No more bounce for Boris

What Johnson can do is shuffle his pack

British PM Johnson walks outside back entrance to 10 Downing Street in London

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson walks outside a back entrance to 10 Downing Street, in London. | TOBY MELVILLE

Jason MoorePalma18/12/2021 10:03

Will or can Boris Johnson bounce back? The Prime Minister has suffered setback after setback and now the Conservatives have lost the safe seat of North Shropshire. Not only were they beaten, they were defeated by a party which is opposed to Brexit. It was a major triumph for the Liberal Democrats but to be fair to the Conservatives the Libs Dems are usually the party which gets Conservative votes when things are not going well for them. One thing about the Conservatives, they will be quick to oust their leader if things are not working; Margaret Thatcher was a classic example.

What Johnson can do is shuffle his pack, bring in new blood and some experience to add weight to his government. It will never happen but perhaps a cabinet post for Theresa May, she may have been a poor Prime Minister but she has long experience as a minister. There are other alternatives. Labour leader Keir Starmer has said that Britain has the worst possible Prime Minister at the worst time. Johnson did win a landslide election victory and there is little chance of a Labour government any time soon and to be honest I can´t really see Starmer doing a better job than Johnson. What we are seeing at the moment is what critics have said about Johnson for many years...that there isn´t much substance underneath all the bluff and bluster. He needs to bring some experience into his team otherwise his time at Number 10 could be short-lived.