Johnson and Co’s Lies and Slurs Corrupt All of Society

Johnson and Co’s Lies and Slurs Corrupt All of Society

The impact of misleading and inflammatory statements made in the House of Commons does not remain confined to Westminster, says Edward Hardy

Monday night saw shocking scenes near the Houses of Parliament, as a baying mob of protestors surrounded Labour Leader Keir Starmer and Shadow Home Secretary David Lammy.

The assembled horde shouted a cacophony of conspiracy theories, falsehoods and nonsense at the pair, as police were forced to rush them into a nearby car and drive them to safety.

One of the chants that was clearly audible referred to Jimmy Savile – echoing the slur made by the Prime Minister at the despatch box last week, in which Boris Johnson claimed that Starmer had failed to prosecute the notorious sex offender while he was the Director of Public Prosecutions. Another was “traitor”.

Whether intentional or not, that moment made clear the real-world impact of Johnson’s decision to push a baseless allegation. 

The Prime Minister has long been known as a political figure who plays fast and loose with facts and figures. His cavalier attitude towards the truth infamously ended his career as a journalist at The Times in the 1980s, and later in the Shadow Cabinet under Michael Howard.

But, since his return to parliament in 2015, Johnson’s pursuit of higher office and desperation to cling onto power has seen him twist reality to suit his own narrative in a way that is corrupting society and dragging social and political discourse into the gutter. 

During the raucous session of Prime Minister’s Questions following the release of the redacted Sue Gray report into the scandal of the lockdown Downing Street parties, Johnson’s refusal to be open and honest was visible for all to see. He did not make one or two false claims by accident – he made numerous incorrect or misleading statements on matters ranging from economic statistics to Starmer’s record as a lawyer.

Many people take their lead from cultural, societal and political figures. It would be naïve to pretend that the Prime Minister’s actions when the country is watching could not have a significant impact on the behaviour of individuals throughout society.

Whereas the political leader of the UK should be setting an example to his fellow citizens, including younger generations, Johnson has thrown such a concept out of the window in pursuit of his own career aspirations. 

While Johnson’s unfounded Savile accusation against Starmer was unlikely to be the only conspiracy theory driving the protestors, it is difficult to conclude that it wasn’t a factor.

---

The Wider Corrosive Effects

At times of crisis, it is crucial for citizens to be able to trust the information that is being presented by their politicians on the most serious matters. That becomes impossible for many when Boris Johnson and other senior figures around him can’t even be open and honest about whether they attended lockdown-breaching gatherings. 

Recent polling around the scandal of the Downing Street parties shows just how damaging Johnson’s actions have been. In a Deltapoll survey, 83% of respondents indicated that they have lost trust in the Conservative leader as a result.

It was also recently reported that a seven-year-old girl had written to the Prime Minister asking him to apologise for holding parties in Downing Street, when she had been forced to cancel her sixth and seventh birthday celebrations because of lockdown restrictions.

Isobel from Sheffield questioned why Johnson failed to set a good example and follow the rules that he had set.

Of course, that is just one example of a young person’s viewpoint. But it indicates that the next generation is watching what is happening in politics, with their views open to being shaped by the problematic behaviour of those who should be serving as role models – including the notion that all politicians are out for themselves and the political system cannot work for them.

Poor behaviour exhibited by those in authority is extremely corrosive. When the Prime Minister is demonstrating to the young people of the UK that rules can be broken without consequence, and without meaningful apologies being offered, that is surely setting a very bad example.

A similar point was raised by Steve Chalke, founder of the Oasis Charitable Trust, when speaking about the education sector. While highlighting the skills that are crucial for pupils to learn during their school days, he told BBC Radio 4: “We know how adrift things can come if we don’t get honesty and integrity.” It’s a simple message but a crucial one.

Honesty and integrity underpin society by ensuring that people generally behave in a decent and honourable manner. Surely, no one wants us to descend into a society in which individuals completely disregard the importance of being truthful in our dealings with each other. 

At a time when misinformation is frequently circulating on social media, if the public has lost faith in their political leadership to provide accurate information, it heightens the likelihood of some people being pulled into a world of online conspiracy theories.

This is a genuine concern: in December, a poll suggested that a majority of UK citizens believe that Boris Johnson is more distrusted than social media as a source of reliable Coronavirus advice. While we are hopefully moving past the worst of the pandemic in this country, there will surely be other political challenges that emerge which require the public to have faith in the information they receive from Johnson.

If that faith is permanently lost, it makes it impossible for the Prime Minister to govern effectively. Moreover, it can cause irreparable harm to the standing of the office of prime minister. In the long-term, that cannot be good for the preservation of democracy and freedom.   

Words have consequences, as Speaker of the House Commons Lindsay Hoyle has observed in recent days. It is crucial that politicians, starting with Boris Johnson, begin to realise the impact that their comments have on the functioning of our society.

If Downing Street’s wilful disregard for the truth is allowed to proceed unfettered because Conservative MPs refuse to intervene, there is a real risk that it will corrupt the country as a whole. That could see us descend into a situation where lies carry more weight than truth. Ultimately, that will be damaging for every one of us.