I wanted to get this on record before 12.00pm PMQs today, to say two things without giving myself the advantage of hindsight.
What should BJ do? If I were him, I would step down to trigger a leadership election (or whatever the selection process is called), but put myself forward as a candidate. This would effectively be a refurendum, which seems reasonable and also rather fitting given the circumstances of BJ getting the job in the first place.
I will say more on this at some point, but, should BJ step down, or be pushed out, then to me, it seems a real indictment of the public and the political culture we have that the PM should fall from grace over a party and not any of the following (off the top of my head):
- The level of wealth inequality in the UK
- The chronic underfunding of community and public services including the police, youth services, community groups and so on (I’m thinking of the drip, drip, drip of children killing each other that shows no sign of stopping)
- The chronic underfunding and enforced marketisation of local authorities that is behind the Grenfell / cladding obscenity.
- Erm, the shambles that is the Brexit process (whether you agree with it iun principle or not)
- The cutting off of Northern Ireland as part of the UK (again, whatever you think about that, it’s a genuine constitutional issue, badly handled, that should serve as a point of confidence for a national leader)
- Lying: about the Brexit dividend and all that.
- For ever appointing Priti Patel to anything involving a human being
- Ditto Dominic Raab
