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> As in the main policy differences between the Parties are miniscule, then the election could well be influenced by how the electorate perceive their leaders.Doubtful. There's only a small percentage of voters who haven't really made up their mind already. A large percentage of people vote the same way their entire lives as their political allegiance is deeply embedded (you only have to read the polarised views of this forum as an example). The audience last night was also relatively small (compared to the debates in 2019).To make my point I think Sunak performed slightly better on the evening but I'd never in my life vote for him or his party.The first rule of debating is that if you're explaining then you're losing. Sunak was making statements (albeit some of them now most likely provably false) whilst Starmer was arguing against them - that's never a good look.But the short term positive gain that Sunak will get from the debate last night will be burned away quickly. Starmer will learn from his performance and change his tactic for the future debates. It's better to start slow and finish stronger than start strong but fade in the run up to the election.> As in the main policy differences between the Parties are miniscule, then the election could well be influenced by how the electorate perceive their leaders.Again I'd wait for the manifestos to be published before making statements about how their policy differences/similarities.I do concede that a really strong showing for Sunak in these debates might mean Labour only have a majority of 250 or so rather than the 300+ they're currently polling at.

John Kettlekey ● 384d

Mr Callaway'Johnson broke every one of the seven Nolan Principles of Public Life'1) 1.1 SelflessnessHolders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.What makes you think Johnson's actions were any less in the public interest (a subjective term) than those of any other politician including Starmer ?You not agreeing with them is not sufficient evidence.1.2 IntegrityHolders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work.Did you not feel that Corbyn was under the influence of McCluskey and the Unite Union who provided him with financial support, and will this be the same regarding Starmer who they are now also similarly backing ?In fact will Labour not be in the pocket of the Unions - 'The union chiefs issued a joint statement with Labour pledging to “work together” on the “New Deal For Working People” as the two sides appeared to bury the hatchet over the reworked package of employment reforms'. FT1.3 ObjectivityHolders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.Again a purely subjective demand - especially in politics where the views of those that elected you also have to be taken into account.1.4 AccountabilityHolders of public office are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.In the case of Johnson, Starmer and all elected politicians they are held to account by Parliament, the electorate and exposure to the media.1.5 OpennessHolders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.See 1.4 above.What evidence do you have that Johnson avoided this more than any other political leader ?1.6 HonestyHolders of public office should be truthful.'Not telling the truth' can vary from obfuscation to equivocation to direct lying.All politicians including Starmer participate in this though on occasion Johnson went further than many.1.7 LeadershipHolders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour and treat others with respect. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.I don't know that Johnson did not treat others with respect except perhaps as is customary, across the floor of the HoC.Oh, and what about how Starmer treated Diane Abbott and Jeremy Corbyn ? Pot;kettle;black !

John Hawkes ● 384d

Jonathan's list of principles in public life is impressive. What is lacking is evidence that Boris Johnson flouted them.1. Where is the evidence that Johnson sought to profit financially from his term of office? He has earned far more since resigning.2) Where is the evidence that he placed himself under an obligation to individuals or organisations that might seek to influence his decisions. The reference to Lebedev' father looks like a smear. Lebedev is a British citizen who was educated in this country. Under his ownership the Evening Standard came out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine, hardly the action of a Kremlin stooge.3) Where is the evidence that Johnson failed to act on the best evidence? If anything, he paid too much heed to the experts during the pandemic, instituting a general lockdown against his better instincts when in fact he should have kept the schools open.4) In what way did Johnson attempt to avoid scrutiny? 5) What information did he withhold from the public?6) As regards integrity, the accusation that Johnson lied to Parliament is based on his stated belief that the (distanced) gatherings in the  garden at Downing St (not the drunken parties, which he didn't know about) where refreshment was taken in the course  of a working day were within the rules. In the same way Keir Starmer insisted that his beer and pizza gathering in the constituency office in the course of a working day was within the rules. Neither man lied. The fact is that the lockdown rules in the workplace were hopelessly ambiguous.7) Johhnson manifestly demonstrated leadership on the three crises facing the country. He got Brexit done, he managed to get us through the pandemic and he definitely helped to save Ukraine.Clearly Johnson had a number of faults, chief among them his impatience with detail and a reluctance to lay down the law to colleagues. But I think the criticism he has received is out of all proportion, motivated in the main, I believe, by anger over Brexit.

Steven Rose ● 385d

Johnson was probably our worst ever PM, at least until Liz Truss succeeded him.  Neither says much for the judgement of Tory Party members who elected them.Johnson broke every one of the seven Nolan Principles of Public Life apart from displaying incredible levels of incompetence, indolence, a total absence of a moral core and telling repeated lies to parliament.His relationship with Lebedev, the son of a senior KGB spy, have still not been fully aired.  The chances that there were breaches of national security are quite high!  That's dangerous in itself.The Seven Principles of Public Life apply to anyone who works as a public office-holder. This includes all those who are elected or appointed to public office, nationally and locally, and all people appointed to work in the Civil Service, local government, the police, courts and probation services, non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), and in the health, education, social and care services. All public office-holders are both servants of the public and stewards of public resources. The principles also apply to all those in other sectors delivering public services.For the record these are:1.1 SelflessnessHolders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.1.2 IntegrityHolders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.1.3 ObjectivityHolders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.1.4 AccountabilityHolders of public office are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.1.5 OpennessHolders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.1.6 HonestyHolders of public office should be truthful.1.7 LeadershipHolders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour and treat others with respect. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.All this is copied from here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-7-principles-of-public-life/the-7-principles-of-public-life--2

Jonathan Callaway ● 385d

I can understand that someone might not agree  with Boris Johnson or might not like him, but to call him dangerous seems rather an exaggeration. I think history will treat him more kindly than some of his detractors. I am not a fan of Boris nor of any politician but in his defence I would offer the following:1) He saved the country from the constitutional crisis caused by the fact that a largely Remainer Parliament was attempting to overturn the result of the Referendum. British people don’t like it when politicians try to make fools of them. This explains the anger when it emerged that Downing St had imposed a lock down but allowed its staff to break the rules. In the same way there was anger when the British electorate were told that they could decide whether the UK would leave the EU and were then informed  by politicians that they had made the wrong choice. Things could have got very ugly had Boris not won the election and secured a withdrawal agreement.2) The second crisis he faced was the pandemic. Mistakes were made. Money was wasted on protective equipment and  the schools should not have been closed. Johnson was at fault for his indulgent attitude to the staff in Downing St (though this was really the responsibility of the Head of the Civil Service, Simon Case, who is still in his job). But  Johnson’s decision not to fall in with the EU vaccine programme, against the advice of Keir Starmer, meant that Britain had vaccinated around a million vulnerable people by the end of January 2021 before EU citizens got any vaccine at all. He also took the decision to end lockdown in December 2021 when Keir Starmer said that to do so would be reckless.3) His decision to start arming Ukraine a year before the Russian invasion was an important factor in the Ukrainians’ success in warding off the initial Russian attack, which is why he is regarded as a hero in that country.

Steven Rose ● 385d