Inside Politics: ‘Boris Johnson, the party is over’

It is shaping up to be a very merry Christmas for the Liberal Democrats. The party has recorded yet another stunning by-election victory – this time with a 6,000 majority in the West Midlands seat of North Shropshire. Although the win was not totally unexpected, its significance can not be underestimated. North Shropshire is a rural, “true blue” seat that has returned a Tory MP for nearly 200 years and the Liberal Democrats overturned a whopping, and seemingly insurmountable 23,000 majority to snatch it. Despite what Tory spinners might say this morning about governing parties and mid-term by-elections, this is a defeat that will send shockwaves – and jitters – through the entire Conservative Party and is one that heaps further pressure on an already embattled Boris Johnson, who wakes up this morning not only to a defeat that will further embolden mutinous MPs thinking about ousting him, but also to fresh reports about lockdown-busting parties in Downing Street, after The Independent exclusively revealed that he joined a bash in the garden of No 10 during lockdown in May last year. Earlier this week week it was said that former prime minister David Cameron echoed the view of some senior Tories by suggesting that it won’t be parties, wallpapergate or even Covid that gets Johnson in the end. Instead, he said, it will be the looming spectre of inflation. But there is one thing many Tory MPs care about more than all of those things: retaining power and their seats. With the party’s poll ratings continuing to slide, could North Shropshire be the first real nail in Johnson’s coffin?

Both the Commons and Lords are now in recess for the Christmas holidays. Today will be all about the Lib Dems victory in the North Shropshire by-elections.

Coming up:

– Liberal Dem leader Ed Davey on Times Radio at 8.05am

– Chairman of the Conservative Party Oliver Dowden on BBC Radio 4 Today at 8.10am

IT WAS ALL YELLOW: The Lib Dem win comes almost exactly six months after the by-election specialists recorded their last shock win in the Chesham and Amersham contest, another ultra-safe Tory seat forming part of the party’s so-called ‘blue wall’ in the south of England. In her acceptance speech, winner Helen Morgan said, “Tonight, the people of North Shropshire have spoken on behalf of the British people. They have said loudly and clearly: ‘Boris Johnson, the party is over’. “Your government, run on lies and bluster, will be held accountable. It will be scrutinised, it will be challenged and it can and will be defeated.” Morgan claimed that “thousands of lifelong” Tory supporters have turned their backs on the party over what they described as the PM’s “lack of decency”. The defeated Tory candidate, Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst, a barrister and former army serviceman, admitted on Wednesday that lockdown-busting parties in Westminster had come up on the doorstep while he had been out canvassing for votes. Speaking after the ballots were counted, he said. “We are 11 years into Conservative government, our elections are never an easy thing to do.But of course, we do need to reflect upon the result and I am sure as a party we will do that.”

SCORES ON THE DOORS:

Helen Morgan (LD) 17,957 (47.14%) | Neil Shastri-Hurst (C ) 12,032 (31.59%) | Ben Wood (Lab) 3,686 (9.68%) |Duncan Kerr (Green) 1,738 (4.56%) |

Turnout: 38,093 (46.28%)

Vs 2019

Owen Paterson (C ) 35,444 (62.7%) | Graeme Currie (L) 12,495 (22.1%) |

Helen Morgan (LD) 5,643 (10%) | John Adams (G) 1,790 (3.2%)

Turnout: 67.9%. We’ll have live updates and all the reaction to the Lib Dem win here.

SCOOP: Partygate is just not going away and the PM has more serious questions to answer this morning after it emerged he was reportedly spotted at a bash for Downing Street officials during the first Covid lockdown. It is understood that about 20 civil servants and advisers gathered on 15 May last year for celebratory drinks inside No 10 and its garden. At the time, people from different households were restricted to one-on-one meetings outdoors, with gatherings indoors strictly forbidden. The group is understood to have drunk alcohol, including wine, beer and coke mixed with spirits, and eaten pizza, with some staying late into the night. At one stage early on, according to a witness, the prime minister was present for around 15 minutes, during which he told an attendee inside, who had a drink in their hand, that they deserved their beverage for “beating back” the virus. No said: “The prime minister went to his residence shortly after 7pm. A small number of staff required to be in work remained in the Downing Street garden for part of the afternoon and evening.” The PM and his spinners have repeatedly claimed that the public is not interested in tittle tattle coming from Westminster about lockdown-busting parties in Downing Street. That line might need a bit of work this morning following the North Shropshire result.

24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE: Reports of Johnson joining the bash came as his colleague and transport secretary, Grant Shapps, became the latest Tory politician to get caught in the crosshairs of yet another Daily Mirror scoop on potentially illegal gatherings at the heart of power. The Department for Transport has apologised after admitting that staff working for Shapps held a Christmas party while strict Covid curbs were still in place last year. Government staff were “boozing and dancing” at an event in Whitehall on 16 December - the same day London was moved into tier 3 restrictions. There is no suggestion that Shapps himself attended. His spokesperson said: “He was not notified or invited and would have banned such a gathering forthwith, had he been made aware that it was being prepared.” Perhaps it’s worth checking the guestlist for the “millionaire web marketer” Michael Green, a pseudonym used by Shapps while he was raking while still an MP, in a case of moonlighting that puts recent scandals to shame. Meanwhile, police are contacting two people who attended a Christmas party at the Conservative Party headquarters over alleged breaches of coronavirus laws. The Metropolitan Police confirmed it was aware of the gathering at the building in Matthew Parker Street, Westminster, on 14 December last year.

WHERE IS RISHI?: Rishi Sunak will hold urgent talks with hospitality leaders as the sector reports mass pre-Christmas booking cancellations, sparked by the spread of the omicron variant. The chancellor, who rushed back from California to respond to the crisis, was criticised by business owners for being absent earlier this week. He subsequently promised to do “whatever it takes” to protect livelihoods. This came after England’s chief medical officer Chris Whitty urged the public to reduce socialising, advice described as a “sledgehammer” blow by the hospitality sector.

“The prime minister went to his residence shortly after 7pm. A small number of staff required to be in work remained in the Downing Street garden for part of the afternoon and evening.”

PM’s spokesman on fresh party reports.

From the Twitterati

“Anyone else, er, not feeling too Christmassy.”

BBC Newsnight policy editor Lewis Goodall is not yet getting the festive feeling.

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