It’s been a long and bruising week for Boris Johnson. The Tory sleaze row has dragged on – and even the Prime Minister’s attempt to bring the matter to a close by supporting a crackdown on outside jobs has run into problems. After a tetchy appearance at Prime Minister’s Questions and then the Liaison Committee, Johnson addressed his party at the 1922 committee on Wednesday night.
This session took place while the debate on MP standards was ongoing in the Commons chamber – a reminder of the ongoing fallout from the Prime Minister’s botched attempt to spare Owen Paterson a 30-day suspension for a breach of lobbying rules. This was Johnson’s first time addressing the whole parliamentary party since the row began, which has seen Labour edge ahead of the Tories in a number of polls.
The Prime Minister appeared tired with his voice breaking at various points
In advance of the session, Tory MPs had been telling the whips’ office that the Prime Minister owed the party an apology.
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