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Joanna Taylor
Aug 07, 2020
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The sun is shining, summer is underway and parliament is in recess.
But even though that thankfully means we've been spared from any Boris-isms on our TV screens recently, there's still plenty going on in government behind the scenes.
So, here's a run-down of the top three most ridiculous things the Tories have gotten up to this week.
1. Claimed the UK is "equal" to the entire EU
The Cabinet Office shared an advert that was supposed to inspire excitement about the UK's "new relationship" with the EU post-Brexit.
But it sparked a backlash instead, for suggesting that this will be based on "friendly cooperation between sovereign equals".
Now the UK has left the EU, we can build upon our existing friendship as sovereign equals. We share history, value… https://t.co/9DZYPBOhkh— Cabinet Office (@Cabinet Office) 1596615693
As lots of people pointed out, each individual EU country has its own sovereignty, so it's a little arrogant to say the least that the UK is "equal" to them all.
@SteveLawrence_ @cabinetofficeuk We left a club of 28 members, we're now apparently equal to the remaining 27 whils… https://t.co/mCQQpT9oJn— Jan Bird (@Jan Bird) 1596617684
2. Got eviscerated by a scientist for calling the test and trace system "world beating"
SAGE professor John Edmunds had the perfect response to Boris Johnson's oft-repeated claim that the UK's tracing system is "world beating".
Discussing the "clunky" system on BBCNewsnight, Edmunds said:
Honestly, I couldn’t care less whether it’s world beating or not. I just want it to be virus beating – and it’s not.
Meanwhile, Keir Starmer slammed Johnson's "repeated refusal to accept that test and trace isn't functioning properly", calling it a "roadblock" to fixing its problems and restoring public confidence.
3. Got caught out contradicting themselves on the Brexit bill
Iain Duncan Smith spent the week ranting and raving on Twitter about how the Withdrawal Agreement – which he voted for – is actually not that great for the UK after all.
Whilst the UK wants to have a good trade relationship with the EU as a sovereign state, the EU has different ideas.… https://t.co/jL0At3Huu0— Iain Duncan Smith MP (@Iain Duncan Smith MP) 1596464742
To avoid their own budget black hole, the EU gets £39billion as a “divorce payment” from us, reflecting our share o… https://t.co/UmQi6OWhKF— Iain Duncan Smith MP (@Iain Duncan Smith MP) 1596464742
You can't be half in the EU & half out, the problem is the WA. It costs too much & it denies us true national indep… https://t.co/BnVvDNVNhG— Iain Duncan Smith MP (@Iain Duncan Smith MP) 1596464743
But it all went a bit wrong when a resurfaced tweet from last November saw him praising the Bill.
And it actually gets worse, because the great people on Twitter then brought to light video evidence of Duncan Smith not only waxing lyrical about the Bill, but also suggesting that any further debate on it was unnecessary.
PSA to all Tories: we keep receipts.