Boris Johnson has had some low moments as Britain’s prime minister, but last week, surely, will take some beating.
As “partygate” revelations threatened to overwhelm his administration, he tried first to convince parliament that he had wandered unwittingly into a “bring your own booze” party in the Downing Street garden. By Friday he was apologising to the Queen after it emerged No 10 staff had held a drunken leaving do on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral.
Toby Helm reflects on a crisis from which few believe the prime minister can escape. There’s a look at the Tory runners and riders manoeuvring to replace Johnson – and John Harris explains why whoever may follow could prove much worse for the UK.
Then, on the Opinion pages, the actor Rory Kinnear recalls the heart-wrenching experience of his sister’s lockdown funeral, held on the day of one of the most notorious parties – a vivid reminder of why the scandal has caused such anger.
Across the Atlantic, Joe Biden last week marked an eventful first year in the White House. How has he got on? Lauren Gambino and David Smith mark the US president’s report card in key areas such as climate, economy and social justice.
In Kyiv, Luke Harding finds a mood of resignation among Ukrainians about the threat of conflict with Russia, with the city’s professional classes, from actors to lawyers, preparing to take up arms against Vladimir Putin’s massing troops. Following a week of seemingly fruitless diplomatic manoeuvring, Julian Borger weighs up the diminishing prospects of averting war.
In the features section, the French-Israeli film-maker Roy Cohen writes movingly about his childhood friendship with a Palestinian activist who was subsequently killed. Then, Oliver Milman takes an alarming look at the damage the climate crisis is inflicting on the world’s insect population.
