- Clashes with Brussels on account of 'Brexit' also persist around the British Prime Minister.
- The British government has been heavily criticized for its handling of the pandemic.
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| British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at his Downing Street residence. |
Boris Johnson came to power with the main task of culminating in a Brexit that abruptly ended Theresa May's term. The roadmap of the first journalist and then mayor of London, before occupying the Foreign Ministry, was that there be an exit of the United Kingdom from the EU, yes or yes. It hardly mattered how. From those beginnings, still going through the best electoral result in 40 years, Johnson's mandate has been (and is) plagued by crises that he has had to overcome until he is very worn out. He remains in power, but he accumulates problems and, for many experts, his time in Downing Street is near the end.
The 'Brexit', the eternal problem
The United Kingdom's divorce from the European Union is a never-ending story. May could not endorse the agreement negotiated with Brussels and it had to be Johnson who sat down at the table to sign a pact that later obtained the approval of the House of Commons. The objective of the Tories was achieved. And it was precisely this success requested by the Conservatives that led Johnson to reach an absolute majority in Parliament in 2019. He still maintains it, and despite the internal division in the party, he leans on it so as not to have to resign.
But the relationship with the EU is becoming more complex instead of stabilizing. Two recent crises testify to this: for example, the British government has postponed three times the customs controls that it has to impose in Northern Ireland by law. They should have entered into force on January 1, 2021, and after several postponements, they were expected to enter into force on July 1, 2022, but the Executive assured that it will not install them "until the end of 2023".
At the time, Brussels threatened to open a file in London for these events, although as a show of goodwill it froze the procedure. Throughout these years, Johnson has changed his 'visible head' numerous times in the negotiations with the Union: David Frost repeated it on several occasions, but names of the hardest line have also appeared, such as Michael Gove or the current representative of Foreign Affairs, Liz Truss, who also sounds strong as a substitute for Johnson himself in case he falls.
The straw that broke the camel's back in the London-Brussels tensions was Downing Street's announcement of approving legislation to modify the Irish Protocol, one of the great pillars of the Brexit agreement. It establishes that, since there can be no border between the two Irelands so as not to breach the Good Friday Agreements that brought peace to the island, it is the United Kingdom that establishes those controls in Northern Ireland. The new regulation foresees not having them and also separates from the CJEU as the competent body to resolve disputes between Brussels and London. The EU's response, once again, has been the opening of a file... which could be resolved with a multi-million dollar fine.
The 'partygate' has him cornered
But Johnson has also generated a crisis that was avoidable: the partygate. This is the case that refers to the parties held in Downing Street during the hardest part of the Covid confinement. In some of them was the Prime Minister himself, who has even been fined for it. The conclusions of the parliamentary investigation are still pending, which could put the premier in another bind, but, meanwhile, in Downing Street, they have decided to run a thick veil.
The reality is that the partygate report is devastating to Johnson, despite the fact that he has insisted over and over again that he does not intend to resign. "The highest level leaders, both politically and administratively, must take responsibility for this culture," says Sue Gray, in charge of the investigation, referring to parties and alcohol.
The investigation encompassed around twenty parties, although images continue to emerge with the passing of days, and Gray's conclusions are devastating. "Some of the behaviors described are inexcusable, but it is important to point out that the majority of junior employees attended these events because their superiors were present, or had even organized them directly," it includes, speaking of "lack of respect and decorum " with Downing Street staff. In such a complicated scenario, Johnson has only limited himself to apologize.
A motion of internal censure
It was precisely the scandal of the parties that led the conservative deputies to present a motion of internal censure against their leader. And Johnson saved it with a bittersweet taste for him: it ended with 148 votes in favor of dismissing him and 211 against (the 'yeses' necessary for the dismissal were 180). But the pressure on him increased considerably since he has 41% of his supporters positioned against him and some voices already point to the "need for a change" in the party. Johnson, on the other hand, considered the result "convincing". In any case, the precedents of Theresa May and Margaret Thatcher, who resigned months after overcoming two motions, do not bode well for the prime minister.
The choice is clearer than ever: a divided Tory-supporting Boris Johnson with no plan to tackle the problems you face or a united Labor Party with a plan to fix the cost of living crisis and restore confidence. in politics," Labor leader Keir Starmer wrote on social media after hearing the result, perhaps aware of his opponent's weakness.
Deportations to Rwanda
The British government has added one to the list of crises due to its hard line on immigration. Johnson signed an agreement with Rwanda last April to refer migrants arriving through the English Channel to the African country. Endowed with 144 million euros, the pact provides for Rwanda to welcome the deportees while their asylum application is resolved or, if it is denied, they can be repatriated from there to their countries of origin. Instead, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has blocked London's plans.
The objective of the British Executive is to stop "human trafficking networks" that, according to inquiries from London, continue to operate in the Canal. Likewise, in theory, the regulations will apply mainly to men without family responsibilities who arrive in the United Kingdom by boat or truck. Instead, the ECHR considered, in a statement, that "the applicant should not be expelled to Rwanda until three weeks after the delivery of the final internal decision in his ongoing judicial trial." The prime minister, on the other hand, has made it clear that he will continue with the migrant flights and is already preparing with the other party for the departure of the second (while the first is still prepared but not taking off).
Down in the polls
In a context that has turned against him, Johnson is plummeting in the polls. In fact, his next exam is two local elections this month. The appointments with the polls are in Wakefield and in Honiton and Tiverton: the first represents Johnson's power in the so-called red belt, a typical Labor area that could turn red again after the last Conservative victory. The second has always chosen Tory, but this time it could be different in view of the polls. In addition, at the national level, according to a YouGov poll, 60% of Britons believe that he should resign, and Starmer leads the polls and would win decisively if there were now a general election.