- he didn’t realise it was a drinks party rather than work
- it was work
- the Downing Street garden is private, so it wasn’t work
- the garden is part of the office space, so it was work /2.
Or, any combination of the above. As long as it gets him off the hook.
It’s clear massive misjudgements were made.
By Martin Reynolds, No 10 Principal Private Secretary (a very senior, key official at the centre of govt). It pains me to say so, because I respect him. /3.
Even greater misjudgements, however, were made by Mr Johnson.
First, let’s remember: he personally appointed Martin Reynolds. If his Principal Private Secretary got it so badly wrong, that’s absolutely Mr Johnson’s personal responsibility. /4.
Second, in normal times, it’s true that the Downing Street garden is both a private space for the PM &, at his discretion (which can be delegated by him to eg his Principal Private Secretary), an extension of the indoor workspace. No problem. /5.
But it beggars belief that the UK Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, in charge of the nuclear codes & intelligence services, endowed with quasi-monarchical powers by virtue of the UK’s curious constitutional arrangements, didn’t realise these were not normal times. /6.
Either he didn’t realise, in which case he’s a dangerous fool who should be nowhere near public office.
Or he did realise, in which case he’s a scheming, contemptuous sociopath who should be nowhere near public office. /7.
There is a third possibility, to be fair. He (no doubt via Martin Reynolds) obtained authoritative legal advice at the time, to the effect that such a gathering was within the law/ regulations. He arranged for that to be circulated to all the staff, alongside the invitation. /8.
And explicitly gave staff guidance that if they felt uncomfortable turning up, under all the circumstances, even though the event was judged legal by the experts, he’d fully understand if they didn’t. /9.
We don’t need to wait for Sue Gray’s enquiry. Mr Johnson can tell us now whether or not that happened.
If it did, the charge of appalling misjudgement still applies. But at least we’d have a contemporaneous, expert legal opinion to consult. /10.
And it would exculpate the No 10 staff who, having received the invitation & legal advice, decided to attend. Which would at least be something.
It wouldn’t do the same for Mr Johnson or his Principal Private Secretary. /11.
Which just goes to show: if you care about your reputation, don’t be like Mr Johnson.
And definitely don’t work for him, or anyone remotely like him.
It always ends in tears. /12. End
P.S. In case you think this is party political, it isn’t. We’ve never had a PM remotely as atrocious as Mr Johnson. The “Conservative Party” is no longer anything of the sort. If you’re in denial about that, try harder. This is about what was done. Regardless of party allegiance.
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Under the UK’s peculiar constitutional arrangements, The Queen is required (or assumed by convention to be required) to heed, & act on, the advice of her PM.
She is considered, under the same conventions, to have the right to be consulted, to encourage & to warn./2.
In the case of Prince Andrew giving up his military ranks & roles, his patronages & use of “HRH”, that means:
(a) The Queen is required to agree to those steps if the PM advises them
(b) the same goes for the timing
(c) she can’t take them without the PM’s agreement
The Home Secretary, reporting to the PM, is responsible for MI5.
There are no circumstances, without their permission, in which MI5 would pass to the Speaker a high profile warning about foreign agents active in Parliament.
Nor would MI5, if instructed by them, refuse to./1.
More specifically, if MI5 advised it shouldn’t be done, the Home Secretary/ PM could direct them nonetheless to do so. And MI5 would have to.
If MI5 thought it illegal, they would have to refuse. But that looks irrelevant in the current Chinese agent case. /2.
MI5 “self-actuates”, within its mandate, on much of its work.
Any security expert would tell you it has to be that way, for very good practical reasons.
But not on political matters. Least of all on high profile public announcements. /3.
You have to feel for Sue Gray. She wants to retain her integrity & conscience. There’s only one way. Force out the Prime Minister.
And to do that, she has to be ready ruthlessly to confront him with the fact she’ll resign in a manner devastating to him if he doesn’t go first./1.
She has enough of the receipts already.
By confronting him with the fact they’re with a trusted third party ready for publication if he doesn’t do what she requires, on the spot, he’s cornered.
“Sign this ready-drafted resignation letter, Prime Minister”. /2.
He can try to have her fired, or to ignore her & brazen it out.
If he does, she’ll have her own ready-made resignation issued instantly, alongside the publication of detailed, damning evidence, including multiple breaches of the Ministerial Code. And worse. /3.
In case you’d like better to understand the Downing Street & Cabinet Office layout, this short 🧵 will, I hope, help. All from the public record, BTW.
First, Google Maps satellite image of the No 10 site. /1.
The red-roofed, L-shaped, mini mansion at the back is part of “No 10”. You can’t see it, or imagine it, from the front door view in Downing Street. The ground floor plan👇is a historic document. Some details of usage, or even non load-bearing walls, may have changed slightly. /2.
Most have no idea what the 10 Downing St set up is. Of course not.
Only a tiny minority of us do, from first hand experience.
I’m going to share a bit with you, because clearly we’re starting to hear a torrent of lies & misdirection.
A 🧵/1.
For years at a time I spent countless hours working in No 10: office work/meetings, conferences, dinners, receptions, having a cup of coffee with colleagues …
The (relatively) modest house you see on the news is just the front. A terraced house. With office space. /2.
The larger part is a small mansion, behind, with a walled garden behind & to the side of that, & containing the Cabinet Room, & numerous handsome rooms, some grand.
The terraced house at the front & the mansion at the back are interconnected. It’s one, integrated entity. /3.