Wartime Boris is more Captain Mainwaring than Winston Churchill

As the prime minister resists calls to stand down, Will Gore wonders if he could lead the cabinet to new roles in Walmington-on-Sea

‘Dad’s Army’ lasted three years longer than the Second World War (BBC)

Such was my teenage fascination with the Second World War, that at the age of 13 – when I assume most of my friends were playing Sonic the Hedgehog or watching Baywatch – I was slowly ploughing my way through Churchill: A Life, by Martin Gilbert. I imagine Boris Johnson was reading it at around the same time, plotting a political future in the footsteps of his hero.

When I wasn’t reading about Churchill, or visiting the nearby Imperial War Museum at Duxford, I’d still have time for some TV – I wasn’t a complete square! There were any number of WWII-themed documentaries on, for example, as the 50th anniversary of various battles or events provided a hook for a new programme. And when I fancied something lighter, there was almost always a repeat of Dad’s Army showing on the Beeb.

Over the last week, as the prime minister and the chancellor of the exchequer resist calls to resign over their Covid parties, much has been made (by loyal Conservative MPs at least) of the need to maintain stability while there is a war on. Plenty of commentators have pointed out that Britain has had various leadership changes during past wars – not least the one that brought Churchill to power. It has also been noted that the UK is not actually at war, and while standing solidly with Ukraine is patently the right thing to do, Boris Johnson is surely not the only individual capable of signing off on a weapons deal.