Support 100 years of independent journalism.

  1. Politics
  2. UK Politics
15 February 2022

A weak leader is the last thing Britain needs in a crisis

Boris Johnson's allies claim he shouldn't be removed while Ukraine and Russia are on the brink of war. But why would Putin take him seriously?

By Ailbhe Rea

Boris Johnson and President Biden have said that there remains a “crucial window” to avoid a Russian invasion of Ukraine, amid hints from the Russian side that a diplomatic solution to the crisis remains possible.

While the world looks on in the hope of a Russian climbdown in the coming hours or days, Johnson’s allies hope that this crisis is proof of their argument that it would have been the wrong decision to remove the Prime Minister in recent weeks — not because Johnson is especially adept at handling diplomatic crises (ask Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe), but because the brink of war is simply the wrong time to change leaders.

Concerned figures within the party worry, however, that precisely the opposite is true: that not only has a string of scandals weakened Johnson domestically and made policymaking sluggish at home, but that it has fatally weakened his standing abroad. Why, ask concerned critics in the Conservative Party, should Putin or European leaders listen to a Prime Minister they see as being on his way out, or take lectures from a leader under investigation for potentially illegal activity at home? Many of Johnson’s Conservative critics believe the UK’s standing in the world has already been diminished by Brexit, but the storm around him has hurt what little clout the UK had left. They worry it affects the entire Johnson government — for example the Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, an emissary for a Prime Minister potentially on his last legs.

On today’s New Statesman podcast I interview Gavin Barwell, Theresa May’s former chief of staff, about the dangers that await Johnson in the coming months, whether Rishi Sunak is pursuing the right strategy to replace him, and whether the Conservative Party of Cameron and May is gone forever.

Today’s crisis in Ukraine — as Johnson reiterates his calls for European countries to reduce their reliance on Russian gas — is just one example of how the psychodrama of our domestic politics has real-world consequences abroad. The UK is far from a main protagonist in the unfolding international crisis surrounding Ukraine but a weakened British leader is the last thing the UK, Nato or the world needs at a point when Russia needs to be met with strength and credibility.

Select and enter your email address Quick and essential guide to domestic and global politics from the New Statesman's politics team. The New Statesman’s global affairs newsletter, every Monday and Friday. Your new guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture each weekend - from the New Statesman. A weekly newsletter helping you fit together the pieces of the global economic slowdown. A newsletter showcasing the finest writing from the ideas section, covering political ideas, philosophy, criticism and intellectual history - sent every Wednesday. The New Statesman’s weekly environment email on the politics, business and culture of the climate and nature crises - in your inbox every Thursday. Sign up to receive information regarding NS events, subscription offers & product updates.
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU

Content from our partners
How to navigate the modern cyber-threat landscape
Supporting customers through the cost of living crisis
Data on cloud will change the way you interact with the government

Topics in this article : ,