Going into the 2021 Christmas recess, Downing Street was desperate that a fortnight break from Partygate would allow for a reset of its operation by the new year. By close of play of 2021, we’d had the original Mirror allegation about a rule-breaking Christmas party, the ITV footage of Allegra Stratton, and the Guardian photo of Boris and Carrie in the backyard, drinking wine around a table with aides.
Any hopes for a lack of new Partygate revelations were dashed in the new year, when ITV published an email from Martin Reynolds advertising a “bring your own booze” party in the Downing Street garden, which Boris attended. He was forced to apologise to the Commons on the 12th, leading to Guido’s first count of whether Cabinet ministers were remaining loyal. Douglas Ross broke ranks calling on the PM to quit – something he’d then pirouette on like a ballet dancer. William Wragg also said the PM’s position was untenable.
The flurry of Partygate allegations and collapse in support for the PM was put on ice, however, when Christian Wakeford – Wokeford as many of his Tory colleagues had nicknamed him – decided to cross the floor to Labour. The backstabbing move allowed Tory MPs to realise who the real enemy were, and Guido was first to reveal Wakeford had co-sponsored a bill mandating by-elections for MP defectors. Guido also published texts from Wakeford to the Tory MP Whatsapp group calling Labour a “bunch of c*nts”…
The saga of Partygate led Guido to publish a rare op-ed, asking Tory MPs what exactly the plan was should they topple their greatest electoral asset since Thatcher.
“If Tory MPs get rid of Boris during a mid-term lull, when they are 10 points behind, what is the plan? None of the front runners for the leadership even wants the job right now. Polling shows that none of the leading rival candidates for PM would save some 100 plus seats that would be lost if a general election were held tomorrow. If the Tories switch Prime Ministers without a general election, the calls for a general election mandate will mount. Be careful what you wish for…”
Guido reckons that was rather prescient…
January wasn’t a perfect month for Keir Starmer either, as the drip-drip of ‘Currygate’ began spreading throughout the media. He claimed there was “no comparison” between him enjoying a curry and a beer when they weren’t allowed, and the PM enjoying a glass of wine when they weren’t allowed. He also forgot his own slogan during a speech, and Boris called out Starmer’s failure to prosecute Jimmy Savile. Cue record-breaking levels of pearl clutching. Guido pointed out it was an entirely fair criticism for Boris to have made…
Perhaps the only public figure under more fire on social media than Boris was Molly-Mae Hague – a character most co-conspirators likely hadn’t heard of. Molly-Mae, winner of Love Island, decided to do more for promoting Thatcherism than the Tories had since the years of David Cameron. Guido was only too happy to defend the “Thatcher Girl Boss”…
Honourable mentions:
Headline of the month: Vine Denies Gove Affair
