Skip to main content

Growing numbers of senior Tories call on Johnson to resign

Labour calls on the entire cabinet to come clean over lockdown parties

A GROWING number of senior Tories are calling on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to resign over the “partygate” scandal engulfing the government.

Mr Johnson is under mounting pressure to quit after he admitted to attending the “bring your own booze” party in the garden at No 10 Downing Street on May 20 2020.

Cabinet members, including Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab, rallied around Mr Johnson yesterday, but other senior Tories called on him to step down.

Caroline Nokes, a former home office minister, said that Mr Johnson should resign as he was “damaging the entire Conservative brand.”

Tory MP Sir Roger Gale and public affairs and constitutional affairs committee chairman William Wragg also said that Mr Johnson should go.

Scottish Tory leader and MP Douglas Ross receiv ed the support of almost all Conservative MSPs after he urged the Prime Minister to quit.

Yet Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg laid bare the divisions in the Tory Party when he dismissed Mr Ross as “quite a lightweight figure.”

Mr Ross has written to the 1922 Committee, responsible for Tory leadership contests, to say that he has no confidence in the Prime Minister.

A vote of no confidence can be triggered if 15 per cent of Tory MPs, currently 54 or more, write to the committee.

Mr Johnson received only lukewarm support from Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who tweeted eight hours after the PM’s apology that he was “right to apologise.”

However, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman insisted that the Cabinet fully supported Mr Johnson.

Cabinet minister Brandon Lewis came to Mr Johnson’s defence and urged people to wait for the outcome of Susan Gray’s inquiry before making judgements on the Prime Minister’s future.

Labour wrote to the entire Cabinet yesterday calling on ministers to come clean about whether they attended any of the lockdown-busting events in Downing Street.

Deputy party leader Angela Rayner said: “The Prime Minister has admitted he attended one of the many alleged parties during lockdown, but the public deserves to know the full facts.

“Bereaved families, our key workers and all those that diligently followed the rules have been insulted enough by the Prime Minister’s lack of truthfulness and the constant stream of revelations about his conduct.”

OWNED BY OUR READERS

We're a reader-owned co-operative, which means you can become part of the paper too by buying shares in the People’s Press Printing Society.

 

 

Become a supporter

Fighting fund

You've Raised:£ 13,288
We need:£ 4,712
3 Days remaining
Donate today