Is ‘partygate’ one scandal too many for Boris Johnson?

But as Prime Minister Boris Johnson is embroiled in a crisis over allegations of numerous parties held in Downing Street while the rest of the UK was in lockdown, sparking national outrage, the timing is particularly tortuous for the governing Conservative party. For weeks, Johnson and his loyalists tried to wait out the scandal by refusing to answer even the simplest of questions related to some of the parties, as a steady drip of revelations emerged on an almost daily basis. But news of a “bring your own booze” party held in the Downing Street garden at the height of the UK’s first coronavirus lockdown forced the Prime Minister to apologize this week and admit he attended the event. On Friday, the scandal worsened as it was revealed that a party was held in Downing Street the night before the funeral of Prince Philip. It was noted at the time that due to Covid-19 restrictions, the Queen was forced to mourn her husband at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle while sitting alone. The government apologized to the Queen, but more danger lurks on the horizon. Johnson and the government have largely stuck to their line that further comment on the parties should be withheld until an investigation is completed by Sue Gray, a senior civil servant who has been tasked with producing a report on exactly what happened.The case for removing him is somewhat simpler. Conservative staffers explained to CNN that they are fed up at their expected loyalty being taken for granted by a man who cares more about preserving his own power than that of the party he leads. They are also sick and tired of the unforced errors coming from Downing Street. “Partygate” is just the latest in a string of scandals, ranging from Johnson trying to save the skin of one of his political allies after they’d breached lobbying rules, to questions over who was paying for a refurbishment of Johnson’s Downing Street apartment. As Shah points out: “They need to consider how demoralized Tory staffers might be from all this. If they have lost faith in the PM then working for his government and campaigning to win an election under him will be a lot harder than in 2019.”The Conservative Party is being forced to ask itself some very difficult questions at an incredibly hard time. Johnson is not a normal politician. It is simply impossible to say whether or not these scandals have cost him his ninth life, or if one year from now he will still be in charge. Either way, Johnson, his government and his party face a horrible few months of pain that will likely get worse before it gets better. The harsh reality is that whatever the party decides to do, it will be an uphill struggle from now until the next general election — which they could well lose. Between now and then, the party somehow needs to find the enthusiasm, energy and drive to gear up for a number of political fights. If it doesn’t, then it’s likely a new era of politics awaits the UK, as the party that oversaw austerity, delivered Brexit and tried to change the image of an entire nation, is swept from office and replaced with something very different.