Peter Stefanovic on Boris Johnson and British politics

This issue, Chaynee Hodgetts interviews lawyer and vlogger Peter Stefanovic

Peter Stefanovic has 700,000 followers across his social media platforms, where his films with the Communication Workers Union (CWU) have been watched over half a billion times. This month, he joins us to discuss his online presence – and legal vlogging on social issues.

CH: Peter, thank you for joining us this issue. To begin, what do you think makes your films so popular?

PS: “I guess we cover topical issues in a way that seems to resonate with people. In many ways I think I articulate the anger people are feeling – anger which I feel myself. A good illustration is the film last year, in which I ‘fact-checked’ several claims made by Boris Johnson since he had been PM. Thanks to the public’s incredible support, the film was watched a staggering 44m times. It exposed archaic parliamentary rules and procedures which are no longer fit for purpose.

The film was broadcast and debated on Good Morning Britain by Susanna Reid and Alastair Campbell – and it was raised by Kay Burley on Sky. In doing so, those journalists played a significant role in bringing about public debate as to whether Boris Johnson may have misled Parliament or driven a horse and cart through the Ministerial Code. The film was reported as far away as New Zealand – and was even projected onto the Houses of Parliament by the brilliant Led By Donkeys.”

CH: Did the film have any repercussions?

PS: “Many. It led to serious questions being raised in Parliament about the Prime Minister’s honesty (one Labour MP – Dawn Butler was actually expelled by the Speaker of the House after directly quoting from it and calling the Prime Minister a liar) – and it inspired a coalition of practically all the opposition party leaders to take action. It certainly raised a lot of eyebrows in the establishment – and the repercussions of it are still being felt today.”

CH: What drove you to take on the political establishment in this way?

PS: “Quite simply, I could not stand by and allow lying in our politics to become normalised. As lawyers, we are supposed to be the advocates. If we don’t speak out when our democracy and the rule of law is threatened, who will? Former Tory Prime Minister, Sir John Major, put it this way: “In our democracy, we are able to speak truth to power. But, if democracy is to be respected, power must also speak truth to the people.”

The crime of perjury in our courts is rightly taken very seriously – because the very foundation of our legal system depends on trust and credibility. That same principle, to my mind, should apply equally, if not more so, to our political institutions – because, if those institutions are undermined by lies and false statements, our very democracy is put at risk.

When I think of my late parents - I remember above all else their unwavering honesty. They would never have lied to or misled anyone – and I believe the overwhelming majority of people in this country hold the truth in similarly high regard. Why, then, should we expect less from those holding high office? I simply could not stand by and do nothing.”

CH: You clearly believe lawyers should speak out on controversial issues?

PS: “Yes. As officers of the Supreme Court, I believe we have an absolute duty and responsibility to speak out when the rule of law is threatened – if we don’t, who will? The situation in this country is grave right now. This government has consistently acted against people and institutions which seek to subject its actions to scrutiny & accountability.

In fact, just this week The Telegraph reported Attorney General Suella Braverman has banned lawyers from telling ministers their policies are unlawful! (www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/07/29/suella-braverma-bans-lawyers-telling-ministers-policies-unlawful)

We’ve witnessed the unlawful prorogation of Parliament, the PM rewriting the introduction to the Ministerial Code by tossing out references to the Nolan principles – remember ‘honesty’ – and a government willing to break both domestic and international law whenever it suits its own self-interests and political agenda. It has also acted to reduce the power of the courts to hold it accountable – most recently with the Bill of Rights Bill. We should all be very worried – and, as lawyers, we have an absolute duty to take whatever action we can to expose & stop it.”

CH: You seem very impassioned about these issues. What led you to where you are today?

PS: “That’s a long story. I grew up on a council estate in the 1970s – one of four siblings. We were very poor. I left school at 15 with no academic qualifications and went to work at my local Tesco. It was hard work but I met the most wonderful people and made lifelong friends. Age 17, I studied O levels by correspondence school and then worked my way through law school. You never forget your roots, or the honesty of the people you grew up with – and in many that’s the true motivation for everything I do.”

CH: What can be done if a Minister breaches the duties required of them in Parliament?

PS: “We know it’s against the Ministerial Code – the standards of conduct expected of ministers – to lie in Parliament. We also know ministers who have knowingly broken the Ministerial Code have been expected to resign. Archaic Parliamentary rules, exposed by many of my films, have proved useless. As Labour MP Dawn Butler said, the difficulty is: “the person in charge of determining whether ministers have breached the ministerial code is the chief liar, Boris Johnson himself.” (https://metro.co.uk/2021/09/13/boris-johnson-is-a-liar-and-its-time-he-was-held-to-account). This is why she tabled an Early Day Motion in the hope Parliament can wrestle ownership of the ministerial code away from the Prime Minister. To my mind – in practical terms – it’s the only way.”

CH: What are your views on the CBA days of action?

PS: “I support them wholeheartedly. The Conservative government has starved the criminal justice system to its knees and treated those working within it with contempt.”

CH: What do you do to ensure work-life balance when you're not working?

PS: “I’m still trying to get to grips with that one. Working in media seems to be a 24/7 job at the moment.”

CH: What is one thing which readers might be surprised to know about you?

PS: “I have a sax, electric guitar and drum kit – all of which I play very badly.”

CH: Where can readers watch your videos?

PS: “You can watch my films on my Twitter and Facebook pages. I have also recently launched a YouTube channel:

Twitter: @PeterStefanovi2

Facebook: www.facebook.com/PeterStefanovicJuniorDoctors

YouTube: https://youtube.com/user/peter6855

Peter Stefanovic, lawyer, vlogger and commentator, was interviewed by Chaynee Hodgetts, our features & opinion editor and barrister with Libertas Chambers: https://about.me/PeterStefanovic