Boris Johnson’s endless attempts to suppress the Russia report could be more damaging than the dossier’s revelations

It seems clear that there must be some pretty embarrassing stuff for the Tories in the 50-page dossier, writes Andrew Woodcock

The PM’s efforts to suppress the findings have been unedifying and damaging to his reputation (PA)

It’s a golden rule in politics that the cover-up is usually more damaging than the crime, and the longer I look at the furore over the Russia report the more I think that may be the case here.

It seems clear that there must be some pretty embarrassing stuff for the Tories in the 50-page dossier compiled by former attorney general Dominic Grieve’s Intelligence and Security Committee in the far-off days of March last year.

But however damaging the revelations may be, the endless saga of Boris Johnson’s attempts to suppress them is so unedifying that the harm to his reputation from that could be even greater.