By Ben Kerrigan-
The former cabinet minister Dame Andrea Leadsom has openly blamed Boris Johnson for “unacceptable failings of leadership” over the partygate scandal, as she called for appropriate action to restore confidence in the British government.
Dame Andrea sent a letter to her South Northamptonshire constituents on Monday, in which she said that after careful study of the Sue Gray report into the partygate scandal “it is painfully clear to me that given the extent and severity of rule-breaking taking place over a 20-month period, it is extremely unlikely that senior leaders were unaware of what was going on”.
AD: Capeesh Restaurant
The senior Brexiteer, who supported Mr Johnson in his leadership campaign, said: “I, therefore, agree with Sue Gray’s conclusions that there have been significant failures of leadership, both political and official, in No 10 and the Cabinet Office.”The conclusion I have drawn from the Sue Gray report is that there have been unacceptable failings of leadership that cannot be tolerated and are the responsibility of the prime minister.
She called for all Conservative MPs to decide the way forward, saying they ” must now decide on what is the right course of action that will restore confidence in our government”.
Sir Bob Neill, the chair of the justice select committee, and the MP for Bromley and Chislehurst, said: “I’m surprised frankly that some senior civil servants in Downing Street are still in post after what was found, but ultimately the political leadership, I’m afraid, stops with the prime minister and the accountability to the public stops with the prime minister.”
AD: Oysterian Sea Food Restaurant And Bar
He said there was a “very strong feeling of a loss of faith, a loss of trust in the government”, adding: “I think that then feeds through into a sense that the government is unable to move on from this, a sense that there is a degree of drift. Although we’ve done some good things, many worthwhile things, we’re not actually getting a grip of the agenda going forward.”
He added: “T that requires, I think, a fresh momentum and it requires real drive and I don’t think that the situation that unfortunately has happened in No 10 leaves the prime minister able to take that initiative.”
Boris Johnson has been under extra pressure over partygate, following reports of another party not featured in Sue Gray’s report. His wife Carrie is said to have sent messages describing another gathering on 19 June 2020.
The prime minister’s wife, may now be called in to give evidence to an MP-led inquiry, following reports that she organized a party on 19 June 2020, when this was illegal.
According to The Sunday Times, messages she sent that day “appear to show that she was in the flat with several friends on the evening of her husband’s 56th birthday”.
“They also suggest that the prime minister went up to the flat, at a time when events or two or more people indoors were banned except for work purposes.”
The prime minister has said he will not resign and urged the country to move on from partygate.
But the fall out from partygate is not going away easily, as Mps continue to queue up handing letters of no confidence to the 1922 Parliamentary Committee, in their hope yo force a vote of no confidence in the prime minister.
Boris Johnson’s allies have stated that the prime minister has enough support in the Commons to fend off fierce opposition against his leadership. How strong that support stays is a matter for time to tell.
AD: Heritage And Restaurant Lounge Bar