The Tories’ problems go deeper than just one man

“YOU MAYMPMP only have lent us your vote. You may not think of yourself as a natural Tory.” In his victory speech after the general election in 2019 Boris Johnson acknowledged that he owed his majority to a combination of first-time and long-term Conservative voters, brought together by a desire to end the battles over Brexit and fear of a far-left Labour government under Jeremy Corbyn. Mr Johnson offered unity not just to a divided country, but also to his own divided party, riven by civil war after the referendum. It is now clear that this unity was a façade.The past few months have been torrid for the prime minister. First he tried a dirty parliamentary manoeuvre to protect Owen Paterson, an old friend and fellow , from punishment for his breaches of lobbying rules. Mr Johnson was then revealed to have attended a series of parties during covid-19 lockdowns. Police are now investigating; on February 11th his office confirmed that he was among those required to respond to official questioning. Tory s are struggling to muster the courage to call a vote of no confidence. They should: a disregard for the truth and a lack of application make Mr Johnson a poor prime minister. But he is a symptom of what ails the Conservative Party, not the cause. If Britain is to have the government it needs, getting rid of him will not be enough.