Boris Johnson yesterday abandoned any claim to be a One Nation Conservative.
His words and actions in the Commons yesterday were abhorrent, cynical and inflammatory and marked the transformation of the Tories from a mainstream organisation into the Boris Nationalist Party (and yes, the initials are deliberate).
Decency and honour disappeared when Johnson refused to show any contrition or humility in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling.
We then had the spectacle of the party of law and order applauding their leader in the Commons for his attacks on Parliament and the judiciary.
At this moment traditional Conservatism died. It was minutes later that it was reborn as a nasty, populist movement.
Johnson wilfully ignored polite interventions from female MPs – and the gender is important here – to moderate his language and consider the implications of what follows if you pitch people versus Parliament.
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When Labour’s Paula Sheriff reminded him that the police had advised her to leave her own home because of death threats, Johnson dismissed this as “humbug”.
Just as appalling was Johnson telling MPs that the best way to honour the memory of Jo Cox was to deliver Brexit.
Think about this for a moment.
The Prime Minister is arguing that if you wish to avoid being murdered you should jettison your political beliefs and fall into line with his government’s wishes.
This is as low as a judge telling a rape victim they should not have been wearing attractive clothing.
At the end of the session, despite a request from the Speaker, Johnson refused to hang around to hear a point of order from the Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson in which she revealed a death threat had been made against one of her children.
What made Johnson’s behaviour yesterday so depressing and dangerous was it was deliberate in its provocation.
This was not a tired Prime Minister misspeaking at the end of a difficult few days.
Every utterance was calculated to inflame as he seeks to draw the dividing lines ahead of a general election.
If that happens to result in another act of violence towards an MP or their family that is the price he’s willing to pay to secure a majority.
(Image: Hollie Adams)
Some readers will note that Johnson was not alone in using intemperate words yesterday.
But we expect the Prime Minister to take the lead when it comes to setting the standards of our political conversation.
He is now following the instructions from the Steve Bannon manual of campaigning.
He wants the debate to be about Leave versus Remain and Left versus Right.
It should be about what is moral or immoral, what is decent or divisive and what is right or wrong.
