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Can Labour make lasting gains from Boris Johnson’s text messages?

Stephen Bush and Ailbhe Rea discuss the Prime Minister's texts to James Dyson and Mohammed bin Salman, and whether Keir Starmer can make his "sleaze" accusations stick.

The saga of Boris Johnson’s text messages continues. Keir Starmer attacked the Prime Minister in the Commons on Wednesday (21 April), accusing him of “sleaze” over his leaked exchanges with James Dyson and Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. Mr. Johnson maintains he did nothing wrong.

Now the Conservatives have launched an inquiry into who leaked the messages in the first place. The Times, the Daily Telegraph and the Sun all quote anonymous sources at No 10 who have blamed Dominic Cummings. At the time of writing, Cummings has yet to respond to the accusations.

In this episode of the New Statesman Podcast, Stephen Bush and Ailbhe Rea discuss the fallout of the leaked text messages, and whether it is an effective opposition attack line.

Then, in You Ask Us, they take your questions on whether we’re heading for a poll on a united Ireland.

Further reading

Ailbhe asks why Boris Johnson keeps making impossible promises on Northern Ireland

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