Theresa May Serves Boris Johnson a Very Cold Dish Over Partygate

It is said that revenge is a dish best served cold. In which case, British PM Boris Johnson received an ample serving from his predecessor Theresa May following the release of a report by Sue Gray, the UK's top civil servant, concerning parties held at Number 10 Downing and at Whitehall despite such gatherings being unlawful due to COVID restrictions imposed by Johnson's Tory government and restrictions far more severe than have been ever been imposed in the United States.

After Johnson tried to defend his behavior before the House of Commons, the Prime Minister was inundated with questions from all sides including his fellow Tories many of whom followed the rules including Aaron Bell who detailed the restrictions he had to deal with concerning his grandmother's funeral in May 2020, the same time many of these gathering at Number 10 Downing were being held. Bell asked Johnson if he was a fool for following the rules.

But the sharpest question came from May. This is not a surprise as there is no love lost between the two. Needless to say she has been waiting for this moment since resigning in the summer of 2019:

The COVID regulations imposed significant restrictions on the freedoms of members of the public. They had a right to expect their prime minister to have read the rules, to understand the meaning of the rules — and, indeed, those around him to have done so, too — and to set an example in following those rules.

What the Gray report does show is that No. 10 Downing Street was not observing the regulations they had imposed on members of the public. So either my right honorable friend [Johnson] had not read the rules or didn't understand what they meant — and others around him — or they didn't think the rules applied to No. 10.

Which was it?

Johnson, true to form, dismissed her question claiming that was not what was in the report and to wait for the police to conclude their investigation and from there for Gray to release her full report. 

At this point, Johnson is buying every bit of time that he can and is counting on his cabinet and the 1922 Committee to pay for that time. The next British general election is due to be held more than two years from now in May 2024. The question very much remains if Johnson will still be leading the Tories much less living at Number 10 Downing by that time.