This government – for want of a better word – has shown itself completely shameless in terms of its willingness to break centuries of precedent to cling to power.
From the unprecedented delays to the Queen’s Speech to allow May time to grovel to the DUP and shake the Magic Money Tree for a damaging £1 billion bung, to May lying to the Queen to eke out more time for the same, to the government’s ‘whipped’ running away so it can try to claim it didn’t lose votes because it didn’t bother to vote, to Ministers’ refusal to come to the House to answer questions – the Tories will take any step, no matter how humiliating and craven, to hide from the consequences of their absolute incompetence.
But today’s news that the Tories had effectively abandoned trying to govern marks a new low in their cesspit-diving.
This morning, the Cabinet – the most senior government ministers – was due to have its regular meeting to discuss, well, governing the country.
But such is the Tories’ abject chaos – with at least three of the most senior ministers under pressure to resign – that Theresa May simply cancelled the meeting in the desperate hope of limping through to the imminent parliamentary recess and a brief respite:
With even a senior Tory source admitting anonymously to the press the other day that there is no government and no leadership, it seems the only tactic left to Theresa May is to keep running – for cover, not the country.
However, she and her ‘studio lot’ government – only front, with no substance behind – will face a tough last day before recess after the announcement of the urgent questions that Labour has been granted:
- Brexit impact assessments: 12.30pm
- DFID Secretary’s Israel meetings: 1.15pm
- Yemen humanitarian situation: 2.00pm
With the Tories still squirming over the release of Brexit impact statements, Priti Patel’s cover-up of secret meetings during a ‘holiday’ in Israel and the continued sale of arms to Saudi Arabia that are being used to kill Yemeni civilians, the Tories face a torrid afternoon before they reach that longed-for recess.
Assuming any of them turn up, of course.
The SKWAWKBOX needs your support. This blog is provided free of charge but depends on the generosity of its readers to be viable. If you can afford to, please click here to arrange a one-off or modest monthly donation via PayPal. Thanks for your solidarity so this blog can keep bringing you information the Establishment would prefer you not to know about.