The Last Downing Street Garden Party: Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologises at PMQs as he confirms he did attend "event" for 25 minutes to thank staff for their efforts, although Boris is battered and damaged, it is time not just for 'sorry' but to make amends for past wrongs, the country and NHS must return to normal operations, loved ones must be allowed admittance to see dying family members, the levelling up agenda needs to start here, and Boris needs to stay the course, a resignation threshold hasn't been reached

So, regarding the infamous Downing Street garden party, the first thing to say is that this event shouldn't have gone ahead for two reasons, firstly people hadn't a clue about the effects of the virus, and secondly, politicians shouldn't be asking people to follow health rules that they aren't willing to adhere to themselves. Am I surprised by the lack of thought here, well, yes and no, we are told the best and the smartest are in government, so who failed on being the gatekeeper of morality and conscience? Well, basically everyone from the Prime Minister downwards to the lowest staffer, no one twigged this was wrong, and no one grasped this would come back to haunt them all. If politics teaches you anything, it is all actions are recorded and all actions will and can be used against you, no matter what position you hold. Someone probably your political enemy will used it against you, not because they are noble, but because this is a tool to destroy you. I would suspect that many people beyond the party knew of it, and then just sat on it, waiting for the right time to use it against the Prime Minister. And let's be clear, the Prime Minister was in the wrong, and must have known he was in the wrong, along with everyone else who pitched up with their bottle of booze. 

Since the revelations have come out now, as we enter the tail end of the pandemic, I ask you, is this a coincidence? I will be frank, no, it is not, I can only assume that as we near the end of covid, someone or group as the bright idea that getting rid of the PM, installing their choice who opens up the country is like a pre-scripted drama. Enter the new hero who gets a honeymoon period of 24 months before a 6 month short campaign for the 2024 election. I suppose that the current crisis was staged managed by various actors in the hope that there would be such a huge public backlash against Boris Johnson. I can't say that I will be joining in with the calls for Boris to resign, I think the personal damage to his credibility will be enough in the eyes of the public. Boris broke trust, the ball is in his court to win back that trust. His task now is to bring the covid pandemic to a close, a return to normality in the public and private sectors. Just like a storm, Boris has to ensure that the storm damage/ wreckage of the last two years is fixed, especially in the NHS. The immediate task is to get the huge backlog of cases brought down to pre covid levels. 

Today, Boris Johnson apologises at PMQs as he confirms he did attend covid event, he will say that he will "take responsibility”. He rightly acknowledged the public “rage” over the incident, where he went wrong was when he tried to slip in a bit of mitigation by saying, he thought it could have been technically within the rules. People want to hear a genuine apology, they don't want to hear the last bit, that isn't necessary or indeed wanted. At PMQs, he said that he attended the May 20, 2020 gathering for around 25 minutes to “thank groups of staff”, he then returned to his office to continue working. Just think 25 minutes that could have cost him his Premiership, in this case, although people are angry, it is an instant emotional response by many which will wane over time. Some people who lost loved ones, and were denied the opportunity to see them before they died in hospital will be less forgiving. I don't think anyone could blame these people for their righteous anger on that issue. Relatives should be allowed to see terminally ill family members, not on cctv, not through a screen but by being by their bedside. This is something Boris must and should act on, now. It is time not just for 'sorry' but to make amends for past wrongs. 

The acid test will be among Boris Johnson's MPs, there is an attempt to get rid of him from within the party, Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross, an MP and MSP, said he would be writing to the 1922 committee because he believed the PM's position was "no longer tenable". Although people may find this disheartening, I think it is worthwhile pointing out that Douglas Ross couldn't be described as neutral when it comes to Boris Johnson. To me, it seems like the Scottish wing of the Conservatives haven't adapted to the cold hard fact that we are living in a post Brexit UK. Already we have seen arch Remainers, Ruth Davidson and Dominic Grieve lead the charge for Boris Johnson removal. One thing which is an open secret, Conservatives are very good at getting rid of leaders that are an electoral threat. After his PMQs, he toured the Commons tea rooms, where MPs gather, to shore up support among his backbenchers but some people have already made their minds up.  Backbencher Sir Roger Gale who is said to be a frequent critic of Boris Johnson said that politically the PM was now "a dead man walking". I don't go with that assessment, certainly the PM is battered, damaged and said to be crestfallen, but isn't that to be expected? I don't think that the 'partygate' scandal, '25 minutes in May' should define the tenability of any Prime Minister. 

Boris said in the Commons: 

“Mr Speaker, I want to apologise. I know that millions of people across this country have made extraordinary sacrifices over the last 18 months. I know the anguish that they have been though, unable to mourn their relatives, unable to live their lives as they want or to do the things they love. And I know the rage they feel with me, with the Government I lead, when they think that in Downing Street itself, the rules are not being properly followed by the people who make the rules. And though I cannot anticipate the conclusion of the current inquiry, I have learned enough to know there were things we simply did not get right. And I must take responsibility.

“No.10 is a big department with the garden as an extension of the office, which had been in constant use because there was a lot of pressure in stopping the virus and when I went into that garden just after six [o’clock] on the 20th of May, 2020 to thank groups of staff before going back into my office 25 minutes later to continue working, I believe implicity that this was a work event.” 

He added: 

“But Mr Speaker, with hindsight I should have sent everyone back inside, I should have found some other way to thank them. And I should have recognised that, even if it could be said to technically fall within the guidance, there would be millions and millions of people who would simply not see it that way, people who suffered terribly, people who were forbidden from meeting loved ones at all, inside or outside, and to them and to this House I offer my heartfelt apologies.” 

I think we can safely say that staff parties not just at Number 10 but also in government will be shelved until we have normal operations of the NHS and the country as a whole. I suppose the question is, what now, well this 'drama' like the covid virus is going to die and fade away, not because of medication, or smart political strategy but because of 'time'. It is also going to die because Boris only spent 25 minutes at an event he believed was a work event before returning to work. To be clear, this was an 8 hour bash where everyone ends up steaming drunk and legless. It is something that shouldn't have happened, it was carelessness, but I don't think that Boris, nor his advisors will be careless again, they have had their electric shock, and I doubt they fancy their chances if continually plugged into the mains. 

Finally, should Boris Johnson resign on this matter, I think not. 

The Conservative Party MPs need to hold their nerve, no one is falling off a cliff just yet. They should if anything get behind the PM, and demand that the levelling up agenda is pushed through, the country returned to normal business with caveats where necessary, and the realisation that 'remainer' revenge is the biggest threat to the party, the government, and not in the UK national interest. All the usual suspects will try and keep this going, but this matter dies if the Conservative MPs don't go off half cocked writing to the 1922 Backbench Committee. Personally, I think Douglas Ross' inexperience has lead to him jumping the gun on this issue. Maybe he thinks he is carving out a separate identity for the Scottish Conservatives by opposing Boris. Years ago, the view was expressed that at election time, Boris wasn't welcome, I saw that s short term thinking. The Scottish Conservatives, not just the Conservative MPs in Scotland should use Westminster and its resources as the foundation for any platform for Holyrood. After all, Nicola Sturgeon is using Westminster money to buy Scottish elections with freebies. The Scottish Conservatives should use Westminster to best any conceivable offer that the SNP could make. They should offer, new opportunities, new money and a new narrative, they need to break the mould, to do that they need to work hand in glove with Westminster. Winning elections is in part a team sport, but it needs all players on the team to not just understand the goal, but also to commit to the goal as a unit. Boris Johnson has hit a rocky patch, it is right he should face criticism, but he is the captain, and all elected members are duty bound to support him, and when need be put in their tuppence worth.