LONDON • British Conservatives, who have ruled the country for longer than any other party in recent history, are in an agonised, self-flagellating panic. Should they get rid of Mr Boris Johnson, their populist leader, whose deceit and breaking of lockdown rules has infuriated so much of the country and embarrassed his party? Or stick with a man who, so far, has kept them in power?

This may be a British story but the Tories' choice will resonate among many political parties across the democratic world. As American voters learnt with Mr Donald Trump in 2020, the choice of keeping or replacing Mr Johnson - and the matter is now on a knife's edge in London - will affect not just the future of the Conservative Party but Britain's standing in the world.