Can Boris Johnson bear it?

Corruption issues, broken election promises and the Corona parties on Downing Street have significantly increased the pressure on the British Prime Minister. Criticism of Johnson is growing even from our own teams. Potential heirs are already warming up.

While this may seem unbelievable: the corona variant seems to save the work of Omigron Boris Johnson. The British Prime Minister shows himself to be a survivor once again at the beginning of the year.

A moment ago, the head of government seemed to have struck an impasse. Johnson was “snooker” and had no choice, the internet portal “Politico” recently quoted a top member of the Conservative Party.

But there is currently no talk. This is because, despite the rapid spread of Omigrans, Johnson’s strict corona rules are obviously correct. Although Omigran is highly contagious, the course of the disease is apparently milder than feared. Conservative media and politicians immediately cheered that the New Year celebration was guaranteed. Opposition parties do not seem to mind. In addition, the holiday season confirms that many of the scandals surrounding Downing Street are currently being ignored. This sounds like a classic “luck” to Johnson.

But the silence is deceptive. This is because the Prime Minister is still under considerable pressure even after two years in office. And above all in our own order. Johnson was officially counted as the latest when his Tories lost their parliamentary seat in their stronghold of North Shropshire for the first time in a mid-December by-election nearly 200 years later. “One more prank and I think it’s over,” said Roger Call, Tory’s senior. And broadcaster Sky News quoted an “ex-partner” Johnson as saying: “He used eight of his nine lives.”

A long list of charges

The list of allegations is long, and many commentators are wondering why Johnson is still in office. There have been a number of scandals and campaign scandals by Tory MPs, which Johnson defended. Funding for luxury restoration by wealthy donors at Johnson’s official residence is questionable, and there is no adequate answer yet. Most importantly, the British were outraged by the number of Christmas celebrations on Downing Street and other government buildings, while other parts of the country were locked out by 2020.

However, the greatest danger lurks within their own ranks: when Johnson wanted to tighten the corona rules so drastically he had to trust the votes of the opposition – almost 100 Tories voted against him in the House of Commons. The signal was clear: not so far and not above. The recent resignation of Brexit Minister David Frost due to the Corona rift is another blow to Johnson. His popularity ratings are at a low point with a clock ticking, conservative base. It is not a question of whether Johnson will lose office, but when, well-connected BBC correspondent Laura Queensberg commented. The British media are already openly discussing possible successors.

Two cabinet members in particular are up for debate: first, there is Treasury Secretary Rishi Sunak, who is said to be at odds with Johnson. The 41-year-old, who came to power just before the outbreak, was praised for his crisis management. Disadvantage: The rich former investment banker is not considered a man of the people.

Negotiations act like a landmine

Favorite is Foreign Minister Liz Dres, currently the Tory site’s biggest darling. The 46-year-old, who was only promoted by the Ministry of Commerce in September, knows how to put himself in the spotlight. In the first six weeks of his tenure, more photos of him than any other cabinet member were posted on the government’s Flickr page. And is actively involved in protecting Truss supporters, and often meets influential donors for dinner, according to media reports. Disadvantage: After Frost’s resignation, Truss was responsible for the difficult relations with the EU. Negotiations often seem like landmines.

But Johnson is still in the lead. So far, neither Sunak nor Truss has come up with big ideas. But stimuli are urgently needed. Because Johnson was accused of not knowing the answers to the stressful questions. Poverty, rising energy costs, widespread inflation – Johnson, the most liberal Tory, allows the market to run and create resentment among people with financial burdens. Brexit, which Johnson promised to implement, was indebted to him for his landslide election victory in 2019, which has long been suspended as a campaign issue. On the contrary, the government is making a serious effort to reject many of the obvious disadvantages of leaving the EU.

Hold on now Corona and successful British vaccine campaign Incumbent Prime Minister. But as Johnson still explodes with power in the fall, doubts are growing as to whether he will survive until the end of his tenure in office in 2024. A strategy cannot be implemented without a strategist, commented Johnson’s newspaper Telegraph in December: risk is underestimated, miscalculations are made and orientation is lost.

dpa / shop