Boris Johnson's scandals undermine U.K.'s reputation abroad during diplomatic push

One of the most cutting cartoons reflecting the trials and tribulations of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was published by the Guardian newspaper just ahead of his diplomatic push on the crisis between Russia and Ukraine this week.

The sketch by Nicola Jennings shows a big bear-like figure staring out at a snowy no man's land, dressed in furry white camouflage, with a telltale shock of blond hair sticking out, and a bottle of wine hanging loosely from one hand. An abandoned party hat and a cake lie in the snow next to a broken glass, more bottles and a sign pointing toward Ukraine.

The caption reads: "Boris to the rescue."

Set against the backdrop of his "Partygate" scandal, Johnson's trip to Ukraine on Tuesday had little chance of being portrayed as anything other than a flight from his domestic woes — and potentially an ill-judged one.

Especially after he postponed a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday so he could try to convince his own MPs that he hadn't in fact misled Parliament in denying parties took place or that lockdown rules had been broken.

The ongoing scandal has so consumed the political classes and enraged the public that Johnson's critics and supporters alike worry it is undermining Britain's ability to function properly at home and its reputation abroad, not least the notion of a new "Global Britain" post-Brexit.

In a news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, broadcast live Tuesday, the BBC's diplomatic correspondent James Landale lobbed a question, asking Johnson if his premiership was secure.

"And on the issue of Ukraine," he followed up, "why should the international community take your diplomacy seriously when you are so preoccupied at home? When you put talking to MPs ahead of talking to President Putin?"

Britain's Metropolitan Police have been investigating 12 gatherings at Downing Street that are alleged to have broken the country's lockdown rules over the past two years, including one in the prime minister's private flat.

They included a bring-your-own booze garden party in May 2020, when Britons were limited to seeing only one other person outside their bubble, and an alcohol-laden suitcase being wheeled into Downing Street for two parties held there on the eve of Prince Philip's funeral last year.

On Thursday, four of his senior aides offered their resignations, and had them accepted, including principal private secretary Martin Reynolds. It was Reynolds who sent the invite to about 100 people for the BYOB garden party at 10 Downing Street in May 2020. Some 30 people are said to have attended.

Johnson's supporters are holding it as proof the prime minister means what he says about changing the Downing Street culture, but critics accuse him of scapegoating his own people.

One of the resignations, by longtime policy chief Munira Mirza, came with public criticism of Johnson's refusal to heed her advice and apologize for a widely condemned and unsubstantiated slur against Labour Opposition Leader Keir Starmer during an exchange in Parliament on Monday. 

The pointed nature of Mirza's departure is seen by some as a clear indication that Johnson himself is the problem.