Boris Johnson was always immoral – but we must move on from partygate
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Boris Johnson and I share little politically in common. I hold a very strong belief that Brexit was an enormous mistake and that he was personally responsible for it.
Boris Johnson and I share little politically in common. I hold a very strong belief that Brexit was an enormous mistake and that he was personally responsible for it.
He brought enormous colour to British politics but he was always going to prioritise action over the truth. I think most of his supporters have always understood this and forgiven him for it.
Most people would not pretend to be surprised at the conclusion drawn in the partygate report. Boris Johnson is clearly not a victim and I believe he should face the consequences for what he has done wrong. However, now that he has resigned, there is no reason to add more fuel to the fire. He has resigned and we should as a country move on.
We are facing several extremely serious crises but we seem unable to direct our passion and attention towards them. Where was the sense of urgency and concern at the news earlier this week that mortgage rates are rising yet again, making home ownership even more unreachable for young people? Where was the energy spent by the government on finding solutions?
If you were to survey the British public, I doubt many would have the future of Boris Johnson as a high priority issue to resolve. This is yet another example of our political class failing to address what really matters to people across the UK which is leading to an ever increasing disconnect with mainstream politics.
We live in an age of soundbite politics. So much time is spent drawing battle lines over issues like partygate that we are constantly distracting politicians from the bigger picture and the issues that matter to the British people rather than the political class. That is why I set up the charity Engage Britain in 2016 with my wife Julia in order to help put people back at the heart of policymaking.
We need to break out of this destructive cycle which will only distract us, starting with letting partygate go. I for one am looking forward to a Britain where I never have to discuss the matter again.
Guy Hands is the founder of private equity firm Terra Firma.
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