Inside Boris Johnson’s post-Brexit bubble, where he’s king of his party but cut
The fuel crisis was caused by a lack of truck drivers, a situation partially due to the Brexit that Johnson campaigned for. And there is plenty of evidence that the Prime Minister could have taken decisions months ago that would have avoided many of the wider problems.
It stands to reason that the buck stops with the UK leader, and he should be under enormous pressure from his own supporters to fix things and keep the public happy.
However, Johnson has proven time and again that, for him, the rules of conventional politics simply do not apply.
His party faithful have gathered in the city of Manchester this week for the first time since Johnson won a landslide election, “got Brexit done” and ended Covid-19 restrictions in the United Kingdom. The mood here is celebratory.
Celebratory mood
Whatever is happening to citizens out there in the real world, the giddy bubble of the Conservative Party conference isn’t just ignoring these myriad crises because they are inconvenient. The truth is that neither Johnson nor his party are under any real political pressure or suffering any consequences — despite being responsible for many of these issues.
Rather than reflect on the pandemic, considering ways to mitigate the impact Brexit is having on the economy or worrying about the opposition Labour party capitalizing on Johnson’s blunders, Conservative party members appear to be making up for two years of being unable to celebrate Johnson’s success.
And it really does feel as though it is Johnson’s success they are enjoying. Normally, conferences such as these focus on a series of talking points spread across government departments, showcasing the breadth of talent in the ministerial team.
But this conference has really been about one thing: Johnson’s at times ambiguous dream of “leveling up” the UK, which is about bringing poorer communities in line with wealthier areas in terms of quality of life, job opportunities and more.
The logic behind this is straightforward: if Johnson can make life better in areas that don’t have the same opportunities as some cities, most notably London, the resentment in those run-down areas toward the elite will be reduced, Johnson will be hailed a nation-unifying hero and he will tighten his grip on the UK’s electorate.
There are questions about how the PM plans to fund his ambitions. Yes, some members of his own cabinet have been outspoken about the government’s idea to raise taxes in order to pay for things like social care. Others in the party, mostly traditional fiscal conservatives, are uncomfortable with the amount of state intervention and funding Johnson has seemed fine with during the pandemic.
However, when these grievances are weighed against the fact that Johnson delivered the Conservative party its largest majority since the 1990s, it turns out that power at any cost apparently tastes better than losing with honor.
One government minister told CNN on Monday night that “fuel problems, food shortages, arguments over tax, all this stuff is definitely happening. But riding on his wave of success is ultimately just more fun.”
Poor opposition
CNN asked multiple government officials, including cabinet ministers, why…
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