BoJo banished - Liz Truss down. Is Rishi next for the toaster? **threadbans in OP**

In the short term, the Ukraine crisis distracts attention from partygate, etc, which is to his advantage.

But it contains its own potential traps. Russian oligarchs have been backing up trucks and depositing pallets of cash into Conservative party coffers in exchange for a friendly regime that provides visas for cash, turns a blind eye to money-laundering in London, and is in general well-disposed to the Russian kleptocracy. This warm and close relationship may explain why the UK has been relatively kid-gloved in its response to the invasion of Ukraine so far, treating it primarily as an occasion for photo-opportunities and displays of performative cruelty towards Ukrainian refugees.

Or, of course, it may not explain it. Maybe they just like performative cruelty. But the suspicion of corrupt influence will certainly arise, and a government already widely regarded as entitled and corrupt may struggle to allay that suspicion. Much political capital which they might have used for this purpose has already been burned in the Owen Paterson and partygate affairs.

These things are cumulative. Any respite for Johnson is likely to be short-term.

Taking money from Russians is really not in the normal realm of politics in any country that isn't Russia. Or perhaps Belarus.

I agree that corruption suspicions/allegations/counter-allegations/what have you are fairly standard stuff in politics. What's different here is who the Conservatives are supposed to have been corrupted by. It's one thing for the Tories to be thought to be in hock to the City of London; you more or less price that in when you vote Tory. It's quite another for them to be thought to be in hock to the Putin regime.

The problem Johnsons government has, as El_Duderino points out, is not the taking of the money. Normally, as has been the case for years, this would be little more that a political punch bag, where Labour accuse Tory of being corrupt and Tories say Labour are tied to the Unions and want to socialise everything.

But the invasion changes things. Putin is now clearly seen, for those that weren't paying any attention, as a dictator intent on causing problems for the West. Being seen to take money to give preferential access and treatment to those associated with him is not a good look. IN addition, their pathetic initial response, a few banks, a few unconnected rich Russians, was universally panned and they had to quickly come up with something else.

Now they are being completely outdone by the EU in terms of refugees and the US in terms of support. This all at a time when supposedly Brexit Britain was going become the leader of the world.

So questions will be asked. When such a slow response. They will, of course, easily bat away the claims of corruption, but then then are left with looking ill prepared and unable to deal with the crisis in front of them in a way that they should have. Free of the shackles of the EU, GB should be striding on the international stage getting everyone into line.

Ah the old, well it can't be his fault, it was like that when he got there excuse

Johnson is the PM, the buck stops with him. Leaders are meant to lead, to make changes. He was well aware of these issues and has done sweet FA to stop them. Therefore, either he doesn't know what to do, or doesn't care.

FPTP is a terrible system, not matter who wins. What is really galling is when a party achieves a massive majority with such a small amount of the vote (40% I think it was). If Labour were to win it would be at best a small majority, which is fine as at least individual MPs still have power.

Nobody is arguing that FPTP is a terrible system because the Tories are in government. They argue that FPTP is a terrible system and point to the crazy situation of the Tories having such a large majority of a relatively low level of the overall votes.

Anyone remember this stuff? First tranche of fines reportedly set to be issued today. Inquiry apparently named Operation Hillman; as in Avenger?

Angela Rayner says the PM "and ministers including chancellor Rishi Sunak" should resign if they are fined. I wonder has she been tipped off about Sunak being implicated?

Apparently Sunak is known to have been issued with a questionnaire, so presumably that's why Rayner brought his name up

IIRC he was on the fringes of one of the 'gatherings' or left the room as it was kicking off or something...

Ah. Labour have to try something. Johnson will have to weather this latest part of the story, and he will weather it.

It's been ages since the story broke and totally lost momentum (there's even a new scandal in the meantime where an ex KGB agent got a peerage FFS). Even if he's fined they'll just carry on with the usual lines like 'the people want us to get on with the job of running the country'.

It will count towards the general sense of a sh1tshow and at some point the dam will break. Johnson will resign and Sunak will become PM, but this won't be the event that causes it.

A Welsh Conservative MP has come out as transgender.

Last night at a Conservative Party dinner, which Jamie Wallis was present at...

Oh right. I reckon he'd be unlucky to be brought down by this, unlike some of his Cabinet colleagues. Doesn't strike me as much of a 'party animal'...

This stuff about Mrs. Sunak Non-Dom status and Rishi holding a US green card while chancellor, is really great news for Boris. Terrible news for the party, but great for Boris.

Rishi was the only real front-runner to replace Boris and now he's in big trouble. I'd eat my hat if it wasn't all leaked by No.10. It guarantees Boris short-meduim term safety over all the accumulating scandals as there isn't a front runner to replace him now. David cameron's dad was found to be avoiding tax in the Panama Papers. He didn't apologise and it didn't cost him much politically.

On a side note, I think if Sunak had told everyone to go fcuk themselves, stay away from my family, no laws were broken and if youn dont like it, you can fcuk off etc. (using the correct words and said in received pronunciation), then he could still be I'm contention to replace Boris. Backing down rules him out (in the short term at least). The English want leaders who are normal people. They want leaders who are above them, touched by grace. Normal people abide by the rules, the English want a leader who makes the rules for normal people, but lives by the upper class rules.

Boris and Rishi both fined over Downing Street parties

Expect a bibble about it not being lying as he wasn't aware it could be a party even though it was.

edit: or something about it being inappropriate to go while there's a war on. Which will buy him months.

yeah the spinning will come straight away. Now he has been fined and the matter is concluded does that mean the Sue Gray report can be released? Its that report that will fill in the colour of all these parties and if he wont resign now the contents of that report should put him under huge pressure.

The cyncic in me believes the trip to Ukraine was made in anticipation of this story being released this week.

He'll never step down and the outrage that was there when the original story broke has simmered down. Don't think this will be the end of him, unfathomable really considering he broke the law.