IN the list of things Scottish Tory MP Andrew Bowie is known for, having good judgment isn’t one of them.
After all, on Tuesday the West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine MP told STV that he “fully accepts” the Prime Minister’s version of events around a BYOB bash held at No 10 on May 20, 2020.
The Prime Minister’s version of events is currently that there was a party in his own garden at the height of lockdown, which he did attend, but that nobody had warned him it would be against the rules – rules which he had made.
Why wouldn’t Bowie fully accept that?
Either way, not even 24 hours later the MP said Boris Johnson “should be considering his position”. So much for fully accepting his leader’s version of events.
The storm raging around Johnson’s premiership has now seen Christian Wakeford, a Tory MP elected in the fall of the “red wall” in 2019, defect to Labour.
The news came as some surprise to Bowie, who was live on the BBC at the time.
He said he knew Wakeford personally and he is a “solid Conservative who is determined to carry on representing his constituents within the Conservatives”.
Confronted with the news of the Bury South MP’s defection, Bowie said: “Christian is a very good friend of mine, an excellent MP, and I would be surprised to say the least, if that was the case.”
He went on: “I haven't spoken to Christian today, I couldn't say categorically, but I would be very surprised if Christian was about to jump ship to the Labour Party right now.”
Cue the surprise.
The Scottish Tory MP later acknowledged his poor call, writing on Twitter: "Ahhh...the joy of live TV."
Ahhh...the joy of live TV 🤪
— Andrew Bowie MP (@AndrewBowie_MP) January 19, 2022
On the BBC’s Politics Live, Bowie was also confronted on reports that he and Douglas Ross attended a “fizz with Liz” event which saw Foreign Secretary Liz Truss manoeuvre for a potential leadership run after Johnson’s exit.
The Scottish Tory said he “must have been at a different party”. “There was no fizz at the meeting that I was at”, he added.
Bowie denied that the meeting had been about a leadership bid, but was interrupted by Labour MP Sarah Champion, who said Tory hopefuls in parliament were like “wasps round honey”.
“They can smell blood”, she said.
If Bowie were to support Truss for leader, we’re not sure that would do people’s perception about his judgment any favours.
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