Boris Johnson is known for riding out scandals that would sink most British politicians. It appears to be happening again.
Just weeks ago, news that Johnson had been fined by police for breaking the coronavirus rules set by his own government — the first sitting prime minister known to have broken the law — would likely have ended his premiership. Members of his ruling Conservatives had lost patience over a series of missteps that had dragged the party down in the polls.
But much has changed in the interim. The premier has seen his ratings rise over his response to the war in Ukraine, while Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak — seen as Johnson’s most likely successor — is embroiled in a row over his family’s tax affairs, and has also been fined by the police.