Johnson's legacy: here to stay?

The Prime Minister’s agenda is all about delivering on those five key priorities. This week, he seeks to signal that his party can knuckle down and move on from bouts of infighting by accepting Boris Johnson’s long-awaited, and significantly reduced, resignation honours list. But this move does not come without risk – not least of reminding the public of Johnson’s transgressions and the narrative of cronyism that characterised the latter part of Johnson’s time in office.

Sunak will want to distance himself from such sentiments, primarily tied to his predecessor-but-one, whilst simultaneously keeping a lid on tetchy wings of the party in advance of the privileges committee verdict, with a potential vote on Johnson’s future as an MP expected within weeks. He has promised that with unity and focus, the Conservatives “can, and will” win the next election. But with ongoing debates deep within the party around Sunak’s key legislative priorities, the Tories are not all singing from the same hymn sheet yet.

Further allegations of lockdown breaches handed over to the police by the Cabinet Office have once again brought Johnson back into the headlines, much to the chagrin of the Prime Minister, who is keen to focus the news agenda on literally?anything?else.

Sunak’s acceptance of the resignation honours list is as much a symbolic gesture to show respect for due process as a final attempt to break out of the pattern of recurring Conservative psychodrama.

The sheer length and breadth of Johnson’s list – with the most controversial candidates, including his own father already removed - risks calling into question the efficacy of the entire resignation honours process. Given Labour’s already strong policy stance on abolishing the House of Lords, this could be a particularly vulnerable spot for a party trying to shake accusations of cronyism, and increasing an already 800-strong institution with members expected to sit for upwards of 60 years will inevitably add fuel to this fire.?

Unsurprisingly for Johnson – and therefore unhelpfully for Sunak - the list is typically controversial, and would create two of the youngest life peers from former special advisers who are barely 30, as well as forcing two by-elections in less than safe seats, as sitting MPs Alok Sharma and Nadine Dorries stand down before accepting their peerages. Sharma’s West Reading seat is a key Labour target with just a 4,000-strong majority, whilst the Liberal Democrats have their sights set on Dorries’ mid-Bedfordshire seat.

As the Conservatives seek to regain momentum after a devastating set of local elections, the prospect of further by-elections is not an appealing one. In the wake of new polling this week suggesting that Labour could win as much as a 140-seat majority in 2024, CCHQ will not want to take any chances, despite Dorries’ comfortable majority. With a further potential by-election looming in Johnson’s own constituency, things could soon go from bad to worse for Sunak, unable to replicate his predecessor-but-one’s electoral success, or his uncanny knack for uniting the Conservative party.

Despite Sunak’s best efforts to move the party on, events this week have shown that internal party management is a necessary, and not insignificant, part of the job for any Conservative Prime Minister – and one that is likely to continue to distract from delivering on those five priorities.?