Carry on Boris: why Starmer’s ‘sleaze’ barbs won’t harm the PM

Rather like Lord Farquaad, the vertically-challenged establishment choice for Princess Fiona’s hand in marriage in the movie Shrek, Keir Starmer was on his high horse this week. The Labour leader manoeuvred Boris Johnson into making a Commons despatch box denial of ever having used a phrase about letting the bodies pile high rather than imposing a third lockdown. He then followed it up by quoting from the ministerial code: ‘Ministers who knowingly mislead Parliament will be expected to offer their resignation.’

Starmer said he would let things rest there for now, but predicted much more would come out on the matter. His implication was clear – he expects the Prime Minister to be exposed in due course as not having told the truth and therefore to have to follow the example set by John Profumo way back in the 1960s and resign for lying to Parliament.

Most of the same people who thought they had Johnson bang to rights when the Supreme Court ruled his prorogation of Parliament unlawful in autumn 2019 think they have him bang to rights now.