Just another brick out the wall
So, Boris Johnson goes on to survive another week. But this time it wasn’t his libertarian backbenchers, who have been making waves against him ever since the “tiered lockdown system” was announced at the end of 2020, that led the coup to oust him. This was a more unexpected betrayal – from the crown jewels of Johnson’s premiership, the “Red Wall” intake of 2019 Conservative MPs.
The U-turn of those who were thought to be Johnson loyalists, culminating in one of the most outspoken members of the group, Christian Wakeford (famed for publicly calling out veteran MP Owen Paterson over his lobbying scandal) crossing the floor to Labour, certainly acted as a significant sucker punch for the Prime Minister. This was most notably highlighted in Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Questions, where Keir Starmer, riding on the celebrations around Wakeford crossing the floor, performed the best that many had ever seen him, with quips and statements akin to those of Blair in his prime against John Major.
In the same vein as Blair remarking “I lead my party, he follows his” to Major during a particularly weak point in his premiership, Starmer referenced the famed “bring your own booze” element of the May 2020 Downing Street lockdown party by joking that party whips had told their MPs to “bring their own boos” to highlight their disappointment in Johnson’s leadership. Further quips at Johnson’s feigned ignorance over knowing that the May 2020 gathering was a party were made, with Starmer forcing waves belly laughter in the Commons and creating one of the most rowdy PMQs in years. Even veteran Brexit supporter David Davis jumped on the anti-Johnson bandwagon, making a direct appeal for the Prime Minister to resign. Defying the critics who have long criticised his lack of humour and strong leadership, it looks like a new dawn may have broken for Starmer in the Commons Chamber on 19th January. Labour was back, and better than ever.
It seems that Christian Wakeford’s defection, alongside the Prime Minister’s unpopularity in all wings of his party, may be the push that Labour needs to take the helm of Government once again. Although the “pork pie plotters” (as the MPs who led the latest coup have been dubbed) did not succeed in reaching the 54 signatures needed to force a leadership contest, this was most likely due to timing rather than Boris’ MPs continuing to see him as a leader fit for office. The May 2021 local elections will be the telling time for the Prime Minister, as many Conservative MPs have expressed reservations about an earlier leadership contest working to the party’s detriment before then. If Starmer continues to ride this high and cleans up in these elections, the writing would likely be on the wall for Boris.
Speaking of walls…Labour has now knocked one brick out of Boris’ proud Red Wall, and must continue to focus on dismantling the rest. To do so, the party must harness Christian Wakeford’s statement, which condemned the lack of support given to his constituency of Bury South. As the promise to “level up” and support these areas won the Conservatives many of these seats, Labour should utilise their new “Red Wall” poster boy, Christian Wakeford, to highlight how the Conservatives’ “levelling-up” pledges do not go far enough, and make him the spokesperson of a fresh Labour alternative. This would coincide perfectly with the upcoming local elections, where levelling-up and local authority funding will be a major focus. As a former Conservative, Labour should promote Wakeford as a model for the electorate to follow. Continuing to promote Wakeford’s turn to Labour would show that the party understands why many Red Wall voters turned away from them in 2019, but is ready to welcome them back. After all, if an MP can switch allegiance, so can a voter.
Sarina Kiayani
Dentons Global Advisors Interel