What a day!
It's difficult to know where to begin with the events of today, but one thing is clear: Boris Johnson's House of Cards based on lies and deceit is toppling around him.
Following this morning's unprecedented letter from Simon McDonald outlining what many already knew, that No 10 lies to the public and to Parliment and the civil servant disclosing to LBC, the dreadful state of things within the Government and urging colleagues to quit it was with interest we watched the Government unravell through the day.
Rumours and leaks abounded with MPs briefing the media on potential resignations, and then this evening a slew of them appeared. The current tally at 10:30pm is
2 cabinet ministers
4 Parliamentary Secretaries
1 vice chair
2 trade envoys, one of whom suprisingly was long standing Johnson fan and the current MP of South West Wiltshire, Andrew Murrison. Finally deciding that supporting Johnson wasn't the honerable thing to do.
Despite that Johnson, who is seemingly superglued to Number 10, rapidly appointed a whole new cabinet to replace those who had jumped ship.
They may yet go down in history as the shortest cabinet positions ever, if the former cabinet minister (and not an obvious agitator) is to be belived. They told Lib Dems: "the Prime Ministers finished" just a matter of days".
South West Wiltshire's Liberal Democrat spokesperson, Ellen Nicholson said "The resignations this evening, welcome though they are, is like the rats jumping off a sinking ship for a government that is just based on lies, corruption & breaking the law. Johnson has enabled many Ministers to lie. This government needs cleaning out. South West Wiltshire deserves so much better."
Make no mistake, alongside fed up civil servants and ministerial resignations, endless mistruths, our victories in the local elections, Chesham and Amersham, North Shropshire and most recently and spectacularly Tiverton and Honiton, have helped lead to this moment. Conservative MPs are nervously looking over their shoulders and wondering if their seat is safe (no it isn't).
Whatever happens next, our role as Lib Dems is clear, we continue to hold power to account and provide a credible alternative to the Tories in Wiltshire. We gained vote share in 2019 across Wiltshire in the general election, and came second in the 2021 local elections taking control of the County town council in Trowbridge and increasing the number of Wiltshire councillors, and we are continuing to grow.
Join the Liberal Democrats (force.com) and be part of the change.