You know it’s not going well for the Government when Conservative backbenchers are actively seeking to divert the public’s attention *towards* the soaring cost of energy.
But that was the more-in-sorrow-than-anger mood of some loyal Tory MPs in the Commons this afternoon, as Paymaster General Michael Ellis was wheeled out to take the punches from opposition parties.
The debate followed the bombshell news this morning from Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, that Scotland Yard will now investigate a series of alleged parties in Downing Street. As a result, the Sue Gray report will not be published next week or indeed for the foreseeable future.
The involvement of the Met, which had previously declined to investigate, takes ‘partygate’ (if we must call it that) to a new, and potentially more dangerous plane for the Prime Minister. Oddly, it manages to both raise the stakes and kick the story into the long grass.
As far public opinion polling goes, this is a long time coming. Two weeks ago, Opinium found that two-thirds of voters, including 52 per cent of Conservatives, believed the police should investigate Downing Street parties.
Why didn’t they? Well, the Met does set a high bar when it comes to retrospective investigations such as these. Dick told London Assembly members that investigations were carried out for the most serious types of breach where there was evidence and three criteria were met. They are that:
- There was evidence that those involved knew, or ought to have known that what they were doing was an offence.
- Where not investigating would significantly undermine the legitimacy of the law.
- Where there was little ambiguity around the absence of any reasonable defence.
In the short-term, it means there will be no Cabinet Office inquiry publication, the contents of which could have beaten a path to the 54 letters needed to trigger a no confidence vote.
But a slow puncture could prove more damaging to Boris Johnson, who will be prevented from his attempted relaunch, and for the Tories more generally, as a major set of local elections loom.
In the comment pages, Nimco Ali writes that the Conservatives have been the party of many firsts — female prime ministers, a female Defence Secretary. But that will mean nothing if, as Nusrat Ghani MP has asked in her statement welcoming the investigation into her claims of Islamophobia, the terms of reference don’t go beyond the optics.
Meanwhile, Cal Byrne holds forth on the Taylor Swift / Damon Albarn Twitter fight. Don’t blame the media Damon just because you’ve said something you regret.
And finally, Pam and Tommy: The rise and fall of the sex tape as celebrity currency. Annie Lord on how the new Disney+ series (yes, Disney) shows the fallout from a leaked sex tape trashed Pamela Anderson’s marriage and career — and transformed celebrity culture.
