How good a job has Bojo and his team done so far

Herer is yet another example of this Government riding roughshod over the rules:

This month brought us the alarming sight of Boris Johnson hijacking a taxpayer-funded Downing Street press conference – intended to provide the public with a vital COVID-19 update – to attack one of his political opponents.

And over the last few weeks, we’ve seen a worrying new trend of Government videos and social media content being misappropriated to advance Conservative Party political messaging. And, we believe, the costs of both are coming out of the public purse, not the party coffers.

Several recent Government videos carry the distinct look and feel of a party political broadcast, brandishing the Tory electoral slogan “Build Back Better”, but prominently using the No 10 crest. And when you compare this No 10 branded image alongside the landing page of the Conservative Party website, it’s virtually impossible to distinguish which is Government policy and which is party political campaigning.

Make no mistake, this is Trumpian stuff. Especially when you consider we are now just a few weeks away from the biggest set of local elections on this side of a general election.

It is a legal requirement for Government to have a published policy for how it maintains a clear dividing line between informative communications, which can be properly funded by taxpayers, and electoral material, which is governed by strict campaign finance rules. Otherwise, those in power could simply divert the resources of the state to hold onto power.

Worryingly, our lawyers have been unable to locate any such policy about ensuring Government communications are not used deliberately, or inadvertently, for party political campaigning. And so far Government has chosen to ignore our requests to provide us with a copy.

This issue goes to the very heart of our democracy. We cannot allow this misuse of state resources to go unchallenged. We have issued the first step in formal legal proceedings. Our Pre-Action Protocol letter can be found here.

The case will be crowdfunded. If you’re in a position to donate to the legal challenge, you can do so here: https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/feathering-party-nest/

Thank you,

Jo Maugham
Director of Good Law Project

Sir Keir Starmer tried again at PMQs to find out about the flat payments but Boris refused to answer yet again. Sometimes silence can say a great deal…

Had a seriously hissy fit by all accounts.

Hoyle plumbing new depths of uselessness at controlling the PM’s avoidance of the questions.

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Yes, it was cringeworthy Paul.

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I really think Lindsay Hoyle is totally inadequate as speaker.

He needs to force Johnson to, at least, make an effort to answer questions.

As well stop him from calling the SNP the Scottish Nationalist Party.

I think Hoyle’s only agenda is to secure his position in the House of Lords.

Sad and disillusioned

Andy

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Yes, BoJo must be relieved that John Bercow has gone, he wouldn’t have let him get away without answering these questions.

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Tricky - which way will he decide if he is guilty or not, hmmmmm!

Boris run government = Trump based lookalike dictatorship.

Apparently the Daily Fascist err… Star has this as its front page

If we’ve got to the point of that waste of ink taking the piss, Johnson’s days are probably numbered.

Who will be next PM?

Blimey, and I thought £23 a roll was pushing the boat out !!!

Like many storms that swirl round the Westminster Bubble this will blow out when the media and MPs find something else to pump up.
Cast your minds back to other storms now forgotten.
We obsess about Johnson on SF as we are in the main a community that dislike him and what the Consevative party has become.
…But the majority of UK voters will pass on to the next media topic within weeks and couple of surveys this week found that many people were far more concerned with their day to day problems, getting through Covid, jobs, kids education and having some kind of summer holiday. Brexit was now off most people’s radar as “its done and really hasn’t/won’t affect me”.
Sir Max Hastings who was Johnson’s editor made an interesting observation on R4 …his finances are so chaotic that he will decide before next election that he can make more money to repair them by going back to writing columns, and the speech circuit.
He will stand down with the mantle: I’ve delivered Brexit so altered the future of GB, and delivered the best vax programme …and before the SNP sh1t hits the fan.
As for a successor…rats fighting in a sack!

Up to a point, yes.

However there is now increasing negative press for Johnson which, significantly, is appearing on the pages of the red tops, Times and Torygraph (lets face it no-one is surprised when the Guardian runs a negative piece).

Gove is eyeing No 10, I think.

Good points and Grove would be on the frame but maybe too much Boris baggage but Sunak would be up there too.

The former Red Wall would not vote for a Tory Party led by Gove.

Possibly not. In fact I think the Tories will have a serious charisma deficit if they oust Johnson. Whatever else you think of him, however false and ridiculous you think it is, he has somehow managed a chummy persona that many seem to like whatever his failings.

Brexit Helter Skelter

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Seems like an increasing of UK voters seem to think he is doing a good job…aka Hartlepool and increasing number of councils turning blue.
The old class divisions and labour being for working people is dying, it’s now a divide between city urban metropolitan knowledge workers supporting them (but not enough) and the test of the UK in towns and country loving Boris…and happy to have him as a loveable rogue (after all the great train robbers weren’t too bad!) as long as he delivers and with two out of two so far…Brexit and jab management, so now will be unassailable

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