They crossed a line

There are many rules and convensions in public life which should be obeyed, and have been pretty much for centuries.

But not any more.

The Nolan principle states that a Member of the House who lies at the dispatch box should resign. Or correct the record.

The Ministerial Code states that a Minister who breaks the law should resign or be sacked.

The Conservative and Union Party calls itself the party of law and order.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister and Chancellor were fined for breaking COVID laws by attending a gathering in the Cabinet Office where the very rules they broke were drafted.

You could not make this up.

The amount of time spent is irrelevant.

Johnson and Sunak both lied at the dispatch box about not attending any parties, when it is clear they did, and knew when they lied in front of the Commons.

Ignorance of the laws your Government passed is no kind of defence.

It is one thing to have found to have broken the law, but another to have lied about it, on the record, which both Mnisters have done.

Pretty much all the Cabinet came out in support, though very few backbench MPs did.

The Sun, The Express, The Mail have all come out in spport of Johnson, with the excuse on the front page of The Mail being, "don't they know there's a war on"? Ignoring the fact the country changed Prime MInisters during both World Wars as well as other minor ones too.

The Government has broken its contract with the people, that laws and rules are for all, and that there should be consequences.

Problem is, for Johnson, is that this was just the first of six gatherings we know he attended, and one least likely to result in a fine, therefore it is higly probable that five more fines will be heading his way, and of larger and larger amounts, with his wife maybe getting a £10,000 fine for arranging a celebration in their flat over the sacking of Cummings.

This has not ended, only just begun.

Again, Johnson and his Government have shamed this once great nation.