The lad he's for turning (updated)

The lad being Alexander Boris de Piffel Johnson. (the title being a pun on a statement from the Iron lady, who if she wasn't a zombie would be spinning in her grave).

Last night, the Commons voted to abolish the current standards committee and replace it with one with an overall Conservatve majority.

Passed by 18 votes.

But, many abstentions, including Conservative MPs, many making public statements, including one I saw from one of the former "Red Wall" towns that this is not what he signed up to supporting.

This morning, the Government sent out Ministers and MPs to defend the position and to suggest the independent head of the commission should now consider her position.

But.

Two things.

One: Johnson flew in a private jet from COP26 to London on Tuesday night, not because as thought at the time because of workload, but to have a dinner at a private member's club to meet a doner and friend of Owen Patterson. Next morning Number Ten instructed the use a three-line whip in the vote.

Two: Patterson gave an interview to Sky News showing no contrition, depsite the evidence of his guilt, and a statement he would do it again, and would do as he was still employed by the two companies.

At the start of Commons business, the Leader of the House, JRM announced that the new standards system was not starting after all and the previous one was back in play, and the vote, he claimed, was too closely linked to the "live" Patterson case.

It has been further suggested that Johnson's desire for change, stemmed not for his wanting to protect Patterson, but for his own self preservation as the same committee is looking into up to four cases invlving the PM including last year's holiday and the redecoration of the his Downing Street flat.

And all the stink caused yesterday, sending out Minsters to defend it in the media this morning, abandoned as were the MPs last night, whipped to support corruption, only for that policy to be abandoned due to bad headlines and anger from the public.

It is a shambles, but showing a Government trying to see what it can get away with to avoid scrutiny.

An hour after writing this post, Patterson had resigned. He found out of the u-turn in policy whilst shopping in a supermarket, maybe even for sausages, from a BBC reporter. Patterson stated he was leaving the "cruel world of politics", so cruel it made him half a million pounds, on top of his MP's pay.

Tonight, Johnson's Government stands in chaos, maybe a real crisis, and the public sees his new clothes.