Good morning. Is Boris Johnson safe in his job? You would not have thought so reading the weekend papers (here is Toby Helm’s assessment of what is likely to happen next in the Observer) but this morning Nadhim Zahawi, the education secretary, claimed that he is. Zahawi implied that Johnson deserved credit for his apology, and for his judgment on “big decisions” in the past.
But, in an interview on the Today programme, it took the presenter, Nick Robinson, three goes to get Zahawi to say Johnson was safe. It wasn’t the strongest vote of confidence ever. Here is how the exchange went.
Here is how the exchange went.
NR: Do you believe that Boris Johnson is safe in his job?
NZ: I think Boris Johnson has done the right thing to apologise.
NR: Is he safe in his job?
NZ: I think the prime minister on the big, big decisions – if you look at what he did on Brexit, on vaccines, on Omicron pre-Christmas, on the economy being the most open economy in Europe – has called it right. But he’s human.
NR: Is he safe in his job?
NZ: Yes, he is because he’s human and we make mistakes and actually he came to the despatch box and apologised and said he will we absolutely submit himself to parliament when [the Sue Gray investigation] is concluded.
Robinson also tried three times to get Zahawi to say whether or not he thought Johnson was capable of changing the way he operated, but Zahawi dodged the question each time. This was probably wise; Johnson is 57, and his modus operandi has been rackety and chaotic all his adult life. Any significant change in how he operates that seems unlikely.
The interview was also notable for Zahawi saying that Keir Starmer should apologise for having a drink with Labour staff when they were working last year. The Tories, with help from the Daily Mail, are trying to suggest this amounts to equivalence with partygate, but, as my colleague Peter Walker reports, it sounded as if even Zahawi could tell this was not really a runner.
Peter Walker
(@peterwalker99)On R4, Nadhim Zahawi briefly tries to bring up the No 10 counter argument about Keir Starmer needing to apologise but allows Nick Robinson to immediately change the subject back again. Felt a bit like his heart wasn’t in that part of the agreed lines to take.
Here is the agenda for the day.
9am: Keir Starmer hosts his ‘Call Keir’ LBC phone-in.
11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
2.30pm: Priti Patel, the home secretary, takes questions in the Commons.
After 3.30pm: MPs debate the remaining stages of the elections bill.
There will be some UK Covid coverage here, but for further coronavirus coverage, do read out global live blog. It’s here.
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