Will voters forget Partygate in light of the crisis in Ukraine?

Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked assault on Ukraine has cast Westminster into a sombre mood far removed from the febrile atmosphere which has dominated over the past few months.

In an instant, chatter in the corridors has switched from Boris Johnson’s chances of surviving the Partygate scandal to grim discussions about the dangers of war spilling out from Ukraine’s borders and the prospect of economic crisis driven by a sharp spike in energy prices.

Mr Johnson has always yearned for the opportunity to emulate his hero Winston Churchill, but leading the country in wartime may not have been part of his plans.

Those whose gaze is permanently fixed on Westminster are asking now whether the gravity of the situation will rub off on the prime minister, allowing him to re-establish his image as the leader of the nation which has been so damaged by the allegations of drink-fuelled lockdown-breaching at No 10.

Will an electorate preoccupied by the fear of Putin’s unpredictable aggression be ready to forget the misdemeanours which enraged them so recently? Will news of a police fine pass all but unnoticed in a country gripped by TV images of war on European soil?

Or will the damage to Mr Johnson’s reputation undermine his ability to unite the nation in the difficult days ahead?

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In terms of the PM’s future, the Ukrainian crisis can certainly be expected to focus attention on the close relations Mr Johnson and his party have established with wealthy Russians, who have bankrolled the Conservatives to the tune of almost £2m since he took office.

Labour has accused the Tories of allowing illicit Russian money to course unchecked through the financial institutions of the City. Conservatives protest that the money involved came from people with UK nationality and insist that it would be wrong to tar all Russian expatriates with the same brush.

In announcing sanctions against the oligarchs, Mr Johnson risks exposing to voters the Russian networks of finance and influence he has allowed to grow up in the city known to Muscovites as Londongrad.

It may be that the Ukraine crisis allows him to shake off the scandal of Partygate, only to embroil him in issues which could do even more damage to his reputation.

Yours,

Andrew Woodcock

Political editor