Partygate: John Major just explained why Boris Johnson must go – Scotsman comment

In a well-argued speech about the dangers to democracy posed by lies, populism and public cynicism, former Prime Minister John Major said that people in the UK were “lucky” to be able to “speak truth to power”.

Former Prime Minister John Major speaks at the Institute for Government (Picture: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

And he proceeded to do so in no uncertain terms with Boris Johnson firmly in his sights.

“At No10, the Prime Minister and officials broke lockdown laws. Brazen excuses were dreamed up. Day after day the public was asked to believe the unbelievable. Ministers were sent out to defend the indefensible – making themselves look gullible or foolish,” he said.

“Collectively, this has made the government look distinctly shifty, which has consequences that go far beyond political unpopularity. No government can function properly if its every word is treated with suspicion.”

Anyone who thinks ‘Partygate’ is a trivial matter should take a moment to listen to Major’s speech, entitled In Democracy we trust?, to the Institute of Government.

He argued that with global populism on the rise, most worryingly in the US, it was a mistake to take democracy in Britain for granted.

The cynical view that politicians are “all the same”, he said, was an untruth that “conditions electors to condone lies as though they were the accepted currency of politics. Politicians are not all the same and lies are just not acceptable.”

It should shock us to our core that a respected Conservative Prime Minister felt he had to speak out on such a clear-cut and simple issue: the need for honesty and integrity in government.

Everyone – most especially those Conservatives who still support Johnson – should pause for thought about what Major called the “corrosive” effect of politicians who “knowingly mislead” and where this “dangerous trend” could lead.

We are indeed lucky to have someone like Major who is willing to put party loyalties aside and speak out against a fellow Conservative in the national interest.

However, if we squander our good fortune by failing to heed his warning and treat it with the seriousness it deserves, the consequences could be profound.

If Johnson is allowed to remain in office, if his behaviour is not just tolerated but normalised, democracy in the UK will be significantly diminished. And if that happens, restoring the standards that many currently take for granted may prove difficult.

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