Thursday, March 28

More and More Party Members Call for Prime Minister Johnson to Leave

More and more party members of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson are calling for his departure. British media report that a vote of confidence in the Conservative Party is getting closer as a result of the scandal surrounding government employees’ parties during the lockdowns, also known as the partygate.

 

The Conservative Party will hold a vote if at least 15 percent of its members in the lower house of parliament indicate by letter that they no longer support Johnson. That equates to 54 letters. These should be sent to the so-called 1922 Committee. Only chairman Graham Brady knows how many letters there are.

Several party members have publicly announced in recent months that they have written to the chairman. A total of 40 Conservative MPs have questioned Johnson’s position, 13 more than a week ago, according to British broadcaster Sky News. Of that group, 27 want their party leader to resign immediately.

Several parliamentarians think that there are already 54 letters or that it will not be long before that, writes The Guardian. Brady may not immediately announce a vote on Johnson’s political future after receiving the latest letter, according to the British newspaper. Parliament is in recess this week.

Any confidence vote will be held as soon as possible. The last such vote was held in 2018, against then Prime Minister and party leader Theresa May. Although she survived the vote, she resigned more than six months later because there was insufficient support for her Brexit deal. The politician was succeeded by Johnson after elections within the Conservative Party.

Partygate came to light through British media late last year. After widespread public outcry over the scandal, the police launched an investigation resulting in 126 corona fines, including one for Johnson. Top government official Sue Gray investigated at Johnson’s request. She presented her critical findings in January, but only shared her final report last week after the police investigation was completed.

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