Boris Johnson!

Well they are off to court about those messages he hasnt accidently disposed off already.
Its quite impressive how they have turned a kick it into the long grass beyond the next election (with the standard we would love to talk about it but not whilst the inquiry is ongoing) into a what are they trying to hide mess so quickly.

Two different but connected stories. Johnson has not handed all his messages over to the Cabinet Office, despite claims that he had. The government is fighting to control which of those messages it does have can be seen by the Judge.

The shamed former Prime Minister claimed he had given “all material” demanded by the Covid-19 inquiry to the Cabinet Office – and urged the Government to pass it on to inquiry chair Baroness Heather Hallett.
But the Cabinet Office said it had only received messages from a phone Mr Johnson used from May 2021 onwards.
It had not been given the messages from the phone he used before then, which includes the major part of the pandemic.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/boris-johnson-fails-hand-16-30134308

+

The Cabinet Office was given until 4pm today to hand over a trove of the shamed ex-PM’s WhatsApps & notepads to the Covid inquiry after days of wrangling.
Baroness Heather Hallett, who chairs the inquiry, demanded un-redacted messages between January ’20 and February ’22, along with ministerial diaries and notebooks – warning officials could face criminal proceedings if they didn’t comply.
Ministers resisted the request and, 67 minutes after the crossbench peer’s crunch deadline to surrender the documents, the Government confirmed it wanted a courtroom showdown.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/breaking-government-triggers-court-battle-30128410

To nobodies surprise at all, Johnson continues his shitbaggery.

Much as we all despise Boris, this really isn’t about him and his stupid hacked phone.

The minister on QT last night seemed pragmatic that the government will lose, I fail to see why – as happens far to often in challenges to legislation – it has to go through the courts for the solution to be found when it’s **** blindingly obvious.

Ministers have a right to privacy WHILE discussing and bouncing around ideas on policy etc. The right to privacy goes out the window AFTER the decisions are made and the decision making process needs to be reviewed – in this case, for the public enquiry, in general, we have the 30 year rule.

The enquiry should get everything, the enquiry should then release the info relevant to the enquiry and nothing else.

FFS, it’s basic civil service training that you don’t document anything you don’t want to be seen in court/tribunal/enquiry.

The minister on QT last night seemed pragmatic that the government will lose

It does seem to be the prevalent legal opinion, which is why it remains a genuine mystery to me as to why they have gone down that route – they are simply digging themselves a deeper hole.

They must presumably believe that there is potentially some serious incriminating evidence, which if eventually revealed will make it much harder for them to brazen it out and claim that it is unimportant and perfectly acceptable. That is what politicians tend to do when they are caught out.

Edit: Interesting/good article here:

https://www.itv.com/news/2023-06-01/sunak-rejects-inquirys-demand-for-johnsons-whatsapps-what-now

It’s never the lies, its always the cover-up.

It does seem to be the prevalent legal opinion, which is why it remains a genuine mystery to me as to why they have gone down that route – they are simply digging themselves a deeper hole

They’re buying time.

They must know they’re all well and truly ****ed once the lack of preparedness, the failure to take things seriously, then the level of incompetence and the scale of the opportunistic ‘fast track’ corruption is there in black and white for us all to see

They’re simply ensuring that by being obstructive and throwing as many spanner’s in the works as possible that they’ll all be long gone by the time any report sees the light of day (2035?) and on to their lucrative post-political careers

FFS, it’s basic civil service training that you don’t document anything you don’t want to be seen in court/tribunal/enquiry

I can’t remember which columnist it was that pointed out that due to lockdown and social distancing, WhatsApp basically took the place of the usual whispered conversations in corridors and plans cooked up over late night drinks in the commons bar.

That’s why they’re so worried. There’s now evidence of stuff that would normally have occurred without leaving a trace

Just idle speculation – but what would happen if there was incriminating evidence in these messages, I mean actual genuine criminal record and potentially jail stuff?

The minister on QT last night seemed pragmatic that the government will lose

It does seem to be the prevalent legal opinion, which is why it remains a genuine mystery to me as to why they have gone down that route – they are simply digging themselves a deeper hole.

Probably more enemies of the people type stuff. Government doing its best in trying circumstances, blah, being dragged over the coals by leftie lawyers, blah, why dredge up the past, blah, woke conspiracy, blah.

Our politics has been brought so low in the past seven years, this is the result.

Still, Rishi is going to stop the boats, so everything will be fine.

Just idle speculation – but what would happen if there was incriminating evidence in these messages, I mean actual genuine criminal record and potentially jail stuff?

They’d probably have a crack at everything up to and including national security to suppress them. Would you expect anything else from these bastards?

Just idle speculation – but what would happen if there was incriminating evidence in these messages, I mean actual genuine criminal record and potentially jail stuff?

This is how Johnson got reported for the Chequers Covid breaches a week or two back when they reviewed his diaries – aiui the Cabinet Office that is blocking the WhatsApp messages is obliged to pass potentially illegal actions to the Police.

Bizarre

Can you imagine what this all looks like to the rest of the world? They must be laughing their tits off in Brussels looking at where the Boris and the Brexiteers have taken this country? Mounting legal proceedings against your own inquiry to prevent you having to hand over evidence about the events that led to the deaths of thousands of people and saw billions and billions of public money disappear to god only knows where?

We’re a Banana Republic. Worse than Italy under Berlesconi.

Once again though, it proves that this lot really are rubbish at the actual business of politics. Think of Hillsborough and all the other events that were successfully covered up for decades, until all the main players were long gone, and then look at this farce. The official bit hasn’t even started yet and its all falling apart already. They’re going to be fighting like rats in a sack as they try to blame each other

Government doing its best in trying circumstances, blah, being dragged over the coals by leftie lawyers, blah, why dredge up the past, blah, woke conspiracy, blah.

Taking aside the leftie / woke conspiracy thing – the other points are fair. But this is how any serious organisation deals with that, you do a inquiry or ‘lessons learned’ to find out what went well and what went badly, and then in the future when it happens again don’t make the same mistakes.

Any organisation in a crisis situation will get stuff wrong, and should be big enough to admit it. It doesn’t have to automatically be a blame thing where heads must roll, save that for the massively incompetent / criminal acts (which I suspect is where the cover up comes!!)

The airline industry does this well. The medical industry – not so much.

Sticking the knife in

He’s not sticking the knife in, he’s pulled the pin on the grenade and lobbed into the office while locking the door. He knows yes a spent political force now so yes taking everyone down with him at the same time. Sadly this means the country is going down too, how far is uncertain but we are being pulled down by it no matter what we do.

Boris showing the one skill he has – betraying people. Can’t say I mind it all that much.

Sadly this means the country is going down too, how far is uncertain but we are being pulled down by it no matter what we do.

If he manages to mess up the government enough, perhaps we’ll get a slightly earlier election? I’m beginning to think that autumn 2023 is looking more likely anyhow, with a forecast recession going into next year, and another winter of high energy bills and food prices on the horizon.

Sadly this means the country is going down too

been on that trajectory for a while

I’m beginning to think that autumn 2023 is looking more likely

Not a chance. Call an election this year and the Tories definitely lose.

They’re most likely **** anyway, but delaying until next autumn allows time for some random miracle to occur – I think that is now the level of optimism within those Tories who are thinking of anything other than a fat bank balance from 2025 onwards.

You also have to remember how far the ERG still have their fist in Sunak. 18 months to loot as much of what is left is better than 6 months from their POV.

Sunak probably doesn’t care much, TBH. It’s not as if he’ll actually need to do a day’s work ever again whatever happens.

The state of this country after that bloody referendum makes me so sad/angry.

https://www.politico.eu/article/boris-johnson-sold-out-uk-farmers-australia-trade-deal-uk/

Ah funny story in the pop bitch email this week:

Newsrooms all around Fleet Street have been abuzz with a story this week about an amusing last minute deadline panic at the Daily Mail.

Late last week, Mail editor Ted Verity came into possession of a bombshell photo showing Boris Johnson, his mother, his sister and little baby Wilf out in the open air at No.10.

The Mail wrote up a big front page story about how the photo was PROOF that Boris had done no wrong and that the police are conducting a baseless witch hunt against him.

It was all laid out, ready to go to press, when one of the hacks looking over it piped up to ask if the four of them shouldn’t have been much further apart – given that social distancing rules were in place at the time.

Sure enough, the picture they were about to splash across their front page not only proved that Boris Johnson broke the rules he put in place, but that he still doesn’t understand them now.Because the super secret source of the photo, who thought its publication would fully exonerate Boris, was… Boris.

It must have been great being single in that Time in U.K. history that having sex could have been a fineable offence.

Unless you were making the rules of course.

I really don’t think they’ve been given a hard enough time over the decisions made in covid time and slowly people are forgetting what law abiding people (or mugs) went thru for the good of the many.

Not strictly Boris but most of the target audience (ie those that will PMSL at it) are here and will see this, so no point starting a thread for it

Fancy paying 50 quid for dinner with Jim Davidson and Lee Anderson? Neither do these 17 people.https://t.co/KJ5DpJzAoF pic.twitter.com/xqnmojAC6F

— The Poke (@ThePoke) June 2, 2023

If you think your job is bad, just remember that someone is going to have to read ALL of Boris Johnson’s messages, including the ones begging for sexy time… Enjoy your weekend xhttps://t.co/ieY2ZRw3fC

— Larry the Cat (@Number10cat) June 2, 2023

oops

? | BREAKING: The Cabinet Office has told Boris Johnson that they will PULL his taxpayer funded legal advice for the Covid inquiry if he carries on undermining “the government’s position”

[@thetimes]

— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) June 3, 2023

They’re most likely **** anyway, but delaying until next autumn allows time for some random miracle to occur

Just need Argentina to have another crack at the Falklands…

So, to put it another way, taxpayer money is now being used to bribe Johnson into doing what teh government wants, meanwhile taxpayer money is also being used to block the release of messages of messages to the covid enquiry which the inquiry will already have received, which is being run with taxpayer money and whose terms were set out by Boris Johnson’s government but now Sunak’s government (which is pretending to be the same government) doesn’t want it to do what it was told to do.

So it turns out that Johnson isn’t being given government funded legal advice because he is legally entitled to it.

Furthermore it will be withdrawn if he continues to comply with the demands of a judge who has the legal right to make the demands in question.

And this mess is the result of an inquiry which the government itself ordered.

At some point in the future people will recall this fiasco and they will struggle to believe that it actually happened.

,😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Boris Johnson quits as an MP after receiving privileges committee findings

— Sam Coates Sky (@SamCoatesSky) June 9, 2023

BREAKING

Boris Johnson standing down as an MP with immediate effect.

“I am now being forced out of Parliament by a tiny handful of people”

Quite the Friday night news drop – all on @BBCNewsnight tonight

— Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) June 9, 2023

what gutless, graceless sack of shit

oi ****! don’t let the door hit you on the way out

Hell hath no fury like a ..etc.etc

Oh the shame 🙂

Wtf  the **** lying ****.

Oh dear what a shame – so thats why mad Nad quit!

What a day – Trump charged and Johnson found to have lied to parliament!

Nads and Boris in a day…I think I could even tolerate Sir JRM for this!

it’s so delightful that it was such an easy “pit” to walk around but nope he jumped straight in and didn’t even hold his nose.

His resignation letter could be summarised as

ITS JUST, LIKE, SOOOOOOOOOOOO NOT FAIR!!!

And now he’s stropping off and taking his ball home

What a ****!

Don’t let the door hit your arse on the way out

**** still trying to play the victim card in his resignation statement.

‘Forced out’ by Harriet Harman. Wow – that must really burn 😂

Wow, it’s as if, over all the years on this thread, our hunches and gut instincts about what kind of character he was, were, were…actually..BANG ON .

👍🤣🤣🤣🙃

Back to presenting Have I Got News for You then!! 🤣🤣