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FATAH: Boris Johnson scandal shows the need for political courage

FATAH: Boris Johnson scandal shows the need for political courage

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Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson could very well be on the last leg of his nine lives, having dodged one crisis after another that has cast a shadow over his ability to govern and his integrity.

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In the last 48 hours, at least 27 ministers and aides have resigned from the government following the resignations of Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid, who quit the cabinet on Tuesday.

The ‘Partygate’ scandal already wounded the UK prime minister. Johnson was reported to have attended a series of lawbreaking parties at his office on Downing Street while most of the country was under Covid-19 lockdowns. His subsequent denials of any knowledge of such parties were not truthful. Any other politician would have stepped down, but surprisingly Johnson won a confidence vote from the Conservative Party’s parliamentary caucus by 211 to 148.

The latest crisis began Tuesday when Chancellor Sunak and his close friend Javid announced their resignations from the PM’s cabinet, saying “they no longer have confidence in Boris Johnson to lead the country.”

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BBC quoted Sunak saying the public expected government to be conducted “properly, competently and seriously.” At the same time, Javid echoed this, saying the government was not “acting in the national interest.”

The resignations came minutes after the PM apologized for appointing MP Chris Pincher to a government role, even after being told about a misconduct complaint against the MP. The PM admitted he had been told about the complaint in 2019, but had made a “bad mistake” by not acting on it.

Pincher was suspended as a Tory MP last week over allegations of sexual misconduct. Yet, Johnson appointed him to deputy chief whip earlier this year, despite being made aware of earlier allegations about the MP’s conduct.

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The allegation against MP Pincher is that he groped two men in a private members’ club, leading to his suspension as a Conservative MP. Johnson refused to confirm that he had brushed aside the initial complaint, allegedly brushing it off as a joke. “Pincher by name, pincher by nature,” the PM is reported to have said.

Javid, who is of Pakistani ancestry, wrote in his letter of resignation “the country needs a strong and principled Conservative Party, and the Party is bigger than any individual. I served you loyally and as a friend, but we all serve the country first. When made to choose between those loyalties, there can only be one answer.”

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On his part, Sunak, who is of Indian ancestry, wrote in his resignation letter that “For me to step down as Chancellor while the world is suffering the economic consequences of the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and other serious challenges is a decision that I have not taken lightly. However, the public rightly expects the government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously … I believe these standards are worth fighting for, which is why I am resigning.”

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It takes courage for politicians to resign from cabinet portfolios on matters of principle. We in Canada witnessed such courage when in February 2019, Jody Wilson-Raybould resigned from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet over the SNC Lavalin scandal. Soon after, Jane Philpott resigned, citing concern over Trudeau’s behaviour.

Philpott, another member of Trudeau’s cabinet and a close friend of Wilson-Raybould, said she had lost confidence in the PM. She wrote: “I must abide by my core values, ethical responsibilities, constitutional obligations. There can be a cost to acting on one’s principles, but there is a higher cost to abandoning them.”

Unfortunately, politicians with the courage to stand up for their principles are often lost in the deluge of political news that barely survives a 24-hour cycle. Just imagine, we have a prime minister who wore ‘blackface’ and yet won the 2021 election and now governs with the support of the NDP led by Jagmeet Singh.

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