Conservative MPs have their public reasons why Boris Johnson should not resign after his fine for breaches of lockdown regulations, and also private motives for wanting him to stay in office. There is not much overlap between the two. Both discredit the party and degrade British democracy.
The official lines are that Mr Johnson has apologised for an accidental misdemeanour, that he has reformed his Downing Street operation and that his leadership is indispensable given the fact of war in Ukraine. The first of those defences is meaningless, the second is untrue and the third is repugnant.
The word “sorry” has no value issued from Mr Johnson’s mouth. Disregard for truth is the core of his misdeeds. He misled parliament – a resigning matter in itself if the ministerial code is properly followed – and now tries to wriggle his way off the hook. Sincere apology is not in his repertoire.
On reforming Downing Street, he cannot change the culture of rule-breaking and indiscipline since he is its progenitor. The only reform that would make a difference is his departure.
As for Ukraine, the arrogation of that country’s torment as a device to protect a prime minister who is not himself at war is beyond cynical. There is no reason to suppose that Mr Johnson is the only person capable of managing an international crisis, and good reason to think that a leader who obeys the law might manage the crisis better. Such a person would have more moral authority to make the principled case in defence of democracy.
It is revealing that most Tory MPs seem to think no such person exists on their benches. The absence of a successor is one reason they really want Mr Johnson to stay. Rishi Sunak’s prospects are ruined by his embroilment in the partygate scandal, coming on top of awkward revelations about his family’s tax arrangements and a botched spring financial statement. No other candidate has the courage to incite regicide.
A second factor is local elections next month. Conservatives are waiting to see what polling damage is done by their leader’s turpitude before deciding whether to jettison him.
Plenty of Tories think Mr Johnson is unfit to hold his office. Many were saying it aloud earlier this year. They might now camouflage their qualms in credulous claims about their leader’s capacity for contrition, or bury them in bogus arguments about an international emergency, but no one is fooled. The self-serving, tactical calculation is too obvious. The attempt to dress it as anything nobler insults the public. It is an affront to everyone who obeyed the lockdown rules and who made sacrifices on an understanding of shared national interest and communal solidarity – values that the prime minister can invoke for theatrical effect, but not comprehend.
In the absence of a general election, it falls to Conservative MPs to attempt a restoration of propriety and decency to Downing Street. They might give any range of excuses for not doing it, but the true reason, plain for all to see, is that they prefer to prolong a reign of ethical dereliction.
