PartyGate

Boris Johnson to face MPs over partygate – but what is ‘misleading parliament’ and why is it so serious?

— Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing questions from MPs about allegations of misleading Parliament. Misleading Parliament is an offence that could carry serious consequences.

Brexit

Politicians weren’t confident discussing Brexit

— We should not only listen to what politicians say but also how they say it.

Analysis

A ‘stop Brexit’ sticker and suffragette colours: it’s really not clear what can get you kicked out of parliament

— Parliaments are already widely viewed as inaccessible, technocratic institutions that are several steps removed from public concerns and values. A lack of clarity as to what visitors can bring with them will only reinforce these perceptions.

UK Politics

Why bullying in politics is a matter of democracy

— When civil servants and MPs can’t speak up against ministers, they can’t do their jobs properly.

Analysis

Resignation honours — What are they, why are they so controversial and can the system ever be changed?

— The prospect of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss adding peers to the House of Lords has reopened a knotty debate that never quite gets resolved.

OPINION

The public shouldn’t pay to get the ex-PM off the hook

— It’s not for the taxpayers to pick up the tab for getting the former Prime Minister off the hook. Here’s what Good Law Project are doing about the fact we all have, they think unlawfully, paid for Boris Johnson’s legal advice. And here’s why they think that legal advice is wrong.

UK Politics

4 ways Boris Johnson tested the British parliament to its limits

— From calling his opponent a bollard to shutting parliament for an extended period, Johnson has pushed the limits of the ‘good chaps school of government’.

Analysis

The fall of Boris Johnson: Any democracy should look to his case and ask if it is enabling machiavellian leaders.

— Boris Johnson is not the first world leader to prioritise his own ambitions over meaningful governance. But his fall is a good moment for reflection on how far a democracy is prepared to tolerate, and even reward Machiavellian tendencies.

Fact-Check

Boris Johnson’s claim of a ‘mandate’ from the people isn’t accurate.

— Fact-check: The ministers’ revolt against Boris Johnson wasn’t anti-democratic – it’s representative democracy in action. As for his claim to have a mandate from the people, it is misguided.

UK Politics

After years of breaking the rules, Boris Johnson must now hope his MPs won’t change the only one keeping him in office.

— The Conservatives have always been happy to rewrite their own rules when it suits them. Rest assured they will eject any leader – no matter who they are – if they feel it benefits the party and its members.

UK Politics

Behind the scenes of Westminster – How government whips are losing their influence.

— Boris Johnson has burned so many commitments and bridges that it seems more than likely that the Tory whips will be unable to salvage them beyond 2022 even when using intimidation tactics to keep him in power.

OPINION

Parliament could burn down any day? Sell it. Turn it into a museum or a posh hotel.

— Our political system is packed with unimaginative, cowardly morons, trapped in aspic.

OPINION

The State pantomime of Parliament.

— A ritual introduced in Victorian times in order to distract and deflect from the popular demand for a government which was democratic, representative, and accountable. One hundred and seventy years later it is still performing the same role.

UK Politics

How can Parliament discipline the PM?

— The more we understand the rules, the better we all can be at making sure MPs stick to them.

UK Politics

Angela Rayner, porn in parliament and a depressing week for British politics.

— Labour’s deputy leader was forced to justify her own response to comments made about her. How the responsibility shifted to Angela Rayner.

COMMENT

The Prime Minister has brought our democracy into disrepute – it’s time to restore some pride.

— Boris Johnson is the first British Prime Minister to have committed a criminal offence while in office. The country deserves a Prime Minister we can look up to, not look down at.