TORY TURMOIL12 Sep 2020 13:37
Boris Johnson has been addressing his MPs this evening in an attempt to calm the turmoil in the Conservative party. It's not been an easy week, with rebellions brewing on a number of fronts. That there is no one point of focus for Conservative MPs' anger is extremely ominous for the Prime Minister, as not only is it naturally much harder to calm them down, but it also suggests that there is an issue with his authority, rather than merely specific policies.
There's the horror in the libertarian ranks at the latest 'rule of six' ban on more than six people meeting up, with particular irritation about the lack of opportunity for parliament to scrutinise the plan. Then there's the government's willingness to break international law in a 'limited and specific way' in the Internal Market Bill. This has led to a group possibly numbering as many as 30 Conservative MPs threatening an amendment which would add a 'parliamentary lock' on any changes to the Withdrawal Agreement. Then there's more thinly-spread but nonetheless common irritation at the way the government is communicating its messages on Covid-19, and its sluggish response to please for help from struggling sectors such as aviation.