Sir John Major: 'shifty' UK government gave brazen excuses for breaking lockdown laws

Former prime minister warns international trust may not be easy to regain

British Prime Minister John Major arrives at the Institute for Government where he will give a speech on trust and standards in democracy, in London, Britain, February 10, 2022. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls

Former British prime minister John Major launched a searing attack on Boris Johnson on Thursday, saying his government was forfeiting international respect by standing by its own behaviour.

Describing the UK government as “shifty”, Mr Major, who was prime minister from 1990 to 1997, said the revelations about a series of parties in Downing St during the pandemic lockdown showed Mr Johnson had broken the law.

“At No 10, the Prime Minister and officials broke lockdown laws,” he said. “Brazen excuses were dreamed up. Day after day, the public was asked to believe the unbelievable. Ministers were sent out to defend the indefensible, making themselves look gullible or foolish.

“Collectively, this has made the Government look distinctly shifty, which has consequences that go far beyond political unpopularity.

“No government can function properly if its every word is treated with suspicion.”

This was taking a toll on the UK’s international standing, he said. “We should be wary. Even a casual glance at overseas comment shows our reputation is being shredded,” he said, pointing to the post-Brexit deterioration of relations with Europe.

“When ministers attack or blame foreign governments to gain popular support at home we are simply not taken seriously. Megaphone diplomacy merely increases hostility overseas.

“International trust may not be easy to regain.”

The former leader of the Conservatives made a very personal attack on Mr Johnson, saying “outright lies” bred contempt for politics.

“All of this is against the backdrop of the Prime Minister being investigated for several breaches of the ministerial code,” he said. “He chose to ignore critical reports, rejected advice from his independent advisor on ministerial standards, who resigned as a result, and attempted but failed to overturn the unanimous standards select committee report that condemned the behaviour of a parliamentary colleague and friend.

“The Prime Minister and our present Government not only challenge the law, but also seem to believe that they – and they alone – need not obey the rules, traditions, conventions – call them what you will – of public life.

“The charge that there is one law for the Government and one for everyone else is politically deadly – and it has struck home.”

Mr Major said the country’s independent legal system was now vulnerable to assault from the ruling political class. “Public denunciation of judges and lawyers gives credence to the belief amongst the legal profession that the government may wish to usher in a compliant judiciary.

“It should back off. The late Lord Bingham, one of our greatest judges, once remarked there are and I quote, are countries where the judges always agree with the government, that they are not countries in which any of us would wish to live.”

Plight of migrants

The efforts by the government to strip dual citizens of automatic right to UK citizenship, as well as proposals to push back migrants trying to reach Britain by sea, were not only wrong but criminalising the world’s most desperate people.

“Can it really be a crime to be frightened; homeless; desperate; destitute; fleeing from persecution, or war, or famine, or hardship; and to cross half the world on foot and dangerous waters in an unsafe boat, in the hope of finding a better life?” he asked. “Of course, if the numbers are too large, this creates an appalling problem for local communities. But surely, to seek sanctuary from an unbearable life cannot – morally – be treated as a crime?

“Yet, the government’s border bill proposes to punish asylum seekers who take an unsanctioned route, with a jail sentence of up to four years. There must be a better way to protect areas such as Kent, than filling our prisons with miserable unfortunates, whose only real crime is to seek a better life.

“Prison – for these refugees – is punishment without compassion,” he said. “I do sympathise with the awful problem facing the government. But these proposals are not natural justice, and are decidedly un-British.”