No sympathy for Boris Johnson and his snivelling apology over Downing Street parties - Christa Ackroyd

Even if you give Boris Johnson the benefit of the doubt, which I don’t, he is no shrinking violet.

The second he walked into his back garden and saw Downing Street workers “making the most of the weather”, he should have let rip and sent them packing. And if he had done there would have been no more parties for us to discover. It would have ended there and then. But it didn’t.

That Boris Johnson stayed, albeit for 25 minutes, and said nothing is what makes his position untenable. This was no time for bon homie. The vast majority of the country were abiding by the rules and meeting only one person in a public space, working from home, staying away from loved ones and doing our bit because we were frightened to death.

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Essential workers, (as the Downing Street workers are now described) were keeping the country going by putting themselves at risk to save us. And they were not meeting after work either in canteens or courtyards, most of which were closed anyway, to congratulate each other after a hard day at the office.

Boris Johnson during Prime Minister's Questions after his apology in the House of Commons. Picture: UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/PA Wire.Boris Johnson during Prime Minister's Questions after his apology in the House of Commons. Picture: UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/PA Wire.
Boris Johnson during Prime Minister's Questions after his apology in the House of Commons. Picture: UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/PA Wire.

Instead they were working their fingers to the bone. We as a country were struggling with a lack of masks and protective equipment, and as human beings we were struggling with a lack of face to face contact. And we were terrified of catching a virus for which at the time there was no protection.

We were not taking risks. We were not bending the rules. There was no vaccine and people were dying alone. So what possessed anyone, particularly those in a position of power, to open a bottle or two to congratulate each other on all their hard work when there was so much more work to be done?

And all under the watch of a man who had been in hospital having caught Covid and nearly died, and who had seen at first hand the pain etched on the reddened, chaffed faces of our valiant NHS workers. Well I am sorry but a drinks gathering should have been the last thing on his or anyone’s mind. Because, let’s face it, what on earth was there to celebrate?

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Do I think he will survive? I don’t know because I don’t know how many more times he can be caught out, even if this time he has played the humility card. Do I think people have long memories and will make their feelings clear at the next general election if he stays? Absolutely.

Novak Djokovic. Picture: Adam Davy/PA Wire.Novak Djokovic. Picture: Adam Davy/PA Wire.
Novak Djokovic. Picture: Adam Davy/PA Wire.

None of us will ever forget the heartache the pandemic has caused. But I do not have any sympathy with his snivelling apology to the country this week. You only say sorry if you really mean it. And saying sorry to save your skin does not cut it: especially when you stick to the line it wasn’t even a party.

For the benefit of doubt, any work gathering where people are invited to sit with a glass in front of them instead of a notepad or laptop is a party. Or at the very least a social gathering. And they were banned.

So again for the avoidance of doubt here is what any boss in the circumstances should have done. Boris should have called the party organisers into his office, or arranged a meeting via Zoom, and read them the riot act. He should have reminded them of all that the country was suffering.

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He should have immediately sent a memo to all staff under his command that such activities would not be tolerated. And those who thought they could get away with it could not and would not. And then he should have sent another memo to the 70 people sensible enough to have been invited but who chose not to attend, telling them they had made a wise decision.

He could have done that, but he didn’t. Instead he left and said nothing. The reason Boris Johnson was elected was because, like so many in the constituencies who had never voted Tory before, he called a spade a shovel and stood for no nonsense ‘say it as it is’ politics. So any attempt at playing the humble card now sticks in the throat. Quite simply I don’t believe him when he says he is sorry. Sorry he has been found out, more like.

Across the world another man has also said sorry this week. And his apology doesn’t wash with me either. Tennis player Novak Djokovic. His family said the court’s decision when it allowed him to stay was bigger than any Grand Slam victory. And when they were shown photographs of him surrounded by others the day after he tested positive for Covid they smugly announced the press conference was over. Well, let us hope the party is over for him, too. Both Boris and Novak have chosen to largely blame others for their wrongdoings and both seem to think simply saying sorry when they are caught out is enough. It is not.

I remember my Dad insisting I say sorry when I had done something wrong too. But he also often reminded me that he could tell when I didn’t really mean it. And then he used another word that brought tears to my eyes. He told me he was disappointed in me, because he had expected better and I had let him down.

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Novak Djokovic is just a brilliant tennis player. But Boris Johnson has been elected on our behalf to run the country. To say I am disappointed regarding his behaviour is an understatement.

I am trusting in the inquiry in the next few days to show me and the rest of the country we are right to feel let down. Whatever the outcome, what happens next, is up to the Tory party and the Prime Minister himself. And then ultimately up to the voters. But no longer can I genuinely say he is a man doing his best in difficult circumstances.

So I hope he enjoys his new and expensive decorations at his Downing Street flat.

I suspect he will not be there long enough to consider they were worth all the money in the long run.