“Loyalty is a fine thing, Nadine Dorries, but Mr Johnson was not removed by a ‘coup’…”. So began MP Sir Roger Gale’s tweet yesterday in response to Dorries’ claim on the Today programme earlier that morning that Rishi Sunak had led a “ruthless coup” to remove Johnson. Gale continued: Johnson was forced to resign when most of his ministers and backbenchers “made it plain we were no longer prepared to tolerate his casual relationship with the truth.” Too many times he sent out his ministers to defend lies. He ended his premiership in a flood of resignations, a fact now conveniently forgotten by the Johnsonians.
The Culture Secretary is enjoying a fine war and she is not a woman to be under-estimated. Dorries’ Twitter account has never been busier. An unexpected resignation of a Prime Minister is shocking and painful for the loyal team and family. It is better, however, if those natural feelings of betrayal are soon put to bed, or at least disguised. Political parties are just that: parties made up of many willing participants. They are not a solo shindig, for one. I find my sympathy fast-waning, as this has become a personal war by the Johnson zealots. The only winner will be Boris Johnson, not the Conservative Party, and certainly not the country.
