The latest scandal was a step too far for Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Photo / AP
The latest scandal was a step too far for Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Photo / AP
If you're looking for a phrase that captures the demise of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson then look no further than the remarks he is alleged to have made about former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher.
"Pincher by name, pincher by nature" was a joke passed around Westminster for quite some time – a slight on the behaviour of the politician behind the scenes.
Chris Pincher, a Conservative lawmaker, was promoted to a senior position in government despite the fact that Johnson knew about sexual misconduct allegations against the man.
Last week, Pincher resigned as deputy chief whip following complaints that he groped two men at a private club.
That triggered a series of reports about past allegations levelled against Pincher - and shifting explanations from the British government about what Johnson knew when he tapped him for a senior job enforcing party discipline.
Daily Telegraph chief political correspondent Camilla Turner tells the Front Page podcast that the revelations around this scandal contributed significantly to members of parliament losing faith in Johnson.
"The idea that the Prime Minister didn't take this seriously, was cracking jokes about it, wasn't being straight about what he knew and when, and just wasn't dealing with it in an appropriate way at all [was too far]."
As revelations about Johnson's prior knowledge of Pincher's offending came to light, the resignations followed swiftly.
"We had a slightly insane position earlier this week when more and more ministers and members of his government were resigning," says Turner.
"You almost couldn't refresh your Twitter feed fast enough, before seeing another five resign."
Dozens of ministers and aides ultimately resigned, but this didn't dampen Johnson's resolve.
"He was still coming out fighting. He said he was going to keep going and appoint a new Cabinet. But this was really just the Prime Minister trying to cling on and trying to make his last stand – and possibly not even believing the amount of trouble he was in."
The dissonance between what was happening and Johnson's belief that he could survive wasn't entirely surprising. He had famously garnered the nickname of the "greased piglet" due to his legendary ability to evade scandal.
Even in the lead-up to this moment, his tenure as Prime Minister had survived the Partygate scandal, byelection losses, numerous gaffes, questionable handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and a confidence vote.
Yet, somehow, Johnson always managed to find a way to squirm out of the jaws of defeat.
"The thing with Boris Johnson is that he presents himself as this bumbling, relatable character," says Turner.
"People feel like they want to go for a drink in the pub with him. But behind all of that, there is a very intelligent man and a shrewd political operator whose big thing is that he's good at winning elections.
"He was elected London Mayor multiple times, even though London is traditionally always more left-wing and Labour-voting. And he also won the biggest landslide victory in a generation as the Conservative Party leader. So, he has in the past, been very good at winning.
"He does have shortcomings, a cavalier attitude and disregard for the rules, but over-riding all of that is this charisma that people relate to."
Having watched his political career go through this wild rollercoaster ride over the years, Turner isn't convinced that Johnson is quite yet done.
"When he gave his resignation speech at Downing Street on Thursday morning, there was no contrition," says Turner.
"There was no sadness, not really any apologies or anything like that. He was just walking about his time in government and really making it sound as though he'd been unfairly hounded out by his colleagues.
"The fact that he's still fairly defiant, despite everything that's happened, shows that we're probably going to see some kind of Boris Johnson reinvention after he finishes as Prime Minister."
What form the "greased piglet" could take next is anyone's guess.
