Will there ever be a break in the partygate scandal?

Coffee House Shots

The Spectator

News, Politics, Government, Daily News

4.4 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 9 February 2022

⏱️ 9 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The Prime Minister tried to start today's PMQs with an announcement to fire up the right of his base, an early end to all Covid restrictions. But the partygate scandal is the gift that keeps on giving when during the Commons session a new photo leaked of Boris Johnson at a Christmas quiz with a bottle of Prosecco and a colleague draped in tinsel.

Isabel Hardman is joined by James Forsyth and Katy Balls to break down today's events in Westminster.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This podcast is sponsored by Canacord Genuity Wealth Management, award-winning wealth managers who go above and beyond to support and guide you.
0:09.2	Visit can-dowealth.com to start building your wealth with confidence.
0:25.0	Hello and welcome to Coffee House Shots, The Spectators' Daily Politics Podcast.
0:29.0	I'm Isabel Hardman, I'm joined by James Forsyth and Katie Balls.
0:35.5	Well, we're sitting on the roof of Parliament again after a busy day, which started politically really with Prime Minister's questions, where Boris Johnson, in answer
0:39.1	to the first question he was asked, decided to announce that all COVID restrictions could end
0:45.1	early in England, including the legal rule to self-isolate. Katie, was this a surprise?
0:51.7	I think that was clear this was the direction of travel.
0:58.3	We know that in various leaked documents, Justin by the spring, the government wanted most things to be gone, all domestic restrictions gone. I think it's been sped up to a degree, which
1:04.2	has led some to say, oh, maybe it's Omicron, which has meant that, you know, a milder version
1:08.3	of this virus means you can do this, or maybe it's Boris Johnson in quite a vulnerable position,
1:13.6	ending for something which is going to, you know, gee up his MPs and, you know, have some
1:18.7	good news to point to. This is obviously a very Tory-friendly announcement since Boris Johnson
1:23.2	has said it. You've got lots of Labour politicians coming out and saying, well, what's the
1:27.3	science behind this? You know, is this led by science or is led by politics? But said it. You've got lots of Labour politicians coming out and saying, well, what's the science
1:27.7	behind this? Is this led by science or is it led by politics? But interestingly, while I think
1:33.1	Tory MPs are welcoming this, I don't get the sense that I'm speaking to a couple so far.
1:38.0	They're particularly thinking, you know, this is thanks to our great leader. A lot of them
1:43.1	did feel this was priced in and was going to happen inevitably whoever was in charge.
1:47.7	So James, what's the political science behind this decision?
1:51.1	Steve Baker from the COVID Recovery Group is very happy.
1:53.6	So is that what the PM's after?
	...

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