Boris Johnson’s ‘Clapped-Out’ Government Grinds To A Halt As Tory Civil War Erupts

“Regrettably, as a result of this and the wider unprecedented changes since I agreed to give evidence, I will no longer be able to meet with the committee tomorrow.”

In her reply, the committee’s chair, Labour’s Diana Johnson, replied: “We have been given to understand that, despite the prime minister’s resignation last week, we still have a functioning government in place …”

Despite the fact that Johnson is not due to leave Number 10 until September 5, it became clear this week that, to all intents and purposes, his administration has given up the ghost.

Taking a leaf out of Patel’s book, deputy prime minister Dominic Raab has also pulled out of an appearance next week before the Joint Committee on Human Rights, where he was due to be grilled on his flagship Bill of Rights.

And yesterday, with the UK set for record-breaking temperatures at the start of next week, Labour’s Wes Streeting asked why health secretary Steve Barclay had not made a Commons statement telling people how to protect themselves in the heatwave.

Streeting told HuffPost UK: “We haven’t seen the health secretary since his appointment. He’s the Invisible Man in a national emergency.

“This is a government in name only. Ministers aren’t even in the office, let alone in power.”

Throw in the shelving of the Online Safety Bill (another major piece of government legislation) and the latest delay to the long-awaited gambling review, and it’s understandable that the government has been reduced to tabling motions of confidence in itself just to pass the time.

The Whitehall paralysis is perhaps not surprising, given the fact that the main focus of Tory attention for the next seven weeks will be on the race to succeed Johnson as PM.

Foreign secretary Liz Truss and international trade minister Penny Mordaunt are both among the candidates, while the campaign teams of the remaining six candidates are stuffed with frontbenchers no longer focused on the day job.

Evidence of the Conservatives’ dysfunctionality is everywhere as the party’s deep ideological splits are played out in public.

With Rishi Sunak enjoying a clear lead among MPs, the battle to be the other candidate in the final run-off is becoming increasingly-fractious, with supporters of Truss briefing against her main rival, Mordaunt.

Article source: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/boris-johnson-clapped-out-government-grinds-to-halt_uk_62d11062e4b0e140ec795e35