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Scandals piling up

April 27, 2021

Boris Johnson's tenure as British prime minister was never likely to be boring.

His first move back in 2019 was to hire Dominic Cummings — the mastermind of Britain's divorce from the European Union and the most controversial strategist in U.K. politics — as his top adviser.

The pair split last year after a power struggle, and now Cummings is on the warpath. In an incendiary blog post Cummings, who triggered a public outcry over a 250-mile road trip during lockdown, accused his former boss of making plans that were "unethical, foolish, possibly illegal."

There are many strands to the allegations swirling around Johnson, spanning the fall-out from the collapse of Greensill Capital and claims he'd rather have seen "bodies pile high" than order another lockdown, to the suggestion he bent the rules to renovate his luxurious official apartment.

With elections taking place in Scotland, London and elsewhere on May 6, there are signs the public is beginning to associate the ruling Conservatives with "sleaze."

That catch-all term is reminiscent of British scandals that rocked the Tory government of the 1990s, which ultimately led to 13 years of Labour rule under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

For now Johnson remains ahead of Labour Leader Keir Starmer on every rating that counts, in national opinion polls at least.

It is different story on the ground in Scotland, where the Eton-educated prime minister is seen as so toxic his own party doesn't want him to help their campaign.

If the pro-independence movement triumphs next month and momentum builds for another referendum on Scotland breaking away, Johnson will face far bigger problems than the bills for his apartment. — Tim Ross

Cummings departs No. 10 Downing Street on Nov. 13 after he quit as a top aide.

Photographer: Hollie Adams/Bloomberg

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Global Headlines

Economic appeal | U.S. President Joe Biden is using his massive infrastructure and family-support plans to woo discontented White voters who backed Donald Trump, as well as independent suburban women. As Nancy Cook explains, support from those groups could be vital for Democrats' hopes of retaining their slim majority in Congress in next year's midterm elections.

  • New census figures released yesterday signaled a shift in political clout, with Republican strongholds gaining seats in the House of Representatives.

Keeping watch | China's top spy agency announced measures to fight infiltration by "hostile forces" in companies and other institutions, as businesses find themselves caught in the competition between Beijing and Washington. The rules will see security authorities draw up lists of firms considered susceptible to being permeated and require them to take security measures.

Spoiler alert | Poland is set to ratify the EU's pandemic stimulus plan as the threat of losing billions in aid galvanizes support in parliament to stop the government from torpedoing the deal. The bloc's largest eastern member had loomed as a potential spoiler for the $965 billion package, as a result of a government rift, but lawmakers from opposition parties say the deal will pass, Dorota Bartyzel and Piotr Skolimowski report.

President Vladimir Putin's multi-year push to reduce Russia's exposure to the dollar has hit a major milestone, as the share of exports sold in the U.S. currency fell below 50% for the first time.

Publicity muscle | Qatar is ramping up its lobbying efforts in Washington, eager to cultivate closer ties with the Biden administration and Congress in order to avoid a repeat of 2017, when it was caught off-guard by a Saudi-led boycott in the Persian Gulf. Qatar has hired seven prominent firms since January at a combined rate of $186,000 per month, and at least five of them have close links to Democrats.

Wealth shift | Hungary's ruling party approved the transfer of a vast array of state assets to quasi-private foundations in a move Prime Minister Viktor Orban's rivals say will cement his grip on power regardless of elections. Hungary has also asked the EU to channel grants from its pandemic aid fund to the institutions, risking confrontation as the bloc endeavors to withhold cash from members seen as undermining democratic values.

What to Watch

  • Rival leaders from the island of Cyprus meet today to seek common ground on how to pursue reunification after nearly 50 years of bitter division.
  • South Korea led the developed world to join China in exceeding the size of its pre-pandemic economy, as investment and exports helped it expand faster than expected.

  • France is threatening to block regulations that would let the U.K. continue operating under financial regulations in Europe if London doesn't respect its Brexit commitments on fishing.

  • A slow vaccine rollout and lack of funding could set Africa's economy back two to five years, the head of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa warned.
  • Australia is banning all flights from India until at least May 15 as the South Asian nation battles what Prime Minister Scott Morrison called a "terrible crisis."

And finally ... Prime Minister Narendra Modi's move to rebuild part of New Delhi is drawing fire because it's estimated to cost billions even as India grapples with the pandemic. As Shruti Srivastava and Dhwani Pandya report, the planned changes will cement Modi's legacy in one of the world's oldest cities by reconstructing central Delhi, which houses the legislature and other historical buildings in an area as large as 50 football fields.

An artist's impression of the Central Vista project with the new triangle-shaped parliament building adjacent to the current version that will become a museum.



 
 

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