A politician who hates to lose – question is whether Boris Johnson has the appetite and ability to win once more | Beth Rigby
A politician who thrives on drama and attention, Boris Johnson’s bombshell resignation on Friday night was true to form: once again the former prime minister left Westminster reeling, while also throwing in grenades against enemies that will ensure he remains in the spotlight for some time yet.
It was undoubtedly a shock. Even one of his closest allies told me a few minutes after his excoriating resignation letter landed that they had no idea this was coming. It was also vintage Johnson, as the former prime minister unleashed a full frontal attack on the protagonists he believed caused his demise – Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the “kangaroo court” privileges committee who Mr Johnson insisted was always going to find him guilty regardless of the evidence.
As with his resignation from Number 10, there was not a scrap of contrition or regard for the democratic process that had got him to this place (remember there was a Commons vote to kick off the inquiry and there is also a Tory majority on that committee).
Politics latest:
Johnson ally quits as Labour says Sunak has ‘lost control’ of party
Instead there was fury, defiance and the threat of revenge laced through his remarks. He ended his statement saying he was “very sad to be leaving parliament – at least for now”.
Cue frenzied speculation about whether he might find another seat to come back in before the next general election. Whatever he does now, what is clear is that he’ll be hurling rocks from the sidelines at a prime minister he’s determined to destroy.
But surveying the scene of Mr Johnson’s bombshell the morning after, the timing of the detonation makes perfect sense.
We knew two things about the former prime minister: he was very focused on getting his resignation honours lists through, and he’d said himself at the privilege committee hearings that he wouldn’t accept the findings if members didn’t find in his favour.
Having received a copy of their report a few days ago, he’d clearly decided to quit rather than suffer the humiliation of being sanctioned and potentially suspended as an MP through a Commons vote. So when his honours list was secured and published, it was time for Mr Johnson to go.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Tory MP pays tribute to Johnson
We don’t yet know the findings of the committee – due to meet on Monday to decide whether to now expedite the publication of its report – but we do know from Mr Johnson’s furious response that it’s likely MPs determined he had wilfully or recklessly misled the House, and were preparing to recommend a suspension of more than 10 sitting days from the Commons.
We currently only have Mr Johnson’s versions of events, as the former prime minister looked to set the narrative on a report that is almost certainly going to be very damning indeed. We know the privileges committee has received more evidence regarding Mr Johnson, since the initial partygate hearings earlier this year.
Last month, Boris Johnson was referred to police over further potential lockdown breaches by the Cabinet Office, which had been reviewing documents as part of the COVID inquiry. His ministerial diary revealed visits by family and friends to the prime ministerial country retreat Chequers during the pandemic. The information handed to the police was also handed to the privileges committee as part of its investigation. While Mr Johnson’s spokesperson immediately dismissed claims of breaches as a “politically motivated stitch-up”, another figure told me that the evidence is damning and has Mr Johnson “bang to rights”.
“There was an expectation that MPs would try to avoid the highest sanction, that they have gone there means it must be pretty bad,” says one Whitehall figure, who believes that the privileges committee has been unanimous in its verdict against him (we won’t know that for sure until the report is out).
The big question on my mind now is whether Mr Johnson will – or can – stage a comeback, and to what extent he’ll be able to disrupt his political nemesis Mr Sunak from outside the tent.
When it comes to the former question, the former prime minister has clearly decided not to box himself in and there is a big chunk of the activist base, as well as the parliamentary base, that are Mr Johnson backers.
But it’s equally true that this close to an election, Conservative MPs don’t want to stoke division – with a nod to the old adage that divided parties don’t win elections.
His most loyal backers on Friday night rode out on Twitter and TV screens to denounce the privileges committee, rather than amplify further Mr Johnson’s pointed criticisms about Mr Sunak and his government.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Rayner: ‘Good riddance’ to Johnson
For its part, the Number 10 team were relieved when Mr Johnson failed to lead a huge rebellion and don’t believe he had anything near the potency he once had. “We’re in a period where Rishi is doing well restoring trust after a period of distress,” is how one figure close to the PM put it to me. “I don’t think the mood in the party is pitch forks.”
That’s not to say Number 10 isn’t worried by an unleashed and furious Mr Johnson determined to settle scores, but, as another person put it: “He is one man, the party is more than that and we sometimes lose sight of that in the Johnson circus.”
Prime minister Sunak with President Biden
But the criticisms Mr Johnson has levelled at Mr Sunak – justified or not – are potent. There’s the criticism of Mr Sunak’s handling of Brexit and failure to get a UK-US free trade deal, to his call for lower taxes and bemoaning the lack of political momentum going into an election.
Those in government might remark in exasperation that the relationship between Mr Johnson and President Biden meant a free trade deal is something he’d never had been able to do, but that doesn’t matter much – what matters is that these dog whistles rally a base in the party frustrated by the new regime. He already has in the new grassroots Conservative Democratic Organisation, a movement which he could lead.
What he’ll do next, we don’t know. But the signs are that he intends, with his allies, to be a political menace. A third by-election was triggered on Saturday after another key Johnson backer Nigel Adams announced he too was quitting Westminster with immediate effect. That on top of the two by-elections caused by Mr Johnson and that of his closest political ally Nadine Dorries are the last thing his successor needs. Lose them, and it all feeds into the narrative that Mr Sunak is a busted flush.
Read more:
Boris Johnson stands down as MP with immediate effect
Johnson ally Nigel Adams to stand down as MP triggering third by-election
There are obvious questions as to whether Mr Johnson will try to stand in Ms Dorries’ mid-Beds seat, where the Conservatives are defending a 24,000 majority, or return to another safe seat before the next election (there were plenty of rumours before all of this that Mr Johnson was on the look out for a safer seat than Uxbridge and South Ruislip).
He could equally return to writing a newspaper column or editorship. What’s clear from his resignation statement is that he still intends to hold the spotlight whether Mr Sunak likes it or not.
Johnson swearing in ahead of hearing at Privileges Committee March, 2023.
Those around him tell me Mr Johnson shouldn’t be written off and feels deeply aggrieved by what he sees as a campaign within Number 10 and the cabinet office to defenestrate him, with briefings against him in the run-up to the publication of the privileges committee report and then vote in Commons. His camp believe fervently that Mr Sunak is trying to drive them from parliament and the party: they are defiant and this, if you like, is the beginning of a fight back. I’m told more resignations are likely.
For the current regime, Mr Johnson’s attack gives voice to those supporters angry that – in the words of one – Mr Sunak is unpicking the 2019 manifesto despite having neither a mandate from he public or party members. For many Conservatives, it is Mr Johnson who has the box office appeal and ability to connect with voters in a way that Mr Sunak does not. Those loyal to him are ready to rally – should he mount an attempt to return to parliament.
There are detractors who say Mr Johnson is done, that the partygate scandal has damaged his standing with the public and the party beyond repair.
A snap poll out today by YouGov found that nearly three in four Britons believe Mr Johnson committed further breaches of COVID rules than those he’s already been investigated and fined for.
In some ways, the easier thing for Mr Johnson to do was make this resignation the concluding chapter of his political life. But instead he’s chosen to leave the door open to a sequel.
A politician who above all hates to lose, the question is, after all that’s passed, whether he still has the appetite – and ability – to try once more to win. Never rule him out.
World
Tel Aviv football derby cancelled after ‘violent riots’, as club describes ‘brutal police violence’
A football derby in Tel Aviv between Hapoel and Maccabi has been cancelled after “violent riots”, according to Israeli police.
Nine people were arrested on Sunday night at Bloomfield Stadium, a venue shared by both clubs. Hapoel were the home team for the game.
A statement from Israeli police said the game was called off “following disturbances and violent riots” in which 13 civilians and three officers were injured by pyrotechnic devices.
“These are very serious incidents that posed a real danger to the lives of police officers and civilians,” the statement added.
But Hapoel Tel Aviv Football Club released a statement with a very different perspective on policing at the match.
“From the preliminary discussions prior to the match, it appears that the police were preparing for war rather than a sporting event,” a spokesperson said.
Outside the stadium, mounted police attempt to control crowds. Pic: Israeli police
Footage released by Israeli police shows a flare or firework landing near officers. Pic: Israeli police
They added: “Most of the injuries from the event were caused by brutal police violence at the end of the game, as a direct result of the scandalous decision to cancel the event.
“Everyone saw the disturbing videos of children being trampled by horses and police officers indiscriminately beating fans.”
Israeli police have not yet responded to the allegations from Hapoel.
A Maccabi statement read: “Following the police’s decision, it was determined that the Tel Aviv derby will not take place tonight.”
Footage shared by the police shows projectiles and flares being thrown on to the pitch, as well as unrest outside the stadium and arrests being made.
What looked like smoke canisters were seized by officers. Pic: Israeli police
Maccabi ban criticised
On Thursday, Maccabi supporters were told they are not allowed to attend November’s Europa League game against Aston Villa in Birmingham next month after a decision by Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG).
The group – made up of local stakeholders, including representatives from the council, police and event organisers – said the decision was due to a high risk of violence based on “current intelligence and previous incidents”.
Ed Miliband told Sky’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips that ministers are “working with the relevant authorities” to secure additional resources and ensure fans of both teams can attend next month’s European clash.
He insisted Aston in Birmingham cannot become a “no-go area” for Jews.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Aston ‘can’t be no-go area for Jews’
The energy secretary also said that he “profoundly” disagrees with the “approach” taken by a local MP who started a petition calling for fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv to be banned from the Aston Villa game.
The petition states: “Their arrival in Aston – a diverse and predominantly Muslim community – poses a real risk of tensions within the community and disorder.”
Mr Miliband pushed back on that point. He said the “vast majority of Muslim people in this country would disassociate themselves” from suggestions that Maccabi Tel Aviv fans could not come to Aston Villa because it was a predominantly Muslim area.
His Tory counterpart, Claire Coutinho, was also highly critical of the petition, telling Phillips: “I think politicians need to have the courage to name some of the problems that this country is facing. And one of those problems is political Islam.”
Read more from Sky News:
Maccabi ban could be reversed
Why are Maccabi Tel Aviv fans banned?
Analysis: Ban raises serious questions
Petition reaction ‘false and inflammatory’
The independent MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, Ayoub Khan, criticised those comments.
“I utterly reject the false and inflammatory characterisations… regarding my recent petition,” he said in a statement.
“The petition I launched reflected genuine and widespread concern from my constituents about public safety and community cohesion. It did not call for anyone to be ‘banned because they are Jewish’ nor did it single out any faith or ethnicity.
“To distort this into an issue of religion or antisemitism is deeply irresponsible and frankly dangerous. I have consistently condemned all forms of hatred – including antisemitism and Islamophobia – and I will continue to do so.”
The government is expecting West Midlands Police to set out early next week what they would need to police the game safely with both sets of fans present.
A cargo plane has skidded off the runway into the sea while landing at Hong Kong International Airport, killing two people on the ground.
Images taken after the crash which happened around 3.50am (8.50pm UK time) showed a Boeing 747 cargo aircraft partially submerged in water near the airport’s sea wall.
The AirACT plane, travelling from Dubai, could be seen with escape slides deployed and the nose and tail sections separated. Four crew on board survived.
The nose and tail sections separated after the crash. Pic: Reuters
Escape slides were deployed and all four crew survived. Pic: Reuters
Rescue teams circle the partially submerged green tail of the aircraft. Pic: AP
Two security staff were killed when the aircraft struck their vehicle, shunting it into the sea, said Steven Yiu, executive director of airport operations at Airport Authority Hong Kong.
At a news conference, he told reporters about the rescue operation.
“Four aircraft crew on board were quickly rescued by Fire Service Department [which] also rescued two security staff from the sea.
“One was certified dead at the hospital and the other certified dead at the scene.
“We are deeply saddened and extend our deepest condolence. We will provide the family with all necessary support and assistance.”
Steven Yiu from Airport Authority Hong Kong told reporters two security staff have been killed. Pic: AP
Mr Yiu showed a map of the northern runway and the crash site. Pic: AP
He explained that the security vehicle was patrolling the north runway along a road that was outside the runway fence when it was struck.
The northern runway at the world’s busiest cargo airport is closed while the south and central runways are continuing to operate.
“According to information we have at that moment, weather and the runway condition were safe and met all conditions for runway operation. An investigation is continuing.” Mr Yiu added.
Emirates said in a statement that flight EK9788 sustained damage on landing in Hong Kong on Monday and was a Boeing 747 cargo aircraft wet-leased from and operated by ACT Airlines.
“Crew are confirmed to be safe and there was no cargo onboard,” the airline said.
Read more from Sky News:
Eight ‘priceless’ objects stolen in Louvre heist
Gaza ceasefire ‘resumes’ after killings
Tel Aviv derby cancelled after ‘violent riots’
Man Ka-chai, chief accident and safety investigator for Hong Kong’s Air Accident Investigation Authority, confirmed air
traffic control had directed the flight to land at the north runway, but added: “We didn’t receive any message requesting
help from the pilot.”
ACT Airlines is a Turkish carrier that provides extra cargo capacity to major airlines. It did not respond immediately to a request for comment outside normal business hours.
Flight tracking service FlightRadar24 said the aircraft involved in the accident was 32 years old and had served as a passenger plane before being converted into a freighter.
Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department said in a statement that the aircraft had “deviated from the north runway after landing and ditched into the sea”.
Airport Authority Hong Kong said the northern runway would reopen after safety inspections were complete.
World
‘Race against time’ as police try to recover ‘priceless’ jewels from Louvre – as authorities reveal details of daring raid
Police face “a race against time” to recover “priceless” objects stolen by thieves in a daring heist at the Louvre museum in Paris, Sky News has been told.
The world-famous museum was forced to close on Sunday after thieves accessed a gallery containing the French Crown Jewels at around 9.30am local time.
Art detective Arthur Brand said the heist is “the theft of the decade” – adding in order to recover the “priceless” items, police will need to find the culprits in just one week.
“These crown jewels are so famous, you just cannot sell them,” Mr Brand told Sky News. “The only thing they can do is melt the silver and gold down, dismantle the diamonds, try to cut them. That’s the way they will probably disappear forever.”
He continued: “They [the police] have a week. If they catch the thieves, the stuff might still be there. If it takes longer, the loot is probably gone and dismantled. It’s a race against time.”
Eight “priceless” objects stolen have been named by the French culture ministry. A ninth item was stolen but recovered at the scene, the Paris prosecutor said.
The French culture ministry said the items stolen were:
• Tiara from the set of Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense
• Necklace from the sapphire set of Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense
• Earring, from the pair belonging to the sapphire set of Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense
The tiara (top), necklace (middle) and one earring were taken from the Queen Marie Amelie sapphire set. Pic: Louvre
• Emerald necklace from the Empress Marie Louise set
• Pair of emerald earrings from the Empress Marie Louise set
Empress Marie Louise’s emerald necklace and earrings. Pic: Louvre
• Brooch known as the “reliquary brooch”
• Tiara of Empress Eugenie
• Large corsage bow brooch of Empress Eugenie.
The Empress Eugenie tiara. Pic: Louvre
The Empress Eugenie brooch contains 2,438 diamonds. Pic: Louvre
French publication Le Parisien previously reported that the object recovered at the museum was the crown of Napoleon III’s wife, Empress Eugenie, and it was broken.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Louvre heist: What we know so far?
Authorities revealed details of the raid after the museum, which is the world’s most popular and draws up to 30,000 visitors a day, said on X that it was closing for “exceptional reasons”.
Police working by a basket lift used by thieves at the Louvre museum in Paris. Pic: AP
The world famous museum attracts tens of thousands of people every day. File pic: AP
Culture minister Rachida Dati said footage of the operation showed the thieves “don’t target people, they enter calmly in four minutes, smash display cases, take their loot, and leave”.
“No violence, very professional,” she told TF1.
How the robbery unfolded
French interior minister Laurent Nunez said the “major robbery” involved intruders entering the museum via a basket lift using a platform mounted on a lorry.
It is not clear if they brought any or all of the equipment they used with them, as construction work is taking place along the River Seine side of the sprawling building, where the break-in occurred.
Mr Nunez said: “They broke a window and went towards several display cases where they stole jewellery. These are jewels that have genuine heritage value and are, in fact, priceless.”
The ceiling of the Apollo Gallery in the Louvre. Pic: Shutterstock
The interior ministry said the criminals fled on two motorbikes. No injuries have been reported.
The number of robbers has not been confirmed but Mr Nunez told France Inter that three or four thieves got into the museum.
The gang was well prepared and had scouted the venue, Mr Nunez said, adding they cut window panes “with a disc cutter” before escaping “on a TMAX”, a type of Yamaha maxi-scooter.
Forensic work is now under way and a detailed list of the stolen items is being compiled following the break-in, which took place between 9.30 and 9.40am (8.30-8.40am UK time).
Once in, they made for the Galerie d’Apollon (Apollo Gallery), home to a selection of the French Crown Jewels, the interior ministry said.
French daily newspaper Le Parisien, citing police, said the suspects wore hoods and were carrying “small chainsaws”.
The robbers reportedly escaped with nine pieces of jewellery, including a necklace, a brooch and a tiara from the Napoleon and French Sovereigns display cases, the newspaper reported.
Two suspects were inside while a third stayed outside, Le Parisien said.
Suspects reportedly used this window to get in. Pic: Reuters
French President Emmanuel Macron said in a post on X: “We will recover the works and the perpetrators will be brought to justice.
“Everything is being done, everywhere, to achieve this,” he added.
What is in the Galerie d’Appollon?
The Galerie d’Appollon is an enormous room on the upper floor of the Petite Galerie, which houses the French Crown Jewels as well as the royal collection of hardstone vessels, paintings, tapestries and medallions, the museum’s website said.
Rebuilt by Louis XIV after a fire, it is home to three historical diamonds – the Regent, one of the most famous diamonds in the world, the Sancy and the Hortensia.
At 140 carats, the Regent is exceptional in terms of size, weight and purity and when it was found in India in 1698, it was the largest known diamond at the time.
Social media users posted pictures and videos from in and outside the building, with one showing people leaving in “total panic”.
The museum sits next to the River Seine. Pic: Reuters
One person on X who said they were there reported a confused-sounding scene of police “running” near the museum’s famous pyramid “and trying to enter… from glass side doors but they were locked and they could not enter”.
“Everyone inside was running and banging on glass doors to get out, but could not open. Police and military police arrived,” they added.
History of Louvre break-ins
This is not the first time thieves have targeted the museum.
In 1911, the Mona Lisa, now protected by bulletproof glass, vanished from its frame, stolen by a former worker who hid inside the museum and walked out with the painting under his coat.
Read more on Sky News:
Investigation into latest Andrew claims
Rock bassist dies at 48
Socialite Goldsmith dies
It was recovered two years later in Florence – an episode that helped make Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait the world’s best-known artwork.
In 1983, two Renaissance-era pieces of armour were stolen – and were only recovered in 2021, nearly four decades later.
The museum’s collection also bears the legacy of Napoleonic-era looting, containing 33,000 works of art, including antiquities, sculptures and paintings.
In addition to the Mona Lisa, its star attractions feature the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports2 years agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports3 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Sports3 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment1 year agoHere are the best electric bikes you can buy at every price level in October 2024