Against: Er, everyone broke the rules anyway. Time to move on! Boris is saving Ukraine and there’s a cost of living crisis, so now is not the time for a change at the top.
For: No, everyone did NOT break the rules. Millions kept the rules at considerable cost to their mental and physical health. For the rule-makers to break their own absurdly harsh rules makes a mockery of people’s sacrifices. Heads must be seen to roll.
Against: Hang on, hasn’t this whole thing been orchestrated by the PM’s enemies? That festering Iago, Dominic Cummings, will, no doubt, shortly be updating his infamous blog with more incriminating photos. The BBC and Channel 4 will stop at nothing to bring Boris down. In a democracy, isn’t it up to the people to defenestrate the prime minister they voted for by a huge majority not an embittered liberal, metropolitan elite?
For: The Government will limp on with partygate fines a ball and chain round its neck. Local elections on May 5 will make armageddon look like a Cotswolds Easter egg hunt. The Conservatives need a new leader right away to start rebuilding trust.
Against: Dame Keira Starmer and Angela Rayner… yikes. Imagine those two pantomime dames in power!
I don’t know about you, but I find myself veering wildly between for and against. For all his misdemeanours, the PM lifted lockdown restrictions faster than any other country. He loves the freedom his opponents hate. On balance, he is probably too much of a liability to lead the Conservatives into the next election but, for now, we need time to find his replacement. Given a chance to redeem himself, Boris might surprise us.
