London, United Kingdom – UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is often referred to as the “teflon leader”.
For the past two years, she has been avoiding many embarrassing things to keep up with her reputation.
But his political teflon may begin to fade as his Conservatives step down a dramatic defeat in North Shropshire – a secure party seat for almost 200 years, during which his MPs rebelled against him, and while facing a drop in votes and further questions whether he or his staff opposed the same. closed restrictions he forced the people.
The flood of bad news now raises questions as to whether Johnson, who took office in 2019, will be able to take control.
Voters are not concerned immediately as elections approach until 2024, but Conservative Members of Parliament (MPs) have the power to remove him from office by a vote of internal leadership or by a no-confidence vote.
“A growing number of people feel that even though Boris’ bubble did not explode, it seems to have been influenced by what has happened in recent weeks,” said Matthew Flinders, a professor of political science at Sheffield University in the UK.
The defeat of Thursday’s election in North Shropshire – the latest in a series of events – was “catastrophic”, Flinders said.
The central Liberal Democrats, the third largest party in the UK, has managed to drop 23,000 Conservative votes to win the seat by nearly 6,000 votes.
The vote was sparked by the resignation of former prime minister Owen Paterson, who has resigned fraudulent corruption.
Johnson’s inadequate attempts to save Paterson from the 30-day suspension from the Commons led to allegations of fraud and insults among the Conservatives, and criticizing the party was a key element of the North Shropshire campaign.
The results show that “the loyalty of the prime minister is questioned in the hearts of the party” and “it will be very difficult even for Johnson to laugh,” Flinders said.
It will create “a lot of fear in the Conservative Party but it will not happen to distrust people,” said Tim Bale, a professor of political science at Queen Mary University London.
“You should see a recurring election coming after months and months of opposition leading up to the election.”
The next left Labor Party party has just started in the last few weeks.
Work is now ahead of the Conservatives, its biggest opportunity since February 2014, according to research by market research firm Opinium.
Meanwhile, Johnson’s rate has dropped to 24% approval and 59% opposition, the lowest in his time as prime minister.
A recent Ipsos Mori poll shows that 13 percent of the general population now thinks Labor Keir Starmer may be a better leader than Johnson.
Lord Robert Hayward, a Conservative member of the House of Lords and an election specialist, said it was “surprising” that Johnson’s vote had dropped faster than those of the Conservative party.
“His loss of fame was confusing. It’s not just one incident, it’s what he did a few weeks ago,” he told Al Jazeera.
Johnson has been facing charges of fraud since the video appeared last week of Downing Street supporters and journalists laughing at a Christmas party held on December 15, 2020.
At the time, the government was urging people to stop associating – indoors or outdoors – in order to “save lives”.
Johnson goes on to say that no laws were violated but the video prompted the press chief to resign and Johnson ordered an investigation.
The claims of the Christmas party are “a real problem” for Johnson, Bale said.
“It exposes a lot of fraud, which many people find very difficult to swallow, especially because so many people follow the rules and remember how tragic it was sometimes to bring about their holiday season,” he said.
Public outrage has been fueled by growing concerns over Omicron brands and how they could affect Christmas celebrations this year.
UK registered the third straight day of COVID cases, with 88,376 new cases Thursday. Rules for wearing a mask and working from home are established.
Last week, Johnson suffered greatly at his leadership when benchers ignored his request for help in establishing COVID passports.
“Terrorists are bleeding,” said one government minister after the meeting.
The Prime Minister was forced to rely on the help of Labor MPs to achieve the goals and after the uprising, Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer said Johnson had lost “faith and authority” to govern the country.
“Fourth, [the rebellion] emphasizing the long-running conflicts in his party that need to be carefully monitored, “said Flinders.
Johnson’s popularity grew during the UK vaccination campaign earlier this year.
Experts say he probably hopes the current vaccination campaign will help him improve his image.
On Monday, Johnson promised to deliver an inspiring 18 million shot by New Year’s Day to reach all the elders. But amid reports of multi-hour queues at the vaccination site, doubts are growing about the potential of the target.
“If he seems to be failing in this matter then he has another problem,” said Bale.
Medical experts say that even if the National Health Service (NHS) achieves this goal, it would not be enough to stop the spread of Omicron as cases are increasing every two or three days.
The British Medical Association (BMA), which represents UK doctors, has called for stronger measures, which Johnson has refused to ban.
It also warned that the NHS is “too small” and that keeping full-time jobs together with a promotional program is “impossible”.
But tighter tactics could put Johnson on the path to reuniting with his Conservative party members.
Johnson’s grip on power would be safer if he prevented the Labor Party from opening a two-digit lead for several months, experts predicted.
But experts emphasized that the government’s problems are not limited to solving recent issues.
The government has serious problems, including economic collapse due to the epidemic, he said.
Johnson needs to “follow the home rules and turn the ‘lift’ off the cable into a process,” Flinders said.
He currently has a “belief problem”, even among those who are backsliding.
“As the next election approaches, so does the concern among the party as to whether the Prime Minister can focus on the challenges – but often the tedious and technical ones – the regulatory business,” Flinders said.
Hayward added: “Johnson’s problems. So, it really comes down to him.
“He has to convince the people who have been leaving him for the past few weeks that he wants and can be Prime Minister.”
