The buck stops with Boris for this government’s litany of failures

Boris Johnson was always going to be a divisive prime minister. His leading role in the Vote Leave campaign meant that a section of the electorate was going to be against him all the way no matter what. What I didn’t expect was that he’d manage to annoy every section of the electorate and his own party in one way or another. His premiership is defined by bad decision making, incompetence, repeated U-turns and an absence of leadership and accountability. Basically, he’s just not very good at politics after all.

Are you rolling your eyes at another “he not fit for the job” article by someone who always anti-Boris? Don’t, because I wanted him to succeed and even had a number of specious “look on the bright side” theories hoping that he could make a success of his time in office. Funnily enough one of them was that at least he’d curb the Tory Party’s proclivity for nanny state policies. I wrote about it at the time all the way back in July 2019, Boris was going to push back against the nanny state. Now he’s a born-again nanny.

The overarching theory was the well known and widely propagated idea of “Chairman Boris”. The idea was that he would direct a team of talented Ministers who would be trusted to crack on with their job. He would be there to lead and inspire. This was itself underpinned by the notion that the nation could do with cheering up.

In the end, both theories were already on shaky foundations, became dubious within weeks of him becoming PM, and in the year of Covid-19 now seem utterly ludicrous.

The notion of “Chairman Boris” failed as soon as he selected a Cabinet of toadies over and vindictively struck back against his opponents and Tory remainers. Instead, by rewarding loyalty and belief in Brexit above all else, he created a woefully inadequate government. An autonomous Cabinet overseen by a chairman doesn’t work when the Cabinet is hopeless.

Perhaps he’d have gotten away with it too if it wasn’t for the pesky pandemic. Although I doubt it. It’s just not how governing works. It’s now what true leadership looks like, not in a PM. His poorly selected Cabinet and his hesitance, indecision and lack of attentiveness has much to do with the fact that this government has bungled its pandemic response and has spent 2020 dazed and confused, creating one mess after another.

The exam result fallout could’ve been avoided. The wrong decision was made to cancel exams and then came a whole series of wrong decisions leading up to the mess the government found itself in. The situation was compounded by Gavin Williamson not being up to the job of Education Secretary and Boris not really seeming to give a monkey’s. Boris seemed to be awol throughout the whole debacle and he hasn’t got the bottle to punish failure by demanding Williamson’s signature.

It’s hard to remember everything within this government’s litany of failure. The attempt to convince the nation that Dominic Cummings drove for miles with his family in his car to “test his eyesight”; The indecision in imposing and lifting lockdown; the handling of quarantine for international arrivals; the trace and trace system that couldn’t trace or test; the peer nominations furore. All of this topped off by a bungled attempt to rig the election for the chair of the parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee. Repeated U-turns are the icing on the cake.

Oh, and Europe’s highest excess death rate and the deepest recession in our long history, which is also the worst of any advanced economy. There are numerous other things I could mention but I think you’ve got my point.

A culture of failure is now deeply embedded. This government smells of it. I have lost hope that anything is going to improve. The model or promoting on loyalty is a disaster and is likely to lead to a further drain of true talent from the Conservative Party. This government still has to manage Brexit, exiting lockdown, Covid-19 in the winter, a major economic downturn and huge rise in unemployment. We look set for four more years of failure at this rate.

Something has to change, and it has to come from within. Johnson’s absent style of leadership and hands-off approach to government is leading to an increase in dissent. Majority or no majority, dissent can weaken any PM. Backbench MPs can see the failures, the ministers not up to their jobs and the constant scapegoating too.

I once saw Bernard Jenkin walk out of a Eurosceptic event because the speaker insulted Boris Johnson. He is the man that Boris and his team tried to install as chair of the Commons Liaison Committee. Today he had this to say on BBC World at One:

“I’m concerned that there’s a sort of a pattern setting in under this government that something goes wrong and it’s the Permanent Secretary’s fault or it is some public body’s fault but its never the government’s fault.” 

You’re bang on Bernard! Conservative MP’s owe Boris Johnson as much loyalty as he showed to Theresa May. If this government continues as it is and Boris persists with his aloof leadership style where he lets the boat’s wheel spin for a bit while he buggers off for a bit he should not be shocked when his MP’s begin pressuring him and sharpening their knives.