Allegra Stratton resigns

The latest suggestion is that Cressida Dick was protected by Johnson when there were calls for her resignation last year, and her term as Commissioner was extended by 2 years.

Now is pay back time - so no investigation because of lack of evidence.

In fact there is no evidence because there is no investigation.

7 parties now.

No one is buying this.

Urmstongran

I remember David Kelly.
Now that was a shameful sacrifice for this country.

I agree.

has Johnson misled Parliament? If not he will stay in place, but if he has done then he would have no choice but to resign.

Johnson 'misleads' (aka 'lies to') parliament every time he opens his mouth in the chamber. I've seen him do it week after week in PMQs. He has never 'corrected the record', though he has been asked to do so by the LOTO from time to time. He has chosen not to resign... Why do anything different now? He won't go until the tories kick him out.

A great deal of speculation and a great deal of manufactured outrage.

How lovely to be one of those people who has never behaved stupidly in a workplace and never made dubious comments as a joke.

Any employee of Number 10 should surely realise that they are under observation all the time and that there are those who will actively seek to benefit from their indiscretions either politically or financially.

That is where their true stupidity lies.

Dickens

Urmstongran

I remember David Kelly.
Now that was a shameful sacrifice for this country.

I agree.

I agree too, but WTF it has to do with Stratton's resignation is beyond me...

(this question is rhetorical, don't answer it...)

MaizieD

^has Johnson misled Parliament? If not he will stay in place, but if he has done then he would have no choice but to resign.^

Johnson 'misleads' (aka 'lies to') parliament every time he opens his mouth in the chamber. I've seen him do it week after week in PMQs. He has never 'corrected the record', though he has been asked to do so by the LOTO from time to time. He has chosen not to resign... Why do anything different now? He won't go until the tories kick him out.

He won't go until the tories kick him out.

I think you are right.

IMO, he's a narcissist and will therefore be incapable of the introspection needed to examine his own motives. It's pathological - quite literally, he cannot help it.

If you look at his past history, and view it through that lens, it would explain his behaviour.

Tories are merciless - look what they did to Margaret Thatcher... she stood firmly by her party's ideology but when the party suffered because of her Poll Tax legislation, they got rid of her. Even those who'd 'worshipped' her previously, stabbed her in the back. And I believe they'll do the same to Johnson if he becomes a liability.

"O would some power the gift to give us to see ourselves as others see us"

... I don't think Johnson has that 'gift'.

Dickens

MaizieD

has Johnson misled Parliament? If not he will stay in place, but if he has done then he would have no choice but to resign.

Johnson 'misleads' (aka 'lies to') parliament every time he opens his mouth in the chamber. I've seen him do it week after week in PMQs. He has never 'corrected the record', though he has been asked to do so by the LOTO from time to time. He has chosen not to resign... Why do anything different now? He won't go until the tories kick him out.

He won't go until the tories kick him out.

I think you are right.

IMO, he's a narcissist and will therefore be incapable of the introspection needed to examine his own motives. It's pathological - quite literally, he cannot help it.

If you look at his past history, and view it through that lens, it would explain his behaviour.

Tories are merciless - look what they did to Margaret Thatcher... she stood firmly by her party's ideology but when the party suffered because of her Poll Tax legislation, they got rid of her. Even those who'd 'worshipped' her previously, stabbed her in the back. And I believe they'll do the same to Johnson if he becomes a liability.

"O would some power the gift to give us to see ourselves as others see us"

... I don't think Johnson has that 'gift'.

The point being that all of that was known even before he was voted in as party leader let alone prime minister.

Those voting him in must hold some responsibility.

It was inevitable that she would have to resign after that disgraceful clip was shown. She hasn’t been made a scapegoat, she’s gone because of what she did, and quite right too. We have all made mistakes but she was in a very senior position and behaved appallingly. I’m waiting for the results of the investigation to find out who was at whatever went on and who organised it.

Whitewavemark2

The latest suggestion is that Cressida Dick was protected by Johnson when there were calls for her resignation last year, and her term as Commissioner was extended by 2 years.

Now is pay back time - so no investigation because of lack of evidence.

In fact there is no evidence because there is no investigation.

7 parties now.

No one is buying this.

He seems to favour women who are completely useless at their jobs. Andrew Pierce on Jeremy Vine has just said that Allegra Stratton was just not up to the job and it is why the new three million pound suite was barely used. Apparently when she started the job she was told she would be one of the most recognisable people in the country yet we hardly ever saw her, now we know why. These privileged people don't have to apply for top jobs they are just handed them on a silver platter. Next week’s by election will be very interesting.

eazybee

A great deal of speculation and a great deal of manufactured outrage.

How lovely to be one of those people who has never behaved stupidly in a workplace and never made dubious comments as a joke.

Any employee of Number 10 should surely realise that they are under observation all the time and that there are those who will actively seek to benefit from their indiscretions either politically or financially.

That is where their true stupidity lies.

Manufactured outrage?

Tell that to the people who couldn't visit dying relatives last Christmas or couldn't see family members they hadn't seen for months.

People have a right to be outraged when those close to rule-makers laugh at them.

This leaked video I believe is evidence of the political game playing which is happening constantly to prevent the public knowing the truth.
Allegra Stratton was at the time employed as Press Secretary, presumably for journalistic skills in knowing how the game is played.
She was merely doing her job in carrying out a dress rehearsal for the evasion and distraction tactics to be employed should knowledge of the alleged party ever come out.
I believe this is what should really concern us.

Germanshepherdsmum

It was inevitable that she would have to resign after that disgraceful clip was shown. She hasn’t been made a scapegoat, she’s gone because of what she did, and quite right too. We have all made mistakes but she was in a very senior position and behaved appallingly. I’m waiting for the results of the investigation to find out who was at whatever went on and who organised it.

The whole lot of them who were in that communications suite video should be resigning, they were all having a good laugh about Schrodinger's party.

And the PM who has been lying through his teeth about it should be going, too...

Yes good to know that people think we arent capable of making our on judgements on how outraged we feel.

Germanshepherdsmum

It was inevitable that she would have to resign after that disgraceful clip was shown. She hasn’t been made a scapegoat, she’s gone because of what she did, and quite right too. We have all made mistakes but she was in a very senior position and behaved appallingly. I’m waiting for the results of the investigation to find out who was at whatever went on and who organised it.

You know what? I agree with you. She had to go but….she’s not the only one !

There’s always someone who has to go under the bus.
I too am wondering who organised the “do”. These things don’t just pop up.
And if Boris Johnson really had no idea what was going on then he is even more of a fool than normal.

I don’t agree that she went under a bus, she went because of what she did. We saw her doing it. There will be others who have to go too if there was an illegal gathering. I have no idea who else was at the mock press conference, people were seen on the clip but I doubt any of us could name them. The investigation must be seen to be thorough and also cover who gave these alleged assurances to Johnson and whether he knew before or afterwards or actually attended an illegal gathering.

The tears Stratton shed yesterday were tears of pity for herself; she has zero compassion for anyone else, as can be witnessed in this video:

m.youtube.com/watch?v=2b83rSqBLfw

Some of the people on the clip have been named by people who have recognised them. Like former government employees...

Twitter is a good source of information if you follow the right people...

Stratton is merely a pawn in the game.

twitter.com/i/status/1468517952953761793

The whole lot of them who were in that communications suite video should be resigning, they were all having a good laugh about Schrodinger's party.

And the PM who has been lying through his teeth about it should be going, too...

I agree, it seems to be all one big joke.

I'd like to know, though, exactly who is running the show since Cummings left.

I'd like to know, though, exactly who is running the show since Cummings left.

According to one, rather credible, conspiracy theorist I'm following on twitter, it's Chloe Westley. A Tufton Street (home of several right wing libertarian 'think tanks' and a key mover in the leave EU campaign) alumna, former campaign manager of the Tax Payers Alliance.

One 'view' of her:

cabinetofhorrors.org/chloe-westley/

And another

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/chloe-westley-boris-johnson-anne-marie-waters_uk_5d3b027fe4b0a6d6373e88ad

I thought Dan Rosenfield replaced Cummings.

This is getting witch-hunty.

AS says on the video clip that she went home, so wasn't at the party. If there's no evidence to the contrary we have to believe that? So she broke no rules.

The whole row has clearly added salt to the wounds of those with relatives who died at this time, but the rules about hospital and care home visiting were separate and I think it's going rather far to charge AS and others with specific lack of compassion towards them.

The party flagrantly breached the rules about indoor gatherings and it is well nigh impossible to believe that BJ didn't know about it. That is a resignation matter in itself. In addition in his remarks yesterday afternoon he showed a staggering lack of loyalty to his staff.

Quite useless to expect any inquiry to find out anything at all.

AS has paid a heavy price, and IMO comes out of ut better than many.

AS says on the video clip that she went home, so wasn't at the party.

Looking at her 'tone' and body language when she said that she went home, I don't even believe that that was true... But even if it were true, it just confirmed that there was a party. She was completely thrown by that question.

The questioner has been identified as Ed Oldfield, a Downing St Special Advisor.