On 29 August, shadow education secretary Angela Rayner asked the question on everyone’s lips about cabinet members who are backing Boris Johnson’s parliamentary coup. In particular, she targeted health secretary Matt Hancock, who’d insisted in June that “proroguing Parliament undermines parliamentary democracy”. But that’s exactly what Johnson is now doing. And Hancock is remaining conspicuously silent about it.
A day before, Rayner had said:
Some tweets can come back to haunt you….. https://t.co/5ULN1xPUpI
— Angela Rayner (@AngelaRayner) August 28, 2019
And on 29 August, she asked:
when are you resigning…?
Thanks Matt, when are you resigning over your comments in the Tory leadership contest when you said "Proroguing Parliament undermines parliamentary democracy and risks a general election. I rule it out and call on all candidates to do the same"? What is your view now? 🤔 https://t.co/yOFlKfA5WO
— Angela Rayner (@AngelaRayner) August 29, 2019
When is your boss ‘undermining democracy’ not serious enough to resign? When you’re a slimy careerist.
Channel 4 News had earlier released a video exposing Tory MPs who opposed ‘proroguing’ but are now in Johnson’s cabinet:
These Conservative MPs warned against the proroguing of parliament.
Now they are all cabinet ministers in Boris Johnson's government. pic.twitter.com/bxuW2h3zPS
— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) August 29, 2019
In fact, as the video shows, even Johnson had said previously:
I’m not attracted to archaic devices like proroguing.
Johnson is a serial liar, of course, so it’s no surprise that he’s now done a U-turn on the issue. But if any of his anti-proroguing cabinet members had an ounce of self-respect or integrity left, they would resign immediately.
Featured image via Rwendland
