Boris Johnson’s still Prime Minister, but he’s become a laughing stock
PremiumA rebellion is gathering steam within his Tory party as a growing number of his own lawmakers join opposition leader Keir Starmer in urging Boris Johnson to step aside
If Boris Johnson is forced to stand down as U.K. prime minister, the tipping point may prove to be the moment when anger turned to mockery over the now-notorious pandemic parties at No. 10.
A rebellion is gathering steam within his Tory party as a growing number of his own lawmakers join opposition leader Keir Starmer in urging him to step aside. Perhaps more damaging for the prime minister’s authority, much of the country has spent the weekend laughing at him.
Comedy was an essential part of the package throughout Johnson’s frequently chaotic rise to power. Now the British are training their humor on the prime minister’s increasingly desperate attempts to explain away the apparent hypocrisy of an administration that held boozy office parties while ordering everyone else into lockdown.
The past week brought a string of revelations about revelry at Johnson’s workplace and official residence during the depths of the 2020 coronavirus restrictions. While regular people were prevented from socializing -- or, in some cases, even visiting dying relatives -- staff in Johnson’s office held regular end-of-week happy hours.
A wine fridge was even purchased to facilitate the “bring your own booze" gatherings, and Johnson, according to the Daily Mirror, was known to stop by to chat on the way to his private quarters.
When Johnson on Wednesday told Parliament he’d joined staff drinking in his garden after hours in May 2020, he said he’d understood he was at a work event.
Read more: Boris Johnson Brought to Brink by the Vengeful Aide He Crossed
‘Lockdown Prices’
One video posted Friday on Twitter, showed dozens of protesters dancing outside the prime minister’s residence in dark suits, Boris Johnson face masks and tousled blond wigs. “My name is Boris, I like to party." It was viewed almost 3 million times.
Satirical reviews popped up for the central London store where Johnson’s staff reportedly stocked up on liquor, with one joker saying they’d bought “great wine at lockdown prices."
Political satire has long been a weapon of the British liberal elite -- from 18th century cartoons mocking King George III to Private Eye magazine skewering the 1960s establishment, or the grotesque puppets of 1980s TV show “Spitting Image" which attacked political and royal figures alike.
In the past, Johnson has managed to laugh off his numerous gaffes to keep his career on track. But when such criticism captures the public mood, it can sometimes be lethal.
The Big Joke
The primetime comedy duo of Ant & Dec, full names Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, have been hammering Johnson since the earliest reports of a 2020 Downing Street Christmas party came to light a month ago.
“This fictional party definitely didn’t involve cheese and wine," Ant said while presenting an episode of “I’m a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here." “Or a Secret Santa."
Dec took it a step further. “Evening Prime Minister," he said. “For now."
Now the boozing at No. 10 has become the big joke across the British media.
“Downing Street parties: How many wine bottles fit in a suitcase," the BBC asked after reports that a suitcase had been used to stock up on supplies for a gathering in April 2021. ITV’s horse-racing coverage made similar jokes, as did the Sky TV commentators covering Friday night’s Premier League soccer match.
“This is not a party tonight, this is about work," soccer analyst Jamie Carragher said, ostensibly referring to the attitude of the players. “They’ve got to know the difference between work and a party, and if they get that wrong and think they’re in party mode, they are going to be in big, big trouble."
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