It is a turbulent time for the British government. The relations between the UK’s political leadership and its citizens have been contentious for the past two years. From the mishandling of the pandemic to the Christmas parties at 10 Downing Street, residents are starting to lose faith in their government. British Social Attitudes recently reported that a third of the UK’s population claimed that they “almost never” trust the government.
The past five years have proven to be particularly tumultuous for the Tory Party. David Cameron resigned following Brexit, Theresa May stepped down in response to Boris Johnson, and Boris Johnson is now under scrutiny for the series of parties held at 10 Downing Street during the 2020 Christmas lockdown.
The Mishandling of Coronavirus
Experts from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) and citizens alike agree that the Conservative Party handled the onset of COVID-19 poorly.
In September 2020, SAGE warned Tory ministers that the country would face catastrophic consequences if drastic and immediate action was not taken. However, it took three weeks for the government to devise and implement a plan, leading to further deaths and a surge of patients relying on the National Health Service (NHS) for treatment.
It was clear to the public that national leaders had ignored the recommendations of insider experts. Instead of instituting another lockdown, Boris Johnson opted to use the tier system. This strategy was quickly abandoned a month after implementation because the virus was still spreading at an alarming pace. After the government assured citizens there would be no lockdowns in the future, November ushered in a new lockdown that was to continue until after the holiday period. This served to fuel the general mistrust of the British government that disregarded the advice from front-line doctors and scientists, misled the public about their plans to slow the spread of the virus, and was widely blamed for thousands of deaths. And Boris Johnson sat at the center of controversy and skepticism.
Parties at Number 10 Downing Street
One of the most recent political scandals involves the numerous parties held in 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Whilst the majority of Britain spent Christmas 2020 in isolation away from their loved ones, the Tory party was holding Christmas parties with no social distancing. Footage has been leaked of a mock press conference, showing the Prime Minister’s former spokesperson Allegra Stratton joking about a party held by the Tory party. She laughed when calling it a ‘business meeting with cheese and wine,’ and joked about how it was not socially distanced. Stratton resigned several days after the footage was released due to a public outcry.
The heartache that was last Christmas was difficult for the UK. However, most people followed the rules to save lives and protect the NHS. However, when a leaked video of a party member laughing about social distancing was shown on BBC News, the country stood back in outrage. So many people sacrificed their Christmas due to the rules set in place, and yet this was flaunted by the leading government party. The line from George Orwell’s animal farm is now back in circulation: ‘All animals are equal. But some are more equal than others.’
Evidence of three other Christmas parties has been presented to the British public, including an event that Boris Johnson attended. The Independent newspaper points out that the public feels betrayed by their Government, who appear to set one rule for the public and another rule for themselves.
Will the Public Listen to the Prime Minister?
Now that the new wave of Coronavirus is flooding the country, the public has lost faith in their government. Many members of the public claim that they have no intention of socially distancing, as there is no way the government can enforce it. This fundamental lack of confidence in the UK government is worrying to experts from Nelincs.gov, who voice concern that the British public may not listen to the advice of the government, and the pandemic will take many more lives, leaving the NHS completely overrun and understaffed.
During the years of the Tory party being in power, the public has witnessed so many misleading tales that many view the Prime Minister as a tasteless joke. Except that joke is wearing thin, and confidence in the government is drastically slipping. Even the Tory party themselves are showing dismay over the Prime Minister’s actions, showing discontent in the rankings of the inner government.
The fact that the government does not even trust itself is a testament to the state of the UK government and political system. One question remains: will the UK government win back the trust of its citizens?
