Boris Johnson’s political fortunes have taken another unexpected turn. The British prime minister, who only a couple of weeks ago was being written off, suddenly began to emerge from a seemingly hopeless situation with endless scandals – and the Ukrainian crisis played no small part in this
Under pressure from Parliament, British officials conducted their own investigation into the parties the Conservatives were holding while the whole country sat under quarantine. The long-awaited report of the enquiry did not accuse Boris himself of anything – only general phrases about the problem of a “drinking culture” in the workplace.
A parallel investigation is being carried out by the London police. They have already been accused of helping Boris to cover up breaches of the law. Their reputation has already been damaged by another scandal – the refusal to investigate corruption schemes within the government in the distribution of aristocratic titles.
But the real saviour for Boris was the Ukrainian situation. The British establishment took full advantage of it by bypassing the United States by sending military aid to Ukraine, by concluding special “trilateral alliances” with it and Poland and by frightening the entire Western world with rumours of Russian “plans” to stage an attack on Kiev and install a loyal government there.
Immediately after the results of the first investigation into the quarantine violations are announced, Boris demonstratively goes to Kiev. He is trying hard to show that party scandals are a mere distraction while he decides the fate of the world. That is why there can be no talk of his resignation: after all, horses cannot be changed for better, and his departure, they say, could lead to a Russian victory.
The opposition accuses Boris of authoritarian maneuvers: inciting a small victorious war with Russia, just to keep him in power. But it’s working so far: public attention has already been diverted away from the parties and fixed on the virtual war in Ukraine, where a thousand British soldiers are being sent.
The only problem is that Boris is not alone in scoring political points on the Ukraine crisis. There is also the head of the Foreign Office, Lisa Truss, who both poses on a tank and “shines” with her knowledge of the history of Kievan Rus, and is now threatening sanctions against Russian oligarchs. At some point she will surely try to stab Boris in the back – in the hope of getting the coveted premiership.
Malek Dudakov