The last few days have been a political fever dream. Every traumatic event for a generation has suddenly featured again in our lives. We have marked the 20th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq; banks have been collapsing in a manner that is all too reminiscent of the 2008 financial crisis; Donald Trump is back in the news; and there has been a Conservative rebellion over Brexit. Yesterday’s Privileges Committee hearing reminded us of the Covid-19 lockdown and Boris Johnson. It is just as well that Jeremy Hunt’s Budget avoided any announcements on the taxation of pasties or we would have had the full set.
For many, Johnson’s appearance before a parliamentary inquiry provoked mixed feelings. Dishonesty, especially in parliament, should not go unpunished and it is welcome that Johnson is being held to account for his statements on partygate. But, both in the hearing itself and in the preceding days, we saw a familiar and infuriating range of tricks from Johnson and his allies to escape that accountability.
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