Johnson, Sunak and Brexit: A Trio From Hell

In this new Federal Trust video, John Stevens and Brendan Donnelly discuss the disruptive and divisive consequences of Brexit for the Conservative Party. This division is now crystallised in the personal and political conflict between Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson. At present Johnson seems largely motivated by personal resentments. It may be however that in the coming months Johnson will ally himself with political forces hostile to Sunak such as Farage, Fox and Tice. This could lead to a disastrous outcome for the Conservative Party in the next General Election.

SPEAKERS
Brendan Donnelly is the Director of the Federal Trust and a former Conservative MEP.
John Stevens is the Chairman of the Federal Trust and a former Conservative MEP.

ABOUT THE FEDERAL TRUST
The Federal Trust is a research institute studying regional, national, European and global levels of government. It has always had a particular interest in the European Union and Britain’s place in it. The Federal Trust has no allegiance to any political party. It is registered as a charity for the purposes of education and research.

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COPYRIGHT NOTICE:
Image of Boris Johnson in the Thumbnail:
Boris Johnson Covid-19 Presser 24/05
24/05/2020. London, United Kingdom. Boris Johnson Covid-19 Presser 24/05. The Prime Minister Boris Johnson chairs the daily Covid-19 press conference inside No10 Downing Street with NHS Medical Director Professor Stephen Powis. Picture by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street
We removed the background of the image and placed it on a new background, by @federaltrust

Image of Rishi Sunak in the Thumbnail:
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visits FCDO Crisis Centre
25/04/2023. London, United Kingdom. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visits the Crisis Centre in the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office to speak to staff working on the ongoing situation in Sudan. Picture by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street
We removed the background of the image and placed it on a new background, by @federaltrust

#rejoineu #brexit #sunak #johnson

[elpresidente]

If Brexit splits the tory party then finally I will see a Brexit benefit.

[wombat]

They appear to be destroying themselves. Fantastic...

[OptimisticHominid]

The only free movement of people that Brexit stopped was the free movement of Brits! EU citizens can still move freely between all EU countries.

[mikebarrett]

The Public are really fed up with seeing Johnson on all media platforms..for gods sake will he not just bugger off..

[george]

This is a story of four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have.
The story may be confusing but the message is clear: no one took responsibility so nothing got accomplished.

[OptimisticHominid]

17.4 million people voted to end freedom of movement for 67 million British people, and their own future children and grandchildren.

[frankoneill]

It's a bit much to suggest Sunak created the Windsor Framework. Minor adjustments were made in it, most of which were offered by the Maroš Šefčovič in October 2021, and which are largely predicated on the UK implementing the Protocol correctly. What Sunak did was to negotiate properly with the EU, abandoning the confrontational, hostile approach of Johnson/Frost/Truss.

[simonperring]

Brexit has destroyed everything it touches - whether the UK economy - the export sector - the careers of PM’s David Cameron, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and increasingly Rishi Sunak - and eventually the Tory party itself - indeed even Nigel Farage, the chief architect of Brexit himself, has said “Brexit has failed”.

Indeed, with Brexit being made up of the two incompatible ideologies of a neo-liberal, high-immigration “Singapore-on-Thames” on one hand, beloved more by the extreme free-market capitalist wing in the Conservative party - and a nationalistic, no-immigration “Fortress England” on the other, beloved more by those provincial Conservatives in unsafe “Red Wall” seats - which are increasingly starting to tear each other apart as Brexit fails - the last thing that Brexit destroys will be Brexit itself... 😢

[tomthumb]

It's odd that people assume the UK is a democracy, as it's actually a constitutional monarchy the arrangement of which gives preeminence to oligarchic interests and which has some democratic features that mask the unrepresentative character of all its institutions, from Parliament to the BBC. Two out of three of its main branches of government are unelected. Most people's votes in general elections are redundant owing to the FPtP 'safe seats'. Most MPs are elected by fewer than 50% of those entitled to vote. Oligarchy, asset- wealth. the Establishment etc. remain predominant. One reason the Tory Party has survived so long is that the post-1660 to 1710 settlement has survived so long, despite some tinkering with it and the introduction of universal suffrage. We are still left with a choice between two parties representing certain vested interests and by no means concerned for the welfare of the people as a whole.

[Paul_C]

The Conservative Party needs to end, or maybe it should be split up, the lunatic fraction, the rich faction, the Christian faction, and maybe what is left might be called 'conservative'.

[dogwithwigwamz.]

Cameron, it turns up, sold the country to save his career and party. Whilst Johnson, in the background, was doing exactly the same thing. Neither of them are Brexiters.

[Jessjoe]

If brexit did destroy the Tories. That would be the one and only brexit benefit. At last we have found one.

[martincarty]

I do hope so but my mum always used to say the Tories are like a Hydra, cut one head off and it will just grow another one.

[pierre]

Brilliant conversation as usual. Thank you. 🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷🇪🇺🇪🇺🇪🇺

[dmoreyn]

I wish fedtrust would upload videos more frequently, this is truly one of the most informative and honest channels on politics in the uk.

[johnmcdona]

The Tories should be consigned to a footnote in history after the damage they have done to the economy

[ajsctech]

It was very clear after the Brexit result in 2016 that Brexit would destroy the Tories. We may finally see the far right block of about 40 of 50 Tories being cut off when they become the opposition. It will take a new tory leader to remove these MPs or they will break away themselves and either join Reform or create a new party built around a far right anti immigrant and Trussenomics. The Tories need their moderate centre right people back and they basically just need a total reset.

[willieckaslike]

At last: a much needed benefit from BREXIT. The destruction of one of the most evil forces in British Politics !

[paulwilson]

'Folly rarely proceeds from any great design and its consequences are often a surprise.' - Barbara Tuchman, The March of Folly

[Lynnefromlyn]

Well there we are! There IS a Brexit bonus! If anything ça destroy the Tory party the. I’ll give it a thumbs up. Momentarily!