Boris Johnson is in a difficult position. The British prime minister was mired in a string of scandals culminating in rumours that he would rather prefer “mountains of corpses in the streets†to a third lockdown. The position of the head of the UK government seems difficult, but despite all this, Johnson is not as close to retirement as some might think.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson finds himself in a difficult position because of his statement, which he allegedly made last year. According to the Daily Mail Sunday, citing anonymous sources in the Conservative Party, Boris Johnson said that under no circumstances would he approve of another nationwide lockdown.
“No more blockages – even if there are mountains of corpses on the streets!” Johnson allegedly told aides during a Downing Street meeting. The newspaper claimed that the prime minister was furious that he had to impose new restrictions on public life and further aggravate the business situation in the country.
Boris Johnson himself categorically denies that he said this phrase. On Monday, April 26, the prime minister called these reports “absolute nonsense,†and when asked if he agreed with this statement, he told reporters, “No, but again I think the most important thing is that people want to make sure that the constraints work, and they actually work. ”
The scandal came at an unfortunate time for the prime minister – amid several other stories that have cast doubt on his honesty. Last week, the opposition raised questions about the source of funding for the renovation of Johnson’s residence and contacts between senior officials and business tycoons.
In addition, Johnson’s former top aide Dominic Cummings filed a series of serious charges last week against the former boss, which also fueled speculation about the Downing Street power struggle last year.
The Daily Mail, traditionally sympathetic to the conservatives, also gave a harsh assessment of Johnson’s current activities. They linked to a poll in which half of Britons believe there is a “culture of meanness” in government. “The prime minister is tainted with meanness, voters say,” the newspaper said.
Despite numerous scandals, Boris Johnson is not going to give up. He has already announced the holding of a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, and also outlined the general agenda. “The government is fully focused on realizing people’s priorities as we continue our vaccination program and recover from the coronavirus, creating new jobs and improving the pace of construction,†the prime minister said.
Johnson is now in a really difficult situation: a powerful political campaign has been launched against him, although he can still “sit out” in office. In the near future, elections to Boris Johnson are not threatened (the next ones are scheduled only for 2024), and his party has a confident majority in parliament. In such a situation, Johnson can afford to ignore serious accusations: his rating will temporarily drop, but by 2024 this situation will almost cease to affect.
However, much depends on the subsequent development of events. If Johnson manages to successfully solve the coronavirus problem, scandalous words will be forgotten for lack of evidence and uselessness, but if the British prime minister fails his mission, everyone will remember him: potential corruption, and the “culture of meanness”, and “mountains of corpses in the streets.”
To date, the UK has recorded over 4.2 million cases and more than 127,000 coronavirus deaths. However, the effective introduction of vaccinations has significantly reduced the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
