“I’M not sure this is a great idea.” Boris Johnson should have paid more attention to those words, spoken by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in 2016 after his team allowed Sky News cameras to film their shadow cabinet meeting.
But Johnson doesn’t pay any mind to what other people think – even if it’s reportedly his wife telling him not to appoint an alleged harasser to deputy chief whip.
The latest self-imposed problem for Johnson is the news that he appointed Conservative MP Chris Pincher to the position despite reportedly being aware of formal complaints about his behaviour over an extended period.
The revelations have reportedly changed the "mood" of the Tory party, with MPs sickened by the Prime Minister's inability to learn from his past mistakes.
With a cross-bench peer and former top civil servant openly accusing No 10 of lying about the incident, some of Johnson’s allies are most likely worried that their positions are on shaky ground.
The mood was reflected in the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, captured by the cameras Johnson has recently begun inviting in. As PR stunts go, this one probably wasn’t the smartest.
Just back from Covid, outside No10 while cabinet underway - why the long faces? pic.twitter.com/f08lBPvFMK
— Sam Coates Sky (@SamCoatesSky) July 5, 2022
“Just back from Covid, outside No 10 while cabinet underway – why the long faces?” Sky News’s Sam Coates wrote, sharing an image of some deciding glum-looking Tories.
“Cabinet looks a laugh a minute this morning,” PoliticsHome’s Alain Tolhurst wrote, sharing more images of unhappy-looking Conservatives.
Alister Jack, Theresa Coffey, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Nadine Dorries. All of Johnson’s top attack dogs and not so much as a smile between them.
Contd pic.twitter.com/VmnL1wEHqE
— Alain Tolhurst (@Alain_Tolhurst) July 5, 2022
“Looks like a budget remake of Succession,” The Scotsman’s Alexander Brown wrote.
He wasn't the only person to make the comparison, as Byline Times's Adam Bienkov shared a video of the meeting with the TV show's music superimposed over the top.
It's all going well. pic.twitter.com/iFMjPwQkUr
— Adam Bienkov (@AdamBienkov) July 5, 2022
They're probably a little distracted wondering how long they've got left before their benefactor-in-chief is finally ousted.
So how did Johnson address the clear elephant in the room in his opening address to Cabinet? He didn't.
Business as usual for the prime minister at Cabinet?@BorisJohnson pays tribute to minister Therese Coffey at this morning's Cabinet meeting as he seeks to move on from the Chris Pincher controversy https://t.co/mGJqBqoGIp pic.twitter.com/ggBnJV5id5
— ITV News Politics (@ITVNewsPolitics) July 5, 2022
