Can “Partygate” Bring Down Boris Johnson?
The Political Scene | The New Yorker
The New Yorker
4.3 • 3.9K Ratings
🗓️ 21 January 2022
⏱️ 23 minutes
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Summary
Late last year, the British press reported that, at the height of the COVID lockdowns in the U.K., Prime Minister Boris Johnson and members of his staff hosted a series of parties and gatherings at 10 Downing Street, defying the strict protocols instigated by Johnson’s own government. What seemed at first like a tabloid story has erupted into a crisis of confidence in Johnson’s leadership, and some believe that he could be ousted by his party and removed from power. Rebecca Mead, a New Yorker staff writer based in London, joins Dorothy Wickenden to discuss the turmoil in the British government, the future of Boris Johnson’s political career, and how the pandemic has changed the way we think about our elected leaders.
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| 1:11.2 | This is the political scene, a weekly conversation with New Yorker writers and guests about |
| 1:16.2 | politics. It's Friday, January 21st. I'm Dorothy Wickenden, executive editor of the New Yorker. |
| 1:22.7 | Like many on these benches, I spent weeks and months defending the Prime Minister against |
| 1:29.4 | often angry constituents. |
| 1:31.0 | I reminded them of his success in delivering Brexit and the vaccine and many other things. |
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