The brutal truth of Boris Johnson's Conservative Party

LONDON - British Conservatives, who have ruled the country for longer than any other party in recent history, are in an agonised, self-flagellating panic. Should they get rid of Boris Johnson, their populist leader, whose deceit and breaking of lockdown rules has infuriated so much of the country and embarrassed his party? Or stick with a man who, so far, has kept them in power?

This may be a British story but the Tories' choice will resonate among many political parties across the democratic world. As American voters learned with Donald Trump in 2020, the choice of keeping or replacing Johnson - and the matter is now on a knife's edge in London - will affect not just the future of the Conservative Party but Britain's standing in the world. For the party, it's about being respected again as a coherent ideological force, led with decency. Essentially, it's about self-respect. In terms of Britain's standing internationally, the question is whether the Conservatives are ready to get rid of a leader who has done a proud country so much damage.

The damage done to the Tories is clear enough in opinion polls. Following Johnson's 80-seat general election victory in 2019, and the strong support he maintained afterward, even during the grimmer moments of the pandemic, recent polling now shows the Tories lagging behind the Labour Party by anything between three and 14 points. For many Conservative lawmakers, those are serious tea leaves, and represent the possible loss of their seats.