Downing St Christmas Party - what's behind this?

[Leafyhouse]

Presumably someone knew about this for a year. And they've waited until just before Christmas to release it - and not all at once. They drip-fed allegations, waited for ministerial denials, then a few days later released damning video footage. I have 2 theories:

1. The media are looking for a scalp. Boris preferably, or perhaps Keir if he doesn't take the fight to the PM satisfactorily.

1. Rishi Sunak supporters. There's a perception that Boris needs to go, and the 1922 committee will show their hand soon.

1. Anti lockdown supporters. It looks like we may have to lockdown further before Christmas, and they're hell bent on undermining the PM's ability to do it.

What worries me is that no-one in the media is asking these questions. Which makes me think they're complicit.

AIBU to think we're being played like fools here?

I think there has to have been some Tory Party collusion in this at any rate. It could also have been the backbench Covid Recovery Group, who always opposed lockdown.

@Bunnycat101

I agree . Whitty was right. People have the right to be angry . But the science is more important.

Did the PM prioritise evacuating animals over humans In Afghanistan?

Certainly looks that way.
Doubts cast on Downing St claims

@LizzieW1969

Why chose this particular time though?. I hope it does not detract from the importance of letting the scientists and researchers doing their jobs.

@Bunnycat101

I thought the journalists were actually really irresponsible this evening. One question on the party would have been ok but for all or the professionals to focus on Allegra and the PM’s feelings re the party went too far in my mind when there are some important questions of national policy like what will happen in schools, how will hospitality cope, what will be impact of moving from isolation to contact tracing. I became more annoyed with them than the Christmas party by the end.

The party is the story, like it or not. 'If it bleeds, it leads' is the saying for journalism. Johnson is bleeding.

Gove has been (wisely) under the radar for months. Last I heard of him was the nightclub dancing. I wouldn't be surprised if Gove or Rishi would as waiting in the wings and biding their time

@LizzieW1969

To be fair I would think there are hardly ant conservative MPs who want lockdown . Everyone accuses of putting business before people . But lockdown does the opposite.

@Skiptheheartsandflowers

Never heard that saying before but it makes sense .

Boris might be happy to go though . I bet even he did not see this variant coming . He probably might be attracted to a quieter life .

Rishi , Gove , Cummings
3 snakes waiting in the grass

Rishi , Gove , Cummings
3 snakes waiting in the grass

and Jeremy Hunt?

It does smack of a plan with a few people out to get Mr Johnson. If it succeeds then at least we will have a full-time Prime Minister again, whoever that might be.

The spoof videos doing the rounds are pretty damming.
Funny , but closer to the truth than we think I bet !

I thin

Either they are trying to cover up some kind of news (dunno what, not found anything yet) or trying to take down someone in government.

Who says 64% say hes doing a bad job ? nobody asked me or anybody i know !

To be fair the queen didnt need to sit on her own at the funeral she chose to do so for her own reasons, she could have had family sitting with her in 2 metre gaps. I lost respect for Keir Starmer saying that, he sounded insincere and theatrical.

@threecee

To be fair the queen didnt need to sit on her own at the funeral she chose to do so for her own reasons, she could have had family sitting with her in 2 metre gaps. I lost respect for Keir Starmer saying that, he sounded insincere and theatrical.

I doubt you had any in the first place but it sounds good.

The Queen did just what her family did in the Second World War: acted as a figurehead for all those in the U.K..

That is precisely why she did what she did.

I'm sorry but the woman knows what duty looks like. And that's what duty looks like.

And I'm glad someone was able to draw an accurate parallel between what we have the right to expect from Leaders and (sadly for us) what we see from Johnson.

Polling company results show that the majority polled gave Johnson bad personal ratings:
yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/trackers/boris-johnson-approval-rating?period=1yr

why do people persist in constantly blaming Carrie Johnson for everything, Number 10 is not a corner shop where the wife can just pop in to suggest new lines, they dont even live at number 10. Penny Farthing had a lot of organised emails on the daily mail for example, 8,000 on several occasions all lobbying for the dogs to be sent to the uk!

Quite right i didnt after the J saville and Rotheram debacles . It was a cheap shot bringing the Queen into it , and i dont understand why it was her duty to sit on her own ? i dont remember ever seeing that Happen before at Royal televised funerals.

@threecee I for one do not blame Carrie Johnson for what has happened. Given Boris Johnson's view of 'buyer's remorse', I just hope that she is not as ill-treated as the second Mrs Johnson was.

@Double3xposure

The people on this thread saying “ Yeah so what if it was a party, it’s no big deal, they are entitled to let off steam “ - you have no idea about the anger felt by ordinary people up and down the country.

All the small people. The ones who were not able to sit with dying loved one or attend the funeral. Those who stood in the rain on Christmas Day exchanging gifts in a car park or passing foil wrapped meals through a window to elderly or disabled people living alone. Those who took their own lives because they couldn’t cope with the isolation.

When you say “ It’s not big deal “ you are pissing all over their sacrifices yet again.

I don’t actually think that Allegra was laughing at them. It was a laugh of embarrassment that she didn’t know how to answer.

But those of you on here, knowing that there was a party and saying “ So what? “ are worse. You really are.

100 x this 🥲🥲

@threecee As she seems to having a massive input on the workings of the Government, e.g. Recommending Allegra Stratton (a good friend of hers) for her job and also getting Johnson to help that Farthing bloke remove animals/his workers from Afghanistan over people who were employed by the UK in the country and were hence in grave danger.

why do people persist in constantly blaming Carrie Johnson for everything, Number 10 is not a corner shop where the wife can just pop in to suggest new lines, they dont even live at number 10.

I don’t think anyone on this thread is blaming Carrie Johnson but Dominic Cummings was.

www.theweek.co.uk/news/politics/953718/dominic-cummings-and-the-obsession-with-carrie-johnson?amp