“Boris Johnson, the party is over.” With these words, the British Liberal Democrat Helen Morgan responded on Friday to her victory over the Conservatives in the by-election in North Shropshire.

The result sparked shock waves in the Tory party, which is currently quarreling with its head of government Boris Johnson, who is beset by scandals.

The Central English constituency was previously seen as a safe bank in a region that has been the heartland of the Conservatives for centuries.

As if that weren't enough, the country is slipping into the largest wave of infections to date since the outbreak of the corona pandemic. Another record was set on Friday with more than 93,000 new infections. But for tough Corona measures, the prime minister is increasingly lacking the support of his own party and - in view of the increasing number of reports of lockdown violations in the government - also the moral authority.

In an interview on Friday, Johnson said that "of course" he took personal responsibility for the defeat.

However, to blame is actually a focus in the media and the public on the wrong topics.

But political scientist Anand Menon of King's College in London sees the Shropshire defeat as more than just a slip-up.

The expert believes that the Brexit rhetoric with which Johnson won the last election no longer works.

Circle of bankruptcies and mishaps

With the election failure, a circle of bankruptcies and mishaps closes: The by-election on Thursday was triggered by the resignation of MP Owen Paterson, who has come under criticism for corruption. He had resigned after Johnson and his followers tried unsuccessfully to protect him from temporary banishment from parliament.

This was followed by report after report of parties on Downing Street and other government buildings while the rest of the country was locked down last year.

Johnson and his cabinet colleagues vehemently denied that rules had been broken.

But the evidence became more and more overwhelming: a video of the Downing Street press team joking about how to justify a "cheese and wine" lockdown party to journalists was followed by photos of Johnson taking a quiz with colleagues.

In addition, there was new knowledge about the questionable financing of the luxury renovation in Johnson's official apartment by wealthy donors.

Omikron spreads breathtakingly fast

Most recently, almost 100 members of their own party voted against a - moderate tightening - of the corona measures in the country. Johnson was dependent on the support of the opposition Labor Party. But in view of the breathtaking speed at which the Omicron variant of the coronavirus is spreading in Great Britain, further tightening, if not a lockdown with school closings, will soon seem necessary. But while Queen Elizabeth II canceled her traditional pre-Christmas family gathering, Johnson himself seemed to shy away from encouraging people to volunteer with restraint at Christmas. The prime minister is in a quandary: If he leads the country into another lockdown, his party is likely to go to the barricades. But if he does nothing, the health system threatens to collapse.

Things are getting really tight for Johnson, it seems.

"One more prank and I think it's over," threatened Tory party veteran Roger Gale on Friday in an interview with the Sky News news channel.

In any case, there is currently no lack of revelations: It was not until Friday that the British media reported that the senior official Simon Case, commissioned by Johnson to investigate the alleged lockdown parties, had himself tolerated celebrations in his department.

He was relieved that evening.