Friday, December 17, 2021
Does North Shropshire put Johnson in jeopardy?
The sensational byelection result in North Shropshire last night may well prove to be the final straw for the Prime Minister. The fact the poll was timed for the last day of the Parliamentary term may help him, but the list of distractions and side shows piling up on Johnson's negative ledger are growing daily and his future as PM does not look that bright.
As the Guardian points out, in addition to losing Chesham and Amersham and North Shropshire, and the backlash from the Owen Patterson sleaze vote, there is a fresh inquiry into his relationship with the tech entrepreneur Jennifer Arcuri, accusations of of lacking seriousness and professionalism after his Peppa Pig speech to the CBI, the ever-growing list of Christmas Party indiscretions during lockdown, the rignition of flatgate, and the Tory backbench rebellion.
Now, Johnson is being accused by a committee of senior MPs and peers of neglecting vital national security issues facing the UK. The Independent says that in a stinging letter to the Prime Minister, chair Dame Margaret Beckett said she was troubled by a significant reduction in the prime minister’s personal engagement with his own National Security Council (NSC):
The Labour MP urged the PM to “increase the frequency of your attendance at the NSC” by chairing it at least once per fortnight, and asked him to start “leading by example” when it comes to reviewing Britain’s recent pull-out from Afghanistan.
The committee cited the “chaotic withdrawal” from Afghanistan – along with the lack of planning for the Covid pandemic – as evidence that the government was failing to take security threats seriously enough.
The chair’s letter also said the recent reports that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) was planning to cut staff numbers were “simply staggering”, given the government’s stated ambitions for a “global Britain”.
The committee was struck by the “apparent complacency and lack of urgency within government in the wake of the disastrous experience” for the UK and its allies in Afghanistan, the chair wrote.
Dame Margaret said the messy withdrawal had exposed the NSC’s failure to direct coherent plans for crises like the rapid Taliban takeover. She also described the delay in setting up the Afghan Citizen Resettlement Scheme by the Home Office as “unforgivable”.
She wrote: “We are deeply troubled by the persistent signs that our nation’s security is no longer a priority for the government … This is a wholly unsatisfactory state of affairs that requires your personal attention to remedy.”
On top of that the Foreign Office are now initiating a ten per cent cut in their overall workforce. The sooner that Tory MPs move against Johnson the better.
As the Guardian points out, in addition to losing Chesham and Amersham and North Shropshire, and the backlash from the Owen Patterson sleaze vote, there is a fresh inquiry into his relationship with the tech entrepreneur Jennifer Arcuri, accusations of of lacking seriousness and professionalism after his Peppa Pig speech to the CBI, the ever-growing list of Christmas Party indiscretions during lockdown, the rignition of flatgate, and the Tory backbench rebellion.
Now, Johnson is being accused by a committee of senior MPs and peers of neglecting vital national security issues facing the UK. The Independent says that in a stinging letter to the Prime Minister, chair Dame Margaret Beckett said she was troubled by a significant reduction in the prime minister’s personal engagement with his own National Security Council (NSC):
The Labour MP urged the PM to “increase the frequency of your attendance at the NSC” by chairing it at least once per fortnight, and asked him to start “leading by example” when it comes to reviewing Britain’s recent pull-out from Afghanistan.
The committee cited the “chaotic withdrawal” from Afghanistan – along with the lack of planning for the Covid pandemic – as evidence that the government was failing to take security threats seriously enough.
The chair’s letter also said the recent reports that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) was planning to cut staff numbers were “simply staggering”, given the government’s stated ambitions for a “global Britain”.
The committee was struck by the “apparent complacency and lack of urgency within government in the wake of the disastrous experience” for the UK and its allies in Afghanistan, the chair wrote.
Dame Margaret said the messy withdrawal had exposed the NSC’s failure to direct coherent plans for crises like the rapid Taliban takeover. She also described the delay in setting up the Afghan Citizen Resettlement Scheme by the Home Office as “unforgivable”.
She wrote: “We are deeply troubled by the persistent signs that our nation’s security is no longer a priority for the government … This is a wholly unsatisfactory state of affairs that requires your personal attention to remedy.”
On top of that the Foreign Office are now initiating a ten per cent cut in their overall workforce. The sooner that Tory MPs move against Johnson the better.
