Quite right! Part two | ‘MPs are just not good enough’ – Munira Mirza on Boris, Starmer & Britain’s leadership crisis
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Feb 27, 2026 Munira Mirza, political adviser and founder of Civic Future and Fix Britain, critiques leadership and state wiring. She discusses why the 2019 mandate faltered, migration counting failures, and Boris Johnson’s strengths and flaws. She argues for reforming Labour-era laws, better preparation by parties before government, and a culture of radical candour and higher-calibre public servants.
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Pigs And Blankets Reveal Migration Data Failures
- Munira recounts the 2021 post-lockdown migration scramble and the 'pigs and blankets' anecdote to illustrate policy misreads. Officials loosened routes for jobs amid fears of worker shortages and later realised counts were wrong.
- She says the Home Office and ONS undercounted arrivals and that once the scale was known the government should have clamped down harder and faster.
Systemic Failures Drove Boris's Biggest Flaws
- Boris's weaknesses were systemic as well as personal. Munira Mirza argues that lack of decisiveness and intra-party factionalism, not just personality, blocked key decisions like self-ID and migration policy.
- She describes Cabinet paralysis where Number 10 often failed to arbitrate and different party factions prevented clear action, leaving issues unresolved.
How Blair Era Laws Became Government Wiring
- Post-1997 legislation like the Human Rights Act and Equality Act has become wiring that constrains both left and right. Munira argues these laws reflect a Labour-informed worldview and now hinder practical government action.
- She notes Keir Starmer's career was built using the Human Rights Act, making reform politically fraught even for Labour ministers facing operational blockages like removals.
