After 11 years of being in power in the UK, Margaret Thatcher’s ministers forced her to quit in November 1990. Her press secretary Bernard Ingham was loyal right up until the end.
Sir Bernard, now 89, offers some helpful words to Downing Street’s current resident.
Boris Johnson, a former civil servant, was interviewed by the Yorkshire Post about Tuesday’s Rebellion of 100 Tory MPs against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to institute ‘Plan B’ coronavirus protections.
Three tips for survival were offered by him. He suggested that the PM should “cut the busking” and avoid another enforcer like Dominic Cummings who he had previously called Mr Malevolent.
Sir Bernard also demanded that senior Tory MPs meet with the Government in order to achieve ‘change’.
Johnson could also do a “stocktaking” of all recent events, to determine how they might have been handled ‘better’.
Sir Bernard added that the PM needs a ‘tightly knit group’ of ‘politically motivated’ advisers to ‘scour’ the Government’s output for ‘anomalies and inconsistencies’ and said that if Mr Johnson ‘still goes his own way’, then ‘God help Boris – and us’.
As Mr Johnson grappled with the growing rebellion within his own party, following recent scandals that led to the imposition Plan B measures to stop Omicron spreading, Mrs Thatcher’s ex-press chief wrote.
After 11 years of being in power in the UK, Margaret Thatcher was forced to quit by her ministers in November 1990. Her press secretary Bernard Ingham was there for her until the end. Photo: They were seen together in Downing Street, 1983.
Sir Bernard, now 89, gave some helpful words to Downing Street’s current occupier. In the Yorkshire Post’s article about Boris Johnson the ex-civil servant wrote that he addressed the Downing Street Christmas Party scandal, Tuesday’s rebellious actions by 100 Tory members against the decision of the PM to implement ‘Plan B’ coronavirus steps.
It was discovered today that the whole 1922 Committee leadership joined the backbench rebellion over Plan B’s measures. These included the imposition Covid passes in order to gain entry into specific venues.
Conservative MPs were advised by Sir Graham Brady (chairman of the 1922 Committee) that they will receive letters of no confidence in their PM for Christmas.
Johnson could also be defeated in the North Shropshire By-election today. This was after Owen Paterson, a former minister and MP, resigned following a scandal involving lobbying.
MPs harshly criticized PM Paterson for trying to reform parliament’s anti-corruption laws in the wake of revelations.
The MPs are now asking the PM to “reset” his operation in order to prevent any more setbacks.
Three tips for survival were offered by him. He said the PM should not appoint Dominic Cummings as an ‘enforcer.’ Cummings is someone he had previously called Mr Malevolent. Senior Tory MPs are urged to “demand a meeting” with the Government in order to bring about ‘change.”
Sir Bernard mentioned in his Yorkshire Post column how Mr Cummings had fired multiple salvos against the PM since his resignation as chief advisor last year.
He stated that he was not alone in having it in his favor.
“Some people in and around Government Machine try to turn the knife on anyone who is in trouble.”
‘And he is certainly in trouble with three issues round his neck – Wallpapergate, as the refurbishment of his Downing Street living quarters is inevitably called; Christmas parties or gatherings or quizzes in No 10 a year ago when the rest of us were supposed to be holed up because of the pandemic; and a Tory revolt over his latest ‘Plan B’ Covid restrictions.’
Sir Bernard stated that the Uproar Over the Downing Street Party reveals both the ‘animus against the PM’ and the depths to Which Our Politics Have Sink’.
He highlighted how Britain is still struggling with problems such as a large budget deficit, fraught relationships with the European Union after Brexit implementation, and concern about the NHS’s capability to deal with winter.
But he stated that he does not believe Tory MPs are really trying to make the PM resign. This is because of his “approach to Life” and he still ‘gets it done’
Johnson was given advice by him in the case that “our political Houdini” escaped from current MPs” mutiny and the North Shropshire election.
From 1979-1990, Sir Bernard was Mrs Thatcher’s press secretary. Above: Mrs Thatcher with her husband Dennis and Sir Bernard in 1998
Following a string of resignations by senior ministers from her cabinet, Mrs Thatcher had to step down. Michael Heseltine was a fierce competitor and launched an attempt at taking over as the leader.
Sir Bernard stated that his current troubles were likely to be his final chance to restore order and stability to the chaotic government he had seen.
Sir Bernard was Mrs Thatcher’s press secretary for almost all her Prime Ministerships, 1979-1990.
After a succession of high-ranking ministers quit her Cabinet, she was forced to resign and Michael Heseltine, a fierce competitor for the leadership position, challenged her.
Mrs Thatcher, who was there when the outcome of the first vote of the leadership contest announcement was made, was in Paris.
Sir Bernard, pictured with Mrs Thatcher at her funeral last year in 2013, lashed out against Mr Cummings. He claimed Whitehall was ‘demoralised” by the removal of senior mandarins at the request of an adviser.
After Sir Bernard had famously shoved John Sergeant of BBC into the back during live TV broadcasts, she declared that it was her intention for her to “let my name go forward in the second ballot”.
After being advised by many of her colleagues from the party that she should quit rather than continue to face the challenge, Mrs Thatcher decided to resign.
Sir Bernard lashed at Mr Cummings in April of last year. He claimed Whitehall was ‘demoralized’ by the removals of senior mandarins at Cummings’ behest.
“At its [the Government’s]Heart is the malign presence of Dominic Cummings (the PM’s principal advisor), who believes the Civil Service would be more useful in the hands of strangeos such as himself. Sir Bernard stated.