Croydon’s only Conservative MP is rapidly developing a reputation for cravenly saying anything that might get him a promotion. By our political editor, WALTER CRONXITE
No shame: today’s revelations of the Downing Street pandemic partying
Croydon South’s Tory MP Chris Philp is looking increasingly marginalised, and more ridiculous than ever, after being wheeled out on national television to defend the indefensible over the Prime Minister’s partying through the pandemic at No10 Downing Street.
Philp was used as boozed-up Boris Johnson’s human shield on BBC Newsnight last night, as it emerged that two more parties had been staged at Downing Street, again in breach of the government’s own covid precautions, in this case on the eve of the funeral of Prince Philip.
It’s not as if Philp has not been accused before of over-enthusiastic brown-nosing in the cause of his own craven career advancement – and by no less an organ than the Murdoch-owned Times – though on this occasion, the Culture department junior minister’s judgement appears to be deeply flawed, as other members of his party seek to distance themselves from the apparently doomed Johnson.
“It’s a case of all the shits leaving the sinking rat,” was how one Westminster insider put it today.
The number of Tory MPs calling for the Prime Minister’s resignation has been growing by the day, while several local Conservative associations around the country have passed motions of no confidence in their blundering party leader.
Yet while Philp appeared on television to try to rubbish grassroots party activists – perhaps on the urgings of his boss at DCMS, Nadine Dorries – his erstwhile Croydon Conservatives parliamentary colleague, Gavin Barwell, meanwhile did a turn for the alternative point of view on Channel 4 News.
The former Croydon Central MP restricted himself to a one-word tweet when the news broke of the latest two parties: “Shameful”.
Damning: Baron Barwell’s one-word tweet
And now, even one of Johnson’s most senior colleagues from the time he was Mayor of London has spoken out publicly to condemn the Prime Minister’s conduct.
Andrew Boff is the Chairman of the London Assembly.
Last night, Boff called for Boris Johnson’s resignation.
Boff told BBC Radio London that the Downing Street lockdown partying issue threatened to damage the Conservatives’ prospects of winning borough seats in May’s local elections. And that would include in Croydon, where the party held strong hopes of winning back control of the Town Hall for the first time since 2014.
In his radio interview, Boff said things in Johnson’s government looked “chaotic” and that he thought the way the Prime Minister was running things looked “a mess”.
Unapologetic: Andrew Boff
“People don’t vote for chaos and at the moment it looks like it is chaotic,” Boff said.
Asked if the PM should go, Boff said: “Yes, I think that’s a strong option.”
Boff’s uncompromising and unapologetic hardline will make for some awkward conversations in the Conservative group’s office at the Assembly: his party colleague, Shaun Bailey, has been forced to resign the chair of two of the London body’s committees after he was found to have himself attended a party during lockdown organised by aides working on his 2021 mayoral campaign.
Boff said that the Prime Minister “should be reflecting on what the impact the recent events have on the Conservative Party in general, and it’s not going to be positive”.
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You need to back the right horse, Chris.
You’ll only ever be judged on who you backed. If you want a career in politics beyond April 2022 I suggest you rethink.
Why would anyone back an underperforming, injunctioning, liar-toff like Boris Johnson who doesn’t give a shit about anyone but himself?
Philp owes his less than meteoric ascension to being a compliant useful idiot. He’ll do what he’s told. That’s why
Maybe someone could knock together a planning application for a skyscraper somewhere. He’ll be happy as a pig in shit spending all his days having public meetings and whathaveyou to object to it and everyone else can go back to watching Newsnight and Politics Live without having to hide behind the sofa.
Indeed he does, and on he goes spinning lies, untruths and half-truths inexorably in service of his guv’nor and whichever idiot cabinet minister whose rubbish policies he’s put out to big up. He’s done it with immigration and asylum, court cases, and now the spin over the number of Syrian’s been brought over by the UK being “more than any other country in Europe” – it isn’t of course but as with all things Tory, truth hasn’t mattered for as long as I can remember. Getting ‘the message’ out is all that matters because he knows that most people will never do a simple check and call him out.
So here’s a quick tip – if Mr Philp is on the tellybox and his head tilts to his right, he’s lying! The body language betrays him every time.
Up the greasy pole he goes.
My vision of Croydon as the Barcelona of South London, with the Council and local politics a long-running Surrealist play with a set of smoke and mirrors designed by Salvador Dali, has just been confirmed by the mind-warping revelation that “Beardie Barwell” has condemned the work-place parties at Numero 10, as “Shameful”.
One wonders whether, had the Covid pandemic hit these shores during the time of Mrs. May, whether the good (now) Lord — nay ! —-BARON !– B. would have had de-stressed by enjoying a relaxing half of bitter or a small glass of prosecco to unwind after a hard day at no 10 ? Or might even have phoned up and paid for delivery of a take-away Nando’s for all of the colleagues on duty (sorry, not on duty) that night?
Peri Peri anyone ???