redecorating the Downing Street flat stops BoJo living in the Downing Street flat...
That would be an elegantly absurd ending to an absurd political career.
The bad news is we will have to pay for the god awful gold wallpaper to be replaced. That is reason enough to keep Johnson in post.
He’s going to keep the cameras out of there, handing a tremendous opportunity to his successor if he or she wishes to distance themselves from the clown. The guided tour the press will get will be a Ceaucescu’s gold bath taps moment.
What a day for walking in the English countryside.
Calves and lambs, rabbits and pheasants, deer and alpacas, grebes and ducklings, streams and lakes, ancient hilltop villages and medieval churches, Georgian halls and old stone farmhouses.
If it was in Tuscany or Provence eloi travel writers would be declaring it an earthly paradise.
I still don't see what there is to motivate Labour voters to get off their arse and vote on Thursday.
Tories: gratitude at being jabbed and set free
Labour: ???
Have to say that, from my canvassing, there's not much movement between parties but neither is there a sense of Conservatives feeling highly motivated to turn out.
I have a sense of the past 18 months having been intensely political in one sense, but not intensely PARTY political. As partisans on this site, I think we've missed that a bit. Party politics just hasn't been on many minds.
I'm a core Conservative, and I don't think I've been this apathetic in years.
I have to agree. Minus the first bit. Folk are emotionally drained.
I'd like a really looooooong period of Zero Politics, voter apathy, boring elections, NO REFERENDUMS
Just the usual stale rubbish. Like it used to be, like 2000-2008, or 1985-1990. Or the 9th century, when all you had to worry about was a potential monster in the mere, and the Anglo Saxon kings ruled serenely, justly and apparently forever
If you want that* then the key place to watch for on Thursday is Scotland.
(*we won't get it anyway because both those periods you cite were predicated on a confident West that defined the international order and delivered decent economic growth, with debate on how to best to deploy it/ allocate it rather than existential self-doubt and identity politics)
In the early noughties the Conservatives were still fighting against acknowledging gay people existed.
I think that counts as a bit of identity politics.
Boris Johnson is emulating Churchill's inability to live within his means.
And that to my mind is why I expect he will leave Office sooner rather than later
He can make millions outside the HOC
His memoir will earn him sensational money. A colourful life, a flamboyant career, then PM of the UK for Brexit and Covid, the most interesting period in British history since 1945. AND he writes well, so he doesn't need a ghost
He will make £10m. The US publishers will want it. The French and Germans. Everyone will want it. Might easily be serialised by TV, movies. The Crown Mark 2
Squillions beckon. He could leave in 2022 having guided us thru Brexit and seen off Covid. Job done
How much would the circumstances of his departure affect that?
If he departs as much of a National Hero as he clearly sees himself, that obviously works. But if it's under a cloud, or a pile of wallpaper or something... It's still a damn good story, but will he be a harder sell? I dunno. I can imagine that there will be a hefty chunk who love him even more for being brought down by nonentities. A bit like happened to Maggie.
The Conservative lead over Labour has narrowed sharply with five days to go until the local elections on Thursday, as the furore over Boris Johnson’s flat refurbishment starts to cut through.
An exclusive poll for The Sunday Times shows a slump in support for the Tories after a turbulent week for the prime minister, who is facing a string of sleaze allegations. Labour is now on 39 per cent, one point behind the Tories on 40 per cent.
More worrying for the Conservative Party is that Johnson is losing his grip on the “red wall” seats that propelled him to power. According to the poll, Labour has pushed ahead of the Tories and now leads in the party’s former heartlands in the Midlands and the north of England. In the 43 “red wall” seats that the Conservatives won at the last election, Sir Keir Starmer’s party is on 45 per cent, with the Tories on 44 per cent.
Carrie Antoinette really has damaged Boris Johnson.
I'm not sure it's Carrie. Who givea a fuck about wallpaper paid for by Boris OR Tories OR anonymous donors
If he's been damaged it is surely "pile the bodies high"
It’s both. Getting a favour for a gazillionaire chum, shitting on one of the UKs aspirational brands as not good enough for him. Clearly not caring about ordinary folk.
It’s one of the worse thing you can be today, he’s out of touch elite
Yes, probably. I'm not in the demographic that will be offended by the wallpaper, he's a rich London elitist, this is what they do, I know them, I have quite a few friends like this, meh
But maybe I underestimated the impact on hoi polloi
I do think the dead bodies thing has hurt him. Yes Lockdown-skeptics will love it, but a lot of ordinary *folk* will see a callous remark from an uncaring man. It really wasn't good. Hence his avowed denial
All I'll offer is tonight's polls are the clearest signs the country has moved on from Covid.
For many, the pandemic is over due to vaccinations and it may be (and you see it on here), there's an almost febrile desire to put the last 14 months into a box, put it in the basement and never open it again.
Life may well be for living, as someone once said, but that means politics also goes back to the more mundane and away from virus-related matters. It's little surprise that is less favourable to the Government - memories are short and gratitude fleeting.
I wouldn't be surprised if you were right, considering how quickly the 1918-19 flu was 'forgotten' and almost airbrushed out of memory, literature, etc.
Difference this time - and a big one - is the absence of a world war.
The shock, trauma of WW1 was impossible to ignore or forget for those who lived & survived it, and it impact continues to echo in modern memory. It effectively swamped the shock & trauma of the Spanish Flu, which was seen as a wretched coda to a horrible era.
In our time, right now, nothing over-shadowing COVID-19. For that reason, think it will have more resonance after this pandemic has run its course.
The reason the wallpaper cuts through is the “one rule for them” feeling.
Except in this case it's more like "hundreds of rules for them" that are incomprehensible to normal people and have no real equivalent in the way other world leaders live.
What a day for walking in the English countryside.
Calves and lambs, rabbits and pheasants, deer and alpacas, grebes and ducklings, streams and lakes, ancient hilltop villages and medieval churches, Georgian halls and old stone farmhouses.
If it was in Tuscany or Provence eloi travel writers would be declaring it an earthly paradise.
But it wasn't, it was just off the M18.
Barnsley was once described (by a regeneration company PR, I think) as “like a Tuscan hill town”.
Boris Johnson is emulating Churchill's inability to live within his means.
And that to my mind is why I expect he will leave Office sooner rather than later
He can make millions outside the HOC
His memoir will earn him sensational money. A colourful life, a flamboyant career, then PM of the UK for Brexit and Covid, the most interesting period in British history since 1945. AND he writes well, so he doesn't need a ghost
He will make £10m. The US publishers will want it. The French and Germans. Everyone will want it. Might easily be serialised by TV, movies. The Crown Mark 2
Squillions beckon. He could leave in 2022 having guided us thru Brexit and seen off Covid. Job done
How much would the circumstances of his departure affect that?
If he departs as much of a National Hero as he clearly sees himself, that obviously works. But if it's under a cloud, or a pile of wallpaper or something... It's still a damn good story, but will he be a harder sell? I dunno. I can imagine that there will be a hefty chunk who love him even more for being brought down by nonentities. A bit like happened to Maggie.
Suspect he'll sell more books in USA as a colorful con-job than as a semi-successful statesman.
What a day for walking in the English countryside.
Calves and lambs, rabbits and pheasants, deer and alpacas, grebes and ducklings, streams and lakes, ancient hilltop villages and medieval churches, Georgian halls and old stone farmhouses.
If it was in Tuscany or Provence eloi travel writers would be declaring it an earthly paradise.
But it wasn't, it was just off the M18.
Barnsley was once described (by a regeneration company PR, I think) as “like a Tuscan hill town”.
Data not dates is the slogan. Dates not data is the strategy.
It comes to mind that if Boris wants to change the media narrative then bringing forward the May 17th easing by a week would be an idea.
It helps that it would be the right thing to do.
The scientists trumpeted the “cautious” five week gap between stages on the back of the near “certainty” that cases would rise - but we needed to see impact on hospitalisation/deaths. Well they were wrong and cases haven’t risen. So we should really already be moving to the next stage (which was always going to be the more informative one)
What a day for walking in the English countryside.
Calves and lambs, rabbits and pheasants, deer and alpacas, grebes and ducklings, streams and lakes, ancient hilltop villages and medieval churches, Georgian halls and old stone farmhouses.
If it was in Tuscany or Provence eloi travel writers would be declaring it an earthly paradise.
But it wasn't, it was just off the M18.
There were goslings on the Staffs and Worcs Canal when I cycled along it earlier.
Never seen so many pheasants and deer about. Or ravens and songbirds, for the matter of that. I’m wondering if with traffic reduced in recent months fewer have been killed on the roads, or whether it’s just that a mild, moist summer and early autumn has been good for numbers.
The reason the wallpaper cuts through is the “one rule for them” feeling.
Except in this case it's more like "hundreds of rules for them" that are incomprehensible to normal people and have no real equivalent in the way other world leaders live.
It’s pretty simple.
Declare donations and loans. Don’t get above your station, you are only “first among equals”.
I’d rather the system we have (had?) than found ourselves with pompous Macron-like figures.
Boris Johnson has told friends he needs £300,000 a year to stay afloat
Don't we all?
I wonder how his divorce settlements work? Could see how he’s in trouble if he has to provide ongoing funds, and possibly at a level consistent with his previous earning levels...
Senior Conservatives say donors have been approached about funding other aspects of the couple’s lifestyle. A prominent MP received a complaint from a Tory donor that they were asked to foot the bill for a nanny for Wilfred, Johnson’s son with Symonds, who turned one last week. The donor is alleged to have said: “I don’t mind paying for leaflets but I resent being asked to pay to literally wipe the prime minister’s baby’s bottom.”
He cannot possibly have been so stupid, can he? I get all the stuff about who you hang out with, and he will judge against the super rich, and his divorces etc, but his past earnings and salary are enough to live on very comfortably, why is he so bloody skint?.
He's not very good with money plus his divorces and child support costs him, and his ex wife took him to the cleaners.
Friends say Johnson rarely spends money on himself and is often careless with his financial affairs. “He was often the sort of person who would forget to pay at the end of a meal or would leave lots of money on the table and then forget to pick up the change,” said one former aide. He once left a tip for a hairdresser in euros not pounds, to her dismay. Johnson’s one indulgence is a pair of Church’s shoes, which can cost £750. However, they were often full of holes, according to friends, because he used them to brake as he rode around London on his bike.
“He gives a lot of control over his affairs to staff in his office, including his tax return, which is why it sometimes blows up in his face,” the former aide said.
Johnson has been reprimanded in the past for failing to register financial interests in parliament as required. The concern in No 10 is that the commissioner for standards, who is considering whether to investigate the redecoration of the flat, in addition to the inquiry into the Mustique holiday, could recommend that he is suspended from the Commons.
Senior Conservatives say donors have been approached about funding other aspects of the couple’s lifestyle. A prominent MP received a complaint from a Tory donor that they were asked to foot the bill for a nanny for Wilfred, Johnson’s son with Symonds, who turned one last week. The donor is alleged to have said: “I don’t mind paying for leaflets but I resent being asked to pay to literally wipe the prime minister’s baby’s bottom.”
He cannot possibly have been so stupid, can he? I get all the stuff about who you hang out with, and he will judge against the super rich, and his divorces etc, but his past earnings and salary are enough to live on very comfortably, why is he so bloody skint?.
He's not very good with money plus his divorces and child support costs him, and his ex wife took him to the cleaners.
Friends say Johnson rarely spends money on himself and is often careless with his financial affairs. “He was often the sort of person who would forget to pay at the end of a meal or would leave lots of money on the table and then forget to pick up the change,” said one former aide. He once left a tip for a hairdresser in euros not pounds, to her dismay. Johnson’s one indulgence is a pair of Church’s shoes, which can cost £750. However, they were often full of holes, according to friends, because he used them to brake as he rode around London on his bike.
“He gives a lot of control over his affairs to staff in his office, including his tax return, which is why it sometimes blows up in his face,” the former aide said.
Johnson has been reprimanded in the past for failing to register financial interests in parliament as required. The concern in No 10 is that the commissioner for standards, who is considering whether to investigate the redecoration of the flat, in addition to the inquiry into the Mustique holiday, could recommend that he is suspended from the Commons.
Church’s have only been priced “up to £750” very recently as part of a brand positioning exercise by the owners, Prada.
I'm more of a Louis Vuitton and Gucci shoes kinda guy.
Crockett and Jones brogues are well designed, very comfortable, British made, and won’t break the bank.
I have wide feet, I'm very fussy about my shoes, as some PBers are aware of.
I also have wide feet. Too much walking around barefoot as a child in NZ.
Get thee to Crockett & Jones.
Allow me to put in a plug for Ecco shoes. Only brand yours truly has worn for decades.
The Conservative lead over Labour has narrowed sharply with five days to go until the local elections on Thursday, as the furore over Boris Johnson’s flat refurbishment starts to cut through.
An exclusive poll for The Sunday Times shows a slump in support for the Tories after a turbulent week for the prime minister, who is facing a string of sleaze allegations. Labour is now on 39 per cent, one point behind the Tories on 40 per cent.
More worrying for the Conservative Party is that Johnson is losing his grip on the “red wall” seats that propelled him to power. According to the poll, Labour has pushed ahead of the Tories and now leads in the party’s former heartlands in the Midlands and the north of England. In the 43 “red wall” seats that the Conservatives won at the last election, Sir Keir Starmer’s party is on 45 per cent, with the Tories on 44 per cent.
Carrie Antoinette really has damaged Boris Johnson.
I'm not sure it's Carrie. Who givea a fuck about wallpaper paid for by Boris OR Tories OR anonymous donors
If he's been damaged it is surely "pile the bodies high"
It’s both. Getting a favour for a gazillionaire chum, shitting on one of the UKs aspirational brands as not good enough for him. Clearly not caring about ordinary folk.
It’s one of the worse thing you can be today, he’s out of touch elite
Yes, probably. I'm not in the demographic that will be offended by the wallpaper, he's a rich London elitist, this is what they do, I know them, I have quite a few friends like this, meh
But maybe I underestimated the impact on hoi polloi
I do think the dead bodies thing has hurt him. Yes Lockdown-skeptics will love it, but a lot of ordinary *folk* will see a callous remark from an uncaring man. It really wasn't good. Hence his avowed denial
That was callous. No too ways about it. The problem is that it resonates with the other story.
My read is politically you can get away with being rich or posh, but if you start looking down on people you’re toast. He crossed that line.
Johnson is toast. The wallpaper ‘scandal’ will finish him off.
Hmm. Had you down as a fanboi.
I think he’ll ride this out, but be severely dented.
That term fanboi !!
I’ve never voted Tory in my life. Voted labour in 2019 and every general election back to 1983.
I just don’t believe in judging him guilty without proof. I also don’t really like labour at the moment,mit is devoid of any ideas and any talent. The top team is a waste of space. They can only win on the weakness of their opponents. New labour had a vision.
If he’s dented he’ll limp on until he is put out of his misery.
Boris Johnson is emulating Churchill's inability to live within his means.
And that to my mind is why I expect he will leave Office sooner rather than later
He can make millions outside the HOC
His memoir will earn him sensational money. A colourful life, a flamboyant career, then PM of the UK for Brexit and Covid, the most interesting period in British history since 1945. AND he writes well, so he doesn't need a ghost
He will make £10m. The US publishers will want it. The French and Germans. Everyone will want it. Might easily be serialised by TV, movies. The Crown Mark 2
Squillions beckon. He could leave in 2022 having guided us thru Brexit and seen off Covid. Job done
How much would the circumstances of his departure affect that?
If he departs as much of a National Hero as he clearly sees himself, that obviously works. But if it's under a cloud, or a pile of wallpaper or something... It's still a damn good story, but will he be a harder sell? I dunno. I can imagine that there will be a hefty chunk who love him even more for being brought down by nonentities. A bit like happened to Maggie.
Suspect he'll sell more books in USA as a colorful con-job than as a semi-successful statesman.
Boris will make a fortune on the stand-up circuit.
He is widely known as a figure of fun and a great British “eccentric”, in the manner of Benny Hill.
Boris Johnson is emulating Churchill's inability to live within his means.
And that to my mind is why I expect he will leave Office sooner rather than later
He can make millions outside the HOC
His memoir will earn him sensational money. A colourful life, a flamboyant career, then PM of the UK for Brexit and Covid, the most interesting period in British history since 1945. AND he writes well, so he doesn't need a ghost
He will make £10m. The US publishers will want it. The French and Germans. Everyone will want it. Might easily be serialised by TV, movies. The Crown Mark 2
Squillions beckon. He could leave in 2022 having guided us thru Brexit and seen off Covid. Job done
How much would the circumstances of his departure affect that?
If he departs as much of a National Hero as he clearly sees himself, that obviously works. But if it's under a cloud, or a pile of wallpaper or something... It's still a damn good story, but will he be a harder sell? I dunno. I can imagine that there will be a hefty chunk who love him even more for being brought down by nonentities. A bit like happened to Maggie.
Nah, this won't affect it at all
He has a story to tell - which he can write very well - like no other UK politician for many decades
Ten million, easily
1 million from a UK publisher, 5 million from the US, the rest will come from non-Anglo countries. Because he was there for Brexit and Covid, people will want to read it around the world. I will
ESPECIALLY if he promises to be indiscreet and candid. Which, of course, he will. That's his metier
Senior Conservatives say donors have been approached about funding other aspects of the couple’s lifestyle. A prominent MP received a complaint from a Tory donor that they were asked to foot the bill for a nanny for Wilfred, Johnson’s son with Symonds, who turned one last week. The donor is alleged to have said: “I don’t mind paying for leaflets but I resent being asked to pay to literally wipe the prime minister’s baby’s bottom.”
He cannot possibly have been so stupid, can he? I get all the stuff about who you hang out with, and he will judge against the super rich, and his divorces etc, but his past earnings and salary are enough to live on very comfortably, why is he so bloody skint?.
He's not very good with money plus his divorces and child support costs him, and his ex wife took him to the cleaners.
Friends say Johnson rarely spends money on himself and is often careless with his financial affairs. “He was often the sort of person who would forget to pay at the end of a meal or would leave lots of money on the table and then forget to pick up the change,” said one former aide. He once left a tip for a hairdresser in euros not pounds, to her dismay. Johnson’s one indulgence is a pair of Church’s shoes, which can cost £750. However, they were often full of holes, according to friends, because he used them to brake as he rode around London on his bike.
“He gives a lot of control over his affairs to staff in his office, including his tax return, which is why it sometimes blows up in his face,” the former aide said.
Johnson has been reprimanded in the past for failing to register financial interests in parliament as required. The concern in No 10 is that the commissioner for standards, who is considering whether to investigate the redecoration of the flat, in addition to the inquiry into the Mustique holiday, could recommend that he is suspended from the Commons.
Church’s have only been priced “up to £750” very recently as part of a brand positioning exercise by the owners, Prada.
I'm more of a Louis Vuitton and Gucci shoes kinda guy.
As a man of the left, and a friend of British craftsmen, a shoe has to come from Nothamptonshire. I used to favour Grenson although they are a bit too groovy for me now. My favoured leisure shoe is a blue suede desert boot from John White. I have never had a pair of Dr Martens. Remember, when out shopping, never confuse John Whites with Dr Martens, John Martens etc....
Johnson is toast. The wallpaper ‘scandal’ will finish him off.
Hmm. Had you down as a fanboi.
I think he’ll ride this out, but be severely dented.
That term fanboi !!
I’ve never voted Tory in my life. Voted labour in 2019 and every general election back to 1983.
I just don’t believe in judging him guilty without proof. I also don’t really like labour at the moment,mit is devoid of any ideas and any talent. The top team is a waste of space. They can only win on the weakness of their opponents. New labour had a vision.
If he’s dented he’ll limp on until he is put out of his misery.
I agree, but it really pisses me off that people on here hold Keir to a much higher standard than someone who is basically a crooked clown.
I think what would really hurt Johnson is him moaning about not having enough money. This really will go down like a bucket of sick with most of the public .
Johnson is toast. The wallpaper ‘scandal’ will finish him off.
Hmm. Had you down as a fanboi.
I think he’ll ride this out, but be severely dented.
That term fanboi !!
I’ve never voted Tory in my life. Voted labour in 2019 and every general election back to 1983.
I just don’t believe in judging him guilty without proof. I also don’t really like labour at the moment,mit is devoid of any ideas and any talent. The top team is a waste of space. They can only win on the weakness of their opponents. New labour had a vision.
If he’s dented he’ll limp on until he is put out of his misery.
I agree, but it really pisses me off that people on here hold Keir to a much higher standard than someone who is basically a crooked clown.
I wonder if Carrie will find her influence somewhat diminished.
No bad thing in my view.
The Boris government seems a bit more like a court than governments tend to or should.
So if Carrie is on the out who will get more opportunity to be the 'evil advisor'.
I must say I dislike the consistent pattern that any PM's advisers become a target for people frustrated with the PM but unwilling to attack directly. It happened with the advisers to Cameron, May and Blair too. Some of the stuff about Symonds verges on the misogynistic.
What a day for walking in the English countryside.
Calves and lambs, rabbits and pheasants, deer and alpacas, grebes and ducklings, streams and lakes, ancient hilltop villages and medieval churches, Georgian halls and old stone farmhouses.
If it was in Tuscany or Provence eloi travel writers would be declaring it an earthly paradise.
But it wasn't, it was just off the M18.
Barnsley was once described (by a regeneration company PR, I think) as “like a Tuscan hill town”.
It produced a certain level of ridicule in the rest of Yorkshire.
Comments
This, however, is on a cold almost-wintry evening.
May 17th just about coincides with the first predicted good spell of warm, sunny weather. The country might EXPLODE
Everyone's minds is now on the bank holiday weekend and their families. It makes the headlines on Tuesday and Wednesday next week fairly crucial for the Tories.
If I were the Government I'd be trying to ride the Sundays and knock any further revelations out through big headline capturing announcements on those two days.
Surely it’s at least one step up for the usual arse lickers ?
Just the usual stale rubbish. Like it used to be, like 2000-2008, or 1985-1990. Or the 9th century, when all you had to worry about was a potential monster in the mere, and the Anglo Saxon kings ruled serenely, justly and apparently forever
If the scandal of paying for redecorating the Downing Street flat stops BoJo living in the Downing Street flat...
That would be an elegantly absurd ending to an absurd political career.
- there is nothing to see here, move on
- there’s nothing to see, and no one cares
- Boris is a liar, but who cares cos he polls well
What an absolute shower.
Cummings hasn’t even warmed up.
Friends say Johnson rarely spends money on himself and is often careless with his financial affairs. “He was often the sort of person who would forget to pay at the end of a meal or would leave lots of money on the table and then forget to pick up the change,” said one former aide. He once left a tip for a hairdresser in euros not pounds, to her dismay. Johnson’s one indulgence is a pair of Church’s shoes, which can cost £750. However, they were often full of holes, according to friends, because he used them to brake as he rode around London on his bike.
“He gives a lot of control over his affairs to staff in his office, including his tax return, which is why it sometimes blows up in his face,” the former aide said.
Johnson has been reprimanded in the past for failing to register financial interests in parliament as required. The concern in No 10 is that the commissioner for standards, who is considering whether to investigate the redecoration of the flat, in addition to the inquiry into the Mustique holiday, could recommend that he is suspended from the Commons.
Princess Nut Nut much much better, because it's meaningless to about 95% of The Great British Public. Whereas maybe 85% will pick up on Carrie Antoinette.
Even true-blue Tories will have a wee chuckle.
India reports 3,684 new coronavirus deaths, the biggest one-day increase on record, and 392,459 new cases
If he's been damaged it is surely "pile the bodies high"
(*we won't get it anyway because both those periods you cite were predicated on a confident West that defined the international order and delivered decent economic growth, with debate on how to best to deploy it/ allocate it rather than existential self-doubt and identity politics)
ConHome’s Cabinet League Table. Johnson’s rating falls by almost 30 points into the bottom third
This is much the same panel that gave Boris Johnson a 93 per cent approval rating after the last general election…
…And that gave him a minus ten point negative rating last October, when there seemed to be no way out of a cycle of lockdowns and loosenings.
He is down from sixth, with a score of 61, to nineteenth, with one of 34 – and into the bottom third of the table. There is little movement elsewhere in terms of scores. Liz Truss is top for a fifth month running.
Which suggests that the Prime Minister has done something in particular to disturb activists, and the most straigtforward explanation is his conduct over the Downing Street flat.
Our best guess is that Party members think he’s done nothing wrong, but aren’t convinced that an expensive makeover of the flat was necessary, and think that neither Johnson nor Carrie Symonds should be offering hostages to fortune.
https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2021/05/our-cabinet-league-table-johnsons-rating-falls-by-30-points-into-the-bottom-third.html
What POTUS 3 actually said (or rather wrote) was, "if a due participation of office is a matter of right, how are vacancies to be obtained? those by death are few. by resignation none." (1801, letter to New Haven, Connecticut merchants)
https://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/few-die-none-resign-spurious-quotation
It’s one of the worse thing you can be today, he’s out of touch elite
Why the PM didn't answer the questions.
And why SKS kept asking them.
“Bodies piling high” may shock some, but most would construe it as extreme exasperation; allowable in the circs.
I'd make sure it was functional, comfortable and adequate for my needs - with a few portable personal touches but no more than that - and I'd save myself for my permanent home afterwards.
He will make £10m. The US publishers will want it. The French and Germans. Everyone will want it. Might easily be serialised by TV, movies. The Crown Mark 2
Squillions beckon. He could leave in 2022 having guided us thru Brexit and seen off Covid. Job done
It needs constant improvements.
There's a reason PMs regularly decamp to Chequers.
Chevening is the best government residence. It is why I would accept being Foreign Secretary.
Evens he’ll be gone by September?
Whadduya say?
Kudos to the driver
As AC/DC would say "he's got big balls"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAvqDF3Wujc&t=155s
The terrorists over the years had such an impact by making sure those gates were erected. In the 50s and 60s he PM could easily go out and take in a show or have a meal. You know, be human.
https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/
Data not dates is the slogan.
Dates not data is the strategy.
It comes to mind that if Boris wants to change the media narrative then bringing forward the May 17th easing by a week would be an idea.
It helps that it would be the right thing to do.
Too much walking around barefoot as a child in NZ.
Get thee to Crockett & Jones.
I am willing to chip in for Barnier to pay you a visit.
Had you down as a fanboi.
I think he’ll ride this out, but be severely dented.
The West is in swift relative decline, periods of decline against a rising new superpower (especially one as punchy and culturally confident as China) are rarely peaceful
Expect yet more fireworks. Almost literally. Literally
One day you will see it too.
I'd house the b******in a towerblock off the Westway. At least the cladding would be replaced a toute vitesse.
What a day for walking in the English countryside.
Calves and lambs, rabbits and pheasants, deer and alpacas, grebes and ducklings, streams and lakes, ancient hilltop villages and medieval churches, Georgian halls and old stone farmhouses.
If it was in Tuscany or Provence eloi travel writers would be declaring it an earthly paradise.
But it wasn't, it was just off the M18.
Did you know that British prime ministers are expected to pay for their own food?
But you can help, with @TheCriticMag charity appeal... https://thecritic.co.uk/boris-relief-the-tory-telethon-youve-been-waiting-for/ https://twitter.com/RobDotHutton/status/1388571621913513987/photo/1
I think that counts as a bit of identity politics.
If he departs as much of a National Hero as he clearly sees himself, that obviously works. But if it's under a cloud, or a pile of wallpaper or something... It's still a damn good story, but will he be a harder sell? I dunno. I can imagine that there will be a hefty chunk who love him even more for being brought down by nonentities. A bit like happened to Maggie.
But maybe I underestimated the impact on hoi polloi
I do think the dead bodies thing has hurt him. Yes Lockdown-skeptics will love it, but a lot of ordinary *folk* will see a callous remark from an uncaring man. It really wasn't good. Hence his avowed denial
The shock, trauma of WW1 was impossible to ignore or forget for those who lived & survived it, and it impact continues to echo in modern memory. It effectively swamped the shock & trauma of the Spanish Flu, which was seen as a wretched coda to a horrible era.
In our time, right now, nothing over-shadowing COVID-19. For that reason, think it will have more resonance after this pandemic has run its course.
No bad thing in my view.
The Boris government seems a bit more like a court than governments tend to or should.
So if Carrie is on the out who will get more opportunity to be the 'evil advisor'.
https://twitter.com/PoliticsForAlI/status/1388543057965064198
Boris Johnson has told friends he needs £300,000 a year to stay afloat
The very definition of the sublime to the ridiculous.
Never seen so many pheasants and deer about. Or ravens and songbirds, for the matter of that. I’m wondering if with traffic reduced in recent months fewer have been killed on the roads, or whether it’s just that a mild, moist summer and early autumn has been good for numbers.
He nailed the top job, won a big majority, destroyed Corbyn, so: leave now for amazing money in a private life? Must be very very tempting
He has a new little boy to look after, as well
I think it's a good idea, and great electioneering.
Declare donations and loans.
Don’t get above your station, you are only “first among equals”.
I’d rather the system we have (had?) than found ourselves with pompous Macron-like figures.
For a Boris haircut ???
My read is politically you can get away with being rich or posh, but if you start looking down on people you’re toast. He crossed that line.
I’ve never voted Tory in my life. Voted labour in 2019 and every general election back to 1983.
I just don’t believe in judging him guilty without proof. I also don’t really like labour at the moment,mit is devoid of any ideas and any talent. The top team is a waste of space. They can only win on the weakness of their opponents. New labour had a vision.
If he’s dented he’ll limp on until he is put out of his misery.
He is widely known as a figure of fun and a great British “eccentric”, in the manner of Benny Hill.
As a serious politico? No.
But the government has been babbling about third waves (which we've already had), downplaying the vaccine effect and preaching caution.
He has a story to tell - which he can write very well - like no other UK politician for many decades
Ten million, easily
1 million from a UK publisher, 5 million from the US, the rest will come from non-Anglo countries. Because he was there for Brexit and Covid, people will want to read it around the world. I will
ESPECIALLY if he promises to be indiscreet and candid. Which, of course, he will. That's his metier
🚨 | BREAKING: The UK government is building a new £200 million ship and naming it after Prince Phillip
Via @Telegraph
£200m ???!!!
I’m not stumping up for the tele’s paywall. Is this taxpayers cash, presumably?
Poverty for larger families has shot through the roof.