David Lloyd George had a reputation as a serial philanderer. He was known as the Welsh goat. That reputation is under serious threat from Johnson who is today splashed across The Sunday Times for his links with an American model-cum-entrepreneur named Jennifer Arcuri during his period as Mayor of London. Ms Arcuri received public funds and it appears was given privileged access to overseas trade missions organised by Johnson's office and which he attended.
This will take some explaining away but it is also revealed that he visited her 'many times' at her £2600 a month rented Shoreditch flat which featured a dancing pole in the living room. Sometimes during afternoon breaks in his mayoral diary. Either he was taking his role as promoter of London's Tech sector very seriously, well beyond the call of duty, or something else was going on. How many other entrepreneurs got house calls by the mayor of London? We need to be told.
The article claims that the lady may not even have been eligible for a £100,000 grant given to her by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport by Johnson's colleague Margot James. There is a lot of awkward and very embarrassing stuff which can only increase the pressure on the PM John Trickett, Labour's Shadow Cabinet Office Minister is calling on Johnson to give a full account of his actions which he calls a misuse of public funds and says there is 'precedent for resignation'.
This comes as The Guardian report the PM will probably lose the Supreme Court case this week which would mean they believe he lied to the Queen about his reasons for prorogation:
"'The dominant feeling among informed observers is that the government is
on the ropes and it’s going to lose,' said Philippe Sands QC, professor
of law at University College London."
The article also says:
"The prospect of the court finding against the prime minister has left
the UK heading towards a 'constitutional eruption of volcanic
proportions', according to another senior legal figure who asked not to
be named. He said he also believed the case would go against the
government."
For most prime ministers this would be quite enough to be going on with and one can imagine the bedlam in No 10 as advisors and aides turn to the pumps to try and keep his premiership afloat. But this is the mere backdrop to the main feature, Brexit.
His 'negotiations' have gone into reverse with the latest government non-papers said to simply be a reheated version of alternative arrangements already proposed and rejected - some of them under his predecessor.
And all the time the clock is ticking inexorably down to October 31st.
At some point he is going to have to decide to take us out without a deal (end of premiership) or ask for an extension (end of premiership). Either way I do not think he can last very long.
