Rishi Sunak and the Conservative Party.

[Nicholas Lewis]

Zahawi has now been sacked.

How are these people still calling the shots over other people's lives?

because too many people foolishly voted for them

 

[jfollows]

Zahawi has now been sacked.

How are these people still calling the shots over other people's lives?

The only surprise is that it took so long.
Why do these people think they're different from everyone else? Zahawi's position was untenable weeks ago, yet he thought he didn't have to resign and Rishi Sunak couldn't sack him.
Pathetic.

EDIT It loks like Rishi Sunak waited for the "ethics adviser" to report back and give him an excuse to sack Zahawi. He didn't need the excuse, so this just rightly makes Sunak look weak and indecisive.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

The only surprise is that it took so long.
Why do these people think they're different from everyone else?

because there Tories its in their DNA

Zahawi's position was untenable weeks ago, yet he thought he didn't have to resign and Rishi Sunak couldn't sack him.
Pathetic.

EDIT It loks like Rishi Sunak waited for the "ethics adviser" to report back and give him an excuse to sack Zahawi. He didn't need the excuse, so this just rightly makes Sunak look weak and indecisive.

Indeed but i would say this was already in play since PMQs. Sunak comes to HoP says he has asked for investigation and will act on findings comes back next week and says hes been decisive there is no place for corruption in his gov.. Que jeering Tories.

ie there is no way that investigation could be done in 48hrs the facts were already there but Sunak would have looked weak (he is in reality) so he (well his advisers) come up with the way of spinning it which quite frankly even a groups of GCSE political students could have done better.

 

[nw1]

Zahawi has now been sacked.

How are these people still calling the shots over other people's lives?

I now hope those who appeared to defend him, such as Gillian Keegan, will be sacked too - as to me they have zero integrity and are thus completely unfit for public service.

This issue is not just about Zahawi himself. It's the whole culture of brown-nosing and defending each other that is so rotten.

 

[Typhoon]

The only surprise is that it took so long.
Why do these people think they're different from everyone else? Zahawi's position was untenable weeks ago, yet he thought he didn't have to resign and Rishi Sunak couldn't sack him.
Pathetic.

The man's an idiot. He should have stood down while the investigation took place, Sunak then appoints someone 'temporary' to take the job, then quietly slips away if found guilty - 'ex-minister' is page 4 stuff. Instead, its front page news and he is now toxic, joining Kwarteng and Truss (and probably a few others like Williamson). I wonder whether Johnson was aware of this when he appointed him Chancellor.

Mentioning 'Our Once and Future King PM', The main points of his

Boris Johnson has used his upcoming TalkTV interview with Nadine Dorries to attack Labour over Brexit, as he expressed hopes that the Government would in future move to cut taxes.

The Sun reported details of some of Mr Johnson's comments, set to be aired on the former culture secretary's new Friday night talk show on TalkTV.

The first instalment of her weekly hour-long programme, titled Friday Night With Nadine, will feature an exclusive interview with the former prime minister.

The newspaper reported that Mr Johnson said that Labour would become 'gravitationally sucked' back into the EU's orbit if it gained power after the next election, in comments made ahead of the third anniversary of the UK leaving the bloc.

He said: 'I think that you'd have a very interesting situation, they would be gravitationally sucked back into the orbit of the EU.

'I think that would be very wrong for the country.

'It would lose us a lot of opportunities that we currently have.'

Mr Johnson predicted good things for his party in the months to come, saying: 'The economy will start to improve, inflation will come down, people will reward the Conservative Party, they will reward the Government for being sensible, for cutting their taxes and for getting things done that they need done.

'Certainly what I can say with confidence is that the fiscal position was pretty robust when I left office, we had scope to do all sorts of things and we were going to do them.

'And I have no doubt that when the time comes, the Government will make sure that they start to reduce the tax burden and get the economy growing again and that is what needs to happen.'

Underlined section - that is pretty damning of his successor (and, if he thought it through, pretty complementary about her successor). It is also good that he has discovered more Brexit opportunities that Rees Mogg failed to find - I hope Nad teases them out of him. I notice the programme is scheduled between 20.00 (right after 'Plank of the Week') and 21.00, and 23.00 - 24.00. I assume the second is so Johnson can inform us all about the sunlit uplands we can expect, and not a repeat of the first.

To be fair the article continues with

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has ruled out on multiple occasions the UK rejoining the EU or re-entering the single market, while also criticising the deal agreed between London and Brussels by Mr Johnson.

The Northern Ireland Protocol, signed off by Mr Johnson as part of his Brexit deal, remains a source of tension between the UK and the EU as the two sides bid to find a solution.

The row over the protocol, which unionists say creates a border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, effectively led to the collapse of powersharing in Stormont.

I wonder whether Nad will, in true Dimbleby/ Day/ Paxman/ Neil style, be raising these points with Johnson. I won't be watching to find out.

I now hope those who appeared to defend him, such as Gillian Keegan, will be sacked too.

There is always a 'first time for everything'!

 

[nw1]

The man's an idiot. He should have stood down while the investigation took place, Sunak then appoints someone 'temporary' to take the job, then quietly slips away if found guilty - 'ex-minister' is page 4 stuff. Instead, its front page news and he is now toxic, joining Kwarteng and Truss (and probably a few others like Williamson). I wonder whether Johnson was aware of this when he appointed him Chancellor.

Mentioning 'Our Once and Future King PM', The main points of his


Underlined section - that is pretty damning of his successor (and, if he thought it through, pretty complementary about her successor). It is also good that he has discovered more Brexit opportunities that Rees Mogg failed to find - I hope Nad teases them out of him. I notice the programme is scheduled between 20.00 (right after 'Plank of the Week') and 21.00, and 23.00 - 24.00. I assume the second is so Johnson can inform us all about the sunlit uplands we can expect, and not a repeat of the first.

Nadine Dorries and Boris Johnson. Talk about a back-slapping fest.

And if we're "sucked back to the EU's orbit", well, then good! Not exactly a fate worse than death, losing non-existent "Brexit opportunities". Rather like losing a cardboard box full of fresh air.

 

[wireforever]

No great loss perhaps they should have kept Jake Berry as chairman .Talking of chairmen George Osborne is the northern powerhouse chairman and it looks like his own govt are giving him the run a round is it all a epic failure now and the mess will have to be sorted by the next govt

 

[brad465]

The Telegraph are gonna need a bigger bathtub (or smaller?)...

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

The man's an idiot. He should have stood down while the investigation took place, Sunak then appoints someone 'temporary' to take the job, then quietly slips away if found guilty - 'ex-minister' is page 4 stuff. Instead, its front page news and he is now toxic, joining Kwarteng and Truss (and probably a few others like Williamson). I wonder whether Johnson was aware of this when he appointed him Chancellor.

Mentioning 'Our Once and Future King PM', The main points of his


Underlined section - that is pretty damning of his successor (and, if he thought it through, pretty complementary about her successor). It is also good that he has discovered more Brexit opportunities that Rees Mogg failed to find - I hope Nad teases them out of him. I notice the programme is scheduled between 20.00 (right after 'Plank of the Week') and 21.00, and 23.00 - 24.00. I assume the second is so Johnson can inform us all about the sunlit uplands we can expect, and not a repeat of the first.

To be fair the article continues with


I wonder whether Nad will, in true Dimbleby/ Day/ Paxman/ Neil style, be raising these points with Johnson. I won't be watching to find out.


There is always a 'first time for everything'!

The man's an idiot. He should have stood down while the investigation took place, Sunak then appoints someone 'temporary' to take the job, then quietly slips away if found guilty - 'ex-minister' is page 4 stuff. Instead, its front page news and he is now toxic, joining Kwarteng and Truss (and probably a few others like Williamson). I wonder whether Johnson was aware of this when he appointed him Chancellor.

Zahawi was a sycophant of the highest order latching on like a limpet to whoever looked becoming or being PM and quite frankly Sunak was utter clown to give him a job in the first place given his earlier disloyalty to him. Kwarteng and Truss were just stupid but they had integrity and didn't run a tax scam so you can't put them in the same class.

 

[jfollows]

Zahawi also has the gall to complain about the behaviour of some in the press (apparently he didn't like "The Noose Tightens" as a headline) when he himself sought to hide the details of his affairs from the public and threatened the press with libel suits for uncovering and reporting the truth.
My charitable interpretation of this is that he lives in a parallel, fantasy universe from the rest of us, one in which normal behaviour by our standards doesn't apply and in which there's an enormous sense of entitlement to their jobs and to what they do in our names. My real interpretation is pretty much unprintable.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Zahawi also has the gall to complain about the behaviour of some in the press (apparently he didn't like "The Noose Tightens" as a headline) when he himself sought to hide the details of his affairs from the public and threatened the press with libel suits for uncovering and reporting the truth.
My charitable interpretation of this is that he lives in a parallel, fantasy universe from the rest of us, one in which normal behaviour by our standards doesn't apply and in which there's an enormous sense of entitlement to their jobs and to what they do in our names. My real interpretation is pretty much unprintable.

Yup your basically explaining the characteristics of Tories

 

[jfollows]

The only person to come out of this well is Laurie Magnus, the "ethics adviser" or whatever, who has quickly reported that essentially everything The Sun (and others) were reporting was true and that Zahawi made public statements which were "untrue" (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-politics-64439757)..

Sir Laurie's report says the ministerial code includes "a general duty to be accurate in statements to ensure a false impression is not given or maintained".

Mr Zahawi did not correct the record until 21 January 2023, with another public statement saying he had reached a settlement with HMRC following an investigation.

"I consider that this delay in correcting an untrue public statement is inconsistent with the requirement for openness"
Sir Laurie Magnus PM's independent ethics adviser

 

[SuspectUsual]

Zahawi also has the gall to complain about the behaviour of some in the press (apparently he didn't like "The Noose Tightens" as a headline) when he himself sought to hide the details of his affairs from the public and threatened the press with libel suits for uncovering and reporting the truth.
My charitable interpretation of this is that he lives in a parallel, fantasy universe from the rest of us, one in which normal behaviour by our standards doesn't apply and in which there's an enormous sense of entitlement to their jobs and to what they do in our names. My real interpretation is pretty much unprintable.

His letter is astonishing. Even for one of the current generation of Tories.

Not a word of apology for what he did. Not a word of apology for lying about it. Not a word of apology for threatening investigative reporters with being sued. But he’s sorry for the impact on his family

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

The only person to come out of this well is Laurie Magnus, the "ethics adviser" or whatever, who has quickly reported that essentially everything The Sun (and others) were reporting was true and that Zahawi made public statements which were "untrue".

He was just bought in to provide legitimacy to it being a sacking that was above board. The true facts are HMRC told No10 about Zahawi but they chose to ignore or more than likely Case did (i suspect he will also be out if Sunak really wants to show hes in charge) so was nothing for Magnus to do.

 

[edwin_m]

The only person to come out of this well is Laurie Magnus, the "ethics adviser" or whatever, who has quickly reported that essentially everything The Sun (and others) were reporting was true and that Zahawi made public statements which were "untrue" (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-politics-64439757)..

He's either been leant on to produce a report earlier than originally planned, or he's just been pushed aside when Sunak realised it was politically necessary to sack Zahawi.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

He's either been leant on to produce a report earlier than originally planned, or he's just been pushed aside when Sunak realised it was politically necessary to sack Zahawi.

There was nothing to produce the HMRC had all teh facts already and had No10 done due diligence it would have found it out themselves or more than likely Case (cabinet secretary) hung onto it info and as a result Sunak will be showing him the door soon if hes going to get any credibility back.

 

[dosxuk]

He's either been leant on to produce a report earlier than originally planned, or he's just been pushed aside when Sunak realised it was politically necessary to sack Zahawi.

Or the facts of the case were so blatant that it didn't take much investigation to see that a serious breech had occurred and that there were no point going into depth?

Sounds like a lot of the party just wanted it sorting to stop the constant attacks. I slightly wonder if the HS2 not going to Euston story was leaked, on a day that the appropriate people to deny the story were already lined up to speak, was an attempt to get something else on the front pages.

 

[Typhoon]

Zahawi was a sycophant of the highest order latching on like a limpet to whoever looked becoming or being PM and quite frankly Sunak was utter clown to give him a job in the first place given his earlier disloyalty to him. Kwarteng and Truss were just stupid but they had integrity and didn't run a tax scam so you can't put them in the same class.

In stating that they were toxic, by that I intended to imply that no future Prime Minister in their right mind would have them in their cabinet (or give them any position of note). All three of them would do better by not standing in the next election and carving out a niche for themselves elsewhere. In the case of Truss and Kwarteng, their actions have buried Liam Byrne's 'No money left' note. which Conservatives have dined on for years. Their 'Labour can't be trusted with the economy' argument is history; those two are the Norman Lamont's of the decade - actually probably a great deal worse. Zahawi has made the case for Labour - 'They are only in it for themselves. Johnson's call for unity behind the Brexit flag will scarcely be heard above the anger over Zahawi. There are traditional Conservative MPs, many towards the end of their political career, who must be despairing - from 24 gains in 2015 to this, blunder after blunder (much of it self-imposed).

There was nothing to produce the HMRC had all teh facts already and had No10 done due diligence it would have found it out themselves or more than likely Case (cabinet secretary) hung onto it info and as a result Sunak will be showing him the door soon if hes going to get any credibility back.

Definitely. If Case has in anyway impeded knowledge of Zahawi's offense reaching the ears of those that matter, he has to go. He was tainted from Partygate, he appears weak and lacking in control. When I think about previous Cabinet Secretaries - the likes of Trend, Hunt, Armstrong, Butler, O'Donnell, Heywood, the man is a constitutional pygmy.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

In stating that they were toxic, by that I intended to imply that no future Prime Minister in their right mind would have them in their cabinet (or give them any position of note). All three of them would do better by not standing in the next election and carving out a niche for themselves elsewhere. In the case of Truss and Kwarteng, their actions have buried Liam Byrne's 'No money left' note. which Conservatives have dined on for years. Their 'Labour can't be trusted with the economy' argument is history; those two are the Norman Lamont's of the decade - actually probably a great deal worse. Zahawi has made the case for Labour - 'They are only in it for themselves. Johnson's call for unity behind the Brexit flag will scarcely be heard above the anger over Zahawi. There are traditional Conservative MPs, many towards the end of their political career, who must be despairing - from 24 gains in 2015 to this, blunder after blunder (much of it self-imposed).

Fair enough can't disagree with any of that

Definitely. If Case has in anyway impeded knowledge of Zahawi's offense reaching the ears of those that matter, he has to go. He was tainted from Partygate, he appears weak and lacking in control. When I think about previous Cabinet Secretaries - the likes of Trend, Hunt, Armstrong, Butler, O'Donnell, Heywood, the man is a constitutional pygmy.

Having read the Laurie Magnus letter that pins the whole failure on Zahawi so i suspect hes off the hook over this one and it will be the BoJo affair that could be the linchpin.

 

[brad465]

Or the facts of the case were so blatant that it didn't take much investigation to see that a serious breech had occurred and that there were no point going into depth?

Sounds like a lot of the party just wanted it sorting to stop the constant attacks. I slightly wonder if the HS2 not going to Euston story was leaked, on a day that the appropriate people to deny the story were already lined up to speak, was an attempt to get something else on the front pages.

Likewise, maybe The Telegraph had intel that Zahawi would be sacked when they released that Andrew bathtub front page yesterday, thinking that was when he'd be dismissed.

 

[simonw]

More carelessness by Zahawi. He's missed out the paragraph where he apologies for what he did.

 

[Falcon1200]

How are these people still calling the shots over other people's lives?

because too many people foolishly voted for them

Foolish? Worth remembering perhaps that the alternative was Jeremy Corbyn as Prime Minister.

But of course Zahawi had to go, and he should have removed himself a long time ago.

 

[takno]

Definitely. If Case has in anyway impeded knowledge of Zahawi's offense reaching the ears of those that matter, he has to go. He was tainted from Partygate, he appears weak and lacking in control. When I think about previous Cabinet Secretaries - the likes of Trend, Hunt, Armstrong, Butler, O'Donnell, Heywood, the man is a constitutional pygmy.

Case was a Boris and Cummings appointment, and hasn't exactly come up the traditional route. It makes me wonder if the problem is more political capture than weakness.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Foolish? Worth remembering perhaps that the alternative was Jeremy Corbyn as Prime Minister.

Oh the man who the Tories accused of having a magic money tree when they've gone on to utterly abuse it and enrich themselves and their mates.

 

[Broucek]

Foolish? Worth remembering perhaps that the alternative was Jeremy Corbyn as Prime Minister.

This.

And Diane Abbott as Home Secretary. For a lot of people, voting Conservative last time was simply the least bad option (including for a small but non-trivial number of Labour Party members). Imagine Corbyn dealing with Putin’s invasion….

Of course the last three PMs have been very disappointing even to many habitual Conservative voters, let alone those who “lent” their votes to keep Corbyn out…

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

This.

And Diane Abbott as Home Secretary. For a lot of people, voting Conservative last time was simply the least bad option (including for a small but non-trivial number of Labour Party members). Imagine Corbyn dealing with Putin’s invasion….

and you think Priti Patel or Suella Braverman were any better

Of course the last three PMs have been very disappointing even to many habitual Conservative voters, let alone those who “lent” their votes to keep Corbyn out…

disappointing is an understatement the party of stability have proved anything but we will never know if Corbyn could have done any worse.

 

[Cross City]

Foolish? Worth remembering perhaps that the alternative was Jeremy Corbyn as Prime Minister.

But but but.. Corbyn.

Sounds like Sunak at PMQs when he's spent half an hour getting torn apart.

Using the last Labour leader's principals to defend the actions of the current government filled with millionaire tax dodgers, people who like to bait race hate, and who have single handedly sent the country to a decade and a half of managed decline for their own benefits which we're unlikely to see that back of for a few decades at least, is more than a stretch.

 

[The Ham]

Foolish? Worth remembering perhaps that the alternative was Jeremy Corbyn as Prime Minister.

But of course Zahawi had to go, and he should have removed himself a long time ago.

I wouldn't be surprised if at least some are wondering if it had been as bad given what we've seen since.

Of course, if there had been a coalition then there's a good chance that many of the more scarry things which people feared about Corbyn may will have been tempered.

 

[Falcon1200]

And Diane Abbott as Home Secretary. For a lot of people, voting Conservative last time was simply the least bad option (including for a small but non-trivial number of Labour Party members). Imagine Corbyn dealing with Putin’s invasion….

Of course the last three PMs have been very disappointing even to many habitual Conservative voters, let alone those who “lent” their votes to keep Corbyn out…

Indeed. Of course no-one voting in the 2019 General Election knew what the future held, either externally (ie Covid and Ukraine) or internally (the Tories seemingly bent on self-destruction), but for many, including me, Corbyn as PM was a nightmare scenario and my vote was cast as much in opposition to him as in support of another party, not that it made any difference up here in Scotland of course....

 

[birchesgreen]

Abbott as Home Sec wouldn't be as bad as what we got. I'd take incompetence over evil incompetence.