DON’T GET DISTRACTED – Extinction Rebellion’s statement on the resignation of Boris Johnson

With Westminster paralysed by scandal after scandal and the Prime Minister set to leave 10 Downing Street, it’s time to recognise that the decision making bodies we have trusted are functioning for the benefit of corporates and capital rather than the British public, and are not capable of tackling the major crises we face.

Why do we need radical change that puts ordinary people at the heart of decision making? The answer is right here before us.

The repeated abject failure of this government is a disgrace, but the archaic UK political system itself has provided no guard rails against these scandals, corruption and the culture of lying rife in our politics. One High Court finding after another of unlawful practices has made no difference. The system has simply encouraged the schoolyard political games that are easily abused by the selfish. Short term thinking and the desire for power mean our system cannot produce leaders who will actually lead in the era of climate and ecological breakdown.

While we might feel apathy from the endless stupidity of the last few years, we must not be distracted by it. Because the work to dismantle democracy and destroy the future of humanity is working over time behind the scenes; deals on coal mines, expanding oil and gas exploration in the North Sea, authoritarian bills being written to clamp down on our human rights. The list goes on.

What is the solution? Citizens Assemblies.

As the government spends the next month in their own version of Game of Thrones, with MPs backstabbing their way to the seat of power, the UK public must build a mass movement that demands an evolution of our democracy. Citizens Assemblies, selected to reflect the diversity of our society, are our best model for cutting a path out of the embarrassing soap opera of our current politics. A more participatory mode of politics will empower ordinary people with expert knowledge, allowing us all to “get on with the job” of acting on the climate crisis, supporting the most vulnerable, and creating a future that centres care, justice and freedom for all.

Below is a non-exhaustive list of this government’s failures. Politics as usual clearly isn’t doing the job. It’s time to step up, to step into our power, and do what is necessary to turn this sinking ship around.

Boris Johnson and his governments’ scandals:

(1 – 5 found unlawful by courts or police)

Prorogation
High Court finds govt failed to protect care home residents
PPE contract VIP lane
Publication of PPE Contracts
Partygate
Chris Pincher Scandal
Covid Excess Death Rate
Ministerial Code
Two Ethics Advisors Quit in Two Years
Not sacking Patel after bullying exposed
Owen Paterson
Sue Gray findings on culture
Flat Refurb-gate
Appointments to Lords
Imran Ahmad Khan and other overlooked MP misconduct
Good Law Project Twitter Thread: 5 times Boris Johnson’s Government has broken the law

Climate related:

Reversal of Green Homes Grant – (over £1bn of the £2bn fund withdrawn)
Cut aid spending to 0.5% of national income and below its legal obligations (until further notice) – a reduction of around £4bn.
Authorisation of EU-banned pesticide
Failed (and continuing to fail) to contain nitrogen dioxide emissions within legal limits in 33 of 43 zones measured across the UK.
Off-track to meet 4th, 5th and 6th carbon budgets – and legally-enshrined net-zero 2050 commitment. For which they are facing legal challenge from FofE for lack of climate strategy to achieve these targets.
NZSG led by Tory MPs claiming charity status and associated benefits
Green light on DRAX gas plant, disregarding planning inspectorate verdict that it was incompatible with obligations under the Paris Agreement.
Failed to call-in Heathrow Expansion, despite Johnson’s claim to “lie down in front of those bulldozers”
Continuing to fund a $1bn Mozambique LNG project after pledging to end overseas financing for fossil fuel projects.
UK government sued over ‘pie-in-the-sky’ net-zero climate strategy
Climate: UK government taken to court over Mozambique gas project | Friends of the Earth
Green light on:
Cumbria coal mine (initially and still pending)
Abigail and Jackdaw oil fields
HM Treasury:

£16 billion funding package to the oil and gas sector to encourage the sector only to decarbonise its operations (but continue to extract fossil fuels).
£27 billion road expansion programme – the largest ever in England – (for which the DfT faced legal challenge for ignoring official advice to consider policy in line with climate obligations and for grossly underestimating the emissions output from the scheme).
Cut Air Passenger Duty on UK domestic flights by half
Cut grants for electric car buyers.
Cut Fuel Duty, in real terms, for 12th year in row
New 80% “super deduction” tax break to incentivise investment in UK fossil fuel extraction projects.
Sources & Breakdown

1. Prorogation

Sources:

Johnson’s suspension of parliament unlawful, supreme court rules

Supreme Court: Suspending Parliament was unlawful, judges rule – BBC News

Breakdown:

The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Boris Johnson’s advice to the Queen that parliament should be prorogued for five weeks at the height of the Brexit crisis was unlawful.
It prevented parliament from carrying out its constitutional role for five out of a possible eight weeks between the end of the summer recess and exit day on 31 October.
2. High Court Finds Govt Failed To Protect Care Home Residents

UK government failed to protect care home residents from COVID, High Court rules – POLITICO

The High Court ruled that the U.K. government broke the law by failing to protect care home residents from COVID during the pandemic, by allowing untested elderly patients in England to be discharged from hospital into care homes, having contracted COVID.
In March and April 2020, an unknown number of elderly patients in England were discharged from hospital into care homes, having contracted COVID and either died or passed the virus on to others.
Judges concluded this was unlawful because it failed to take into account the risk to vulnerable residents from non-symptomatic transmission of the coronavirus (there was no evidence that then-Health Secretary Matt Hancock addressed the issue of the risk to care home residents of such transmission) despite there being “growing awareness” of the risk of asymptomatic transmission throughout March 2020 and the govt claiming to have put a protective ring around the elderly and vulnerable.
3. PPE Contract VIP Lane

Sources:

BREAKING: High Court finds Government PPE ‘VIP’ lane for politically connected suppliers ‘unlawful’ – Good Law Project

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/feb/22/cronyism-britain-rampant-banana-republic-covid-contracts-government
Due to Government’s delayed response, and refusal to join the mass-scale procurement being actioned by the EU, UK ends up paying up to 14 times the price for items sourced through EU channels
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/feb/21/matt-hancock-ex-neighbour-alex-bourne-under-investigation-uk-medical-regulator
Alex Bourne, Matt Hancock’s friend and neighbour, won £30 million in contracts for medical equipment, though he had no prior involvement in medical procurement

Up to £14 billion in overpriced PPE not fit for purpose or has expired
4. Publication of PPE Contracts

Sources:

Covid: Matt Hancock acted unlawfully over pandemic contracts

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/feb/20/uk-government-under-growing-pressure-over-covid-procurement
“Hancock’s Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) had spent about £15bn buying PPE from different companies by the beginning of October, but that only £2.68bn worth of contracts had been published”
https://www.transparency.org.uk/track-and-trace-uk-PPE-procurement-corruption-risk-VIP-lane-research
“throughout the ten month period from February to November 2020, the overwhelming majority (98.9 per cent) of contracts by value (£17.8 billion) were awarded without any form of competition”
MPs reluctance to talk about the procurement process proves that they knew it didn’t follow due process and was potentially illegal
18 November 2020 – Transparency International (and Good Law Project) request data on PPE contracts. Data has still not been fully released.
5. Partygate

Sue Gray report: full breakdown of findings about No 10 parties | Boris Johnson | The Guardian

Boris Johnson fined: Prime minister apologises after receiving fixed penalty notice for lockdown-breaking party | Politics News | Sky News

New Met Police legal action will get to the truth about the PM’s Partygate – Good Law Project

Lawmakers Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak – aka the Prime Minister and Chancellor – were both fined for breaking lockdown laws by attending parties hosted in Downing Street in June 2020.
While this was the only event for which they faced fines, the Sue Grey Report also found that 15 parties took place in Downing street during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021 – 8 of which Boris Johnson attended.
The Met Police are currently facing legal action by the Good Law Project and Lord Paddick for failing to properly investigate these additional parties, for which GLP believe the Prime Minister should face further fines for law-breaking.
15 May 2020 – First lockdown, PM present

20 May 2020 – First lockdown, PM present

18 June 2020

19 June 2020 – PM present (BJ’s birthday)

13 November 2020 – Second lockdown, PM present

27 November 2020 – Second lockdown, PM present

10 December 2020

15 December 2020 – PM present

17 December 2020 – 2 events, PM present for 1

18 December 2020 – stay-at-home alert issued in London and SE on the following day.

14 January 2021 – Third lockdown, PM present

16 April 2021 – 2 leaving parties.

5b: Dominic Cummings – Barnard Castle etc

April 2020 – Story breaks that Dominic Cummings had broken lockdown restrictions by driving to Barnard Castle
5c: Neil Ferguson (Gov scientist) resigns

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/may/05/uk-coronavirus-adviser-prof-neil-ferguson-resigns-after-breaking-lockdown-rules
Early May 2020 – Ferguson resigns after breaking lockdown meeting his partner
6. Chris Pincher (The Final Straw)

Boris Johnson was made aware of formal Chris Pincher complaint – BBC News

Boris Johnon was aware of a formal sexual-harassment complaint made against Mr Pincher while he was serving as a Foreign Office Minister from July 2019 to February 2020 — which resulted in a disciplinary process that confirmed his misconduct — prior to appointing him to the position of Deputy Chief Whip.
Downing Street initially claimed that no complaint had ever been made but changed their statement following a publicised letter from Former Foreign Office Under-Secretary Simon McDonald which disputed this claim.
8. Ministerial Code

Boris Johnson changes ministerial code so those who breach it don’t have to quit or face sack | Politics News

Boris Johnson accused of changing ministerial code to ‘save his skin’

Changed the ministerial code (on 27 May 2022 – ahead of Partygate inquiry) so that rule-breakers do not have to resign or face being sacked, and can instead simply apologise or temporarily lose pay.
Johnson also blocked his independent ethics chief, Christopher Geidt, from gaining the power to launch his own investigations without consulting the PM, and
Rewrote the foreword to the ministerial code, removing all references to honesty, integrity, transparency and accountability.
8. Owen Paterson

9. Two Ethics Advisors Quit in Two Years

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jun/15/boris-johnsons-ethics-adviser-lord-geidt-resigns-after-partygate-grilling
First: Sir Alex Allan quit in 2020 after Mr Johnson refused to accept his finding that Home Secretary Priti Patel had bullied civil servants.
Second: Lord Geidt quit in June 2022
10. Priti Patel Bullying

Boris Johnson dismissed Ethics Advisor Sir Alex Alan’s findings, based on a Cabinet Office inquiry, concluding that the approach of the home secretary, Priti Patel, “amounted to behaviour that can be described as bullying” – noting instances of shouting and swearing – and deciding that she had therefore breached the ministerial code, even if unintentionally.

16. Liz Truss and Lord Frost meet with loyalist paramilitary group in Ireland – not reported in media

ByLineTimes podcast, episode “An Air of Resignation”
57:00 onward
This could potentially destabilise the region, putting Irish lives at risk
17. Shadow Influence & Dark Money

Operation Surprise: leaked emails expose secret intelligence coup to install Boris Johnson

“The emails demonstrate that a group of operatives linked to the intelligence services and wealthy, reclusive pro-Brexit financiers spied on campaign groups, infiltrated the civil service, and targeted high-profile Remainers with reputational destruction”
“These efforts could amount to charges of TREASON”