London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

Boris Johnson in the mire again after digging in to save an ally

Boris Johnson in the mire again after digging in to save an ally

Insiders boggle at ‘tone deaf’ response from PM and his team over Chris Pincher’s position as scandals keep coming
Boris Johnson has spent much of his nearly three-year premiership determined not to bow to political pressure.

Despite being a former journalist who knows the damage that days of bad headlines can do – particularly from normally friendly newspapers – the prime minister has repeatedly dug in and refused to fire colleagues.

From lockdown-breaking by Dominic Cummings to the bullying of staff by Priti Patel, rare are the moments when Johnson has been brave enough to sack someone for bad behaviour.

It was with nearly incandescent rage that this same tactic was received by Tory MPs and advisers, as Downing Street took nearly 24 hours to suspend the Conservative whip from Chris Pincher after he resigned from his whips’ office position for allegedly groping two men on Wednesday evening.

Pincher was appointed as deputy chief whip in February, a role that put him in charge of MPs’ discipline and welfare. No 10 rested on the defence that only unsubstantiated rumours had swirled about Pincher’s behaviour.

But given that Wednesday’s alleged incident in a private club took place in front of several MPs – including a fellow whip – the lack of swift action to kick Pincher out of the parliamentary party infuriated many.

Another MP questioned why reports of sexual assault did not concern Johnson enough for him to take the action sooner: “It was clear from the start Pincher should have been suspended.”

Johnson may have buckled in the end, but his judgment is once again in question, and government insiders have been left wondering how he and his new team could have been so “tone deaf”.

Because, despite the fanfare around the many Downing Street “resets”, with new advisers brought in to help steady the ship, to some it felt like Groundhog Day. Many felt strongly that Johnson stood by Pincher because of their close personal relationship.

It was Pincher who ran the “shadow whipping operation” to shore up support for the prime minister when his stock was rapidly depleting with MPs in the winter over Partygate.

And just last month, when the no-confidence vote finally arrived, it was Pincher who rallied the troops to his office at 9am to mobilise support for Johnson at the moment of maximum danger.

Given the hardening mood in the Conservative party against Johnson, he would have needed all the help he could get from Pincher – and so might have been unwilling to relinquish the use of his services.

In the event of another no-confidence vote, every ally will count. Having survived the last ballot with just 59% backing him, Johnson cannot afford to lose supportive MPs.

Suspending the whip from Pincher may have also placed further pressure on the Tamworth MP, who enjoys a comfortable majority of nearly 20,000 in the Staffordshire seat he has held since 2010.

Given the huge swings against the Conservatives at recent byelections following months of sleaze scandals, No 10 wished to avoid a byelection at all costs.

Sacking a senior whip, infamous for being master of the dark arts of parliamentary discipline, is also a dangerous move for any leader.

The Tory MP Will Wragg spoke out about alleged bullying and blackmail by the whips’ office earlier this year.

If Pincher had been unceremoniously dumped, senior government figures would have lived in fear of the damaging material that could be used against them. In the end, once again, efforts to contain the story and avoid some short-term pain may have infuriated senior Tories even more.

“How many times do you need to watch the same mistake being made, over and over again?” one adviser raged. “We’ve replaced one bunch of fucking idiots with another bunch of fucking idiots,” complained another.

The danger for Johnson is that if his MPs and top team decide they can only put up with the same mistakes for so long.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
×