Analysis

Boris Johnson: A terminal case of hubris syndrome.

— He hardly has any government ministers and his own cabinet tried to force him to resign. What is going on?

OPINION

Pass the popcorn: The Tories are in meltdown.

— Rishi Sunak, Sajid Javid and others resigning now have been complicit in Boris Johnson’s trashing the standards expected in public office. They are as bad as he is. He is their creature.

Indyref2

Scottish independence: What has changed since the last referendum.

— If the UK continues down paths that further isolate it from the EU and the wider world stage, Scottish attitudes to the Union may harden. Especially because Boris Johnson is personally very unpopular in Scotland.

UK Politics

Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton by-elections: Even Boris Johnson loyalists will now be worried for the next election.

— By-election defeats in Tiverton and Honiton and Wakefield will have shaken some Conservative MPs. If he survives until next year, Boris Johnson will need credible local election results.

By-Election

Tiverton and Honiton by-election: Rural communities are itching for the chance to cast a protest vote.

— The Liberal Democrats think they can take the seat from Boris Johnson’s Conservatives in the wake of partygate – and longstanding resentment towards the political class is fuelling their optimism.

Analysis

What Keir Starmer could learn from Neil Kinnock to capitalise on Boris Johnson’s woes.

— Kinnock lost two elections as Labour leader. Starmer could learn a lot from his successes and failures.

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.

Brexit

Why the UK government’s plan to change the Northern Ireland Protocol violates international law.

— Businesses in Northern Ireland largely support the protocol, as do the political parties who got the most support in recent assembly elections. So why does the government still plan to override the Northern Ireland protocol, in breach with the UK’s legal obligations?

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.

UK Politics

The tactics Tory rebels could use to derail Boris Johnson.

— Boris Johnson wants to move on to other government businesses, but the PM’s opponents in the Conservative Party (and there are many) could bog down and/or derail his legislative agenda to contest his leadership.

UK Politics

Boris Johnson never took full control of the Tory party – uniting it now seems impossible.

— A strong party leader is both in control of the organisation of their party and can set and articulate the party’s priorities. With 41% of his MPs united against him, Boris Johnson is unlikely to last long – or get much done if he does.

Analysis

Conservative Party – Who are the rebels and why do they want Boris Johnson gone?

— The Tory party is a ‘broad church’ with many factions. And many of them are unimpressed with the prime minister at the moment. Tory tensions are exacerbated through the ideological incoherence of Johnson himself.

Analysis

After the confidence vote, what now for ‘Big Dog’?

— Politics professor Jon Tonge was pretty much spot on with his prediction for the result of the no-confidence vote against Boris Johnson. Here’s how he calculated the result and what might happen next.

OPINION

The ‘greased piglet’ oinks again (for the time being).

— Although Boris Johnson has yet again slipped through the cracks, the Conservative Party is now deeply divided and polls suggest that they could be headed for two catastrophic defeats in the Wakefield and Honiton by-elections.

Analysis

What the result of the confidence vote means for the PM and the Conservative Party.

— With 41% of his MPs voting against his leadership, how realistic are Boris Johnson’s hopes for survival?

Analysis

Boris Johnson ‘no-confidence’ vote: What happens next?

— The Conservative Party will hold a no-confidence vote on the leadership of Boris Johnson tonight. Here’s what you need to know.