By Tony O’Reily-
Senior Tory MP Sir Bob Neill has submitted a letter of no confidence in Boris Johnson’s leadership as the number of Conservatives calling for the prime minister to go ramps up after the Sue Gray report.
Sir Bob, who chairs the Justice Select Committee, said Ms Gray’s report into lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street had “highlighted a pattern of wholly unacceptable behaviour” by some working in Number 10.
AD: Capeesh Restaurant
“I have listened carefully to the explanations the prime minister has given, in parliament and elsewhere, and regrettably, do not find his assertions, either that no rules were broken or that he was unaware of the breaches, to be credible. I cannot accept that he was not aware of much of what was going on,” the former lawyer wrote on Friday afternoon.
“That is why, with a heavy heart, I submitted a letter of no confidence to Sir Graham Brady on Wednesday afternoon.”
He wrote in the Telegraph that for the Conservatives to win the next general election, “it requires a change of leader” as he highlighted how his safe Tory seat of Bromley lost seats in May’s council elections because people “could not support us under Boris’s leadership”.
AD: Oysterian Sea Food Restaurant And Bar
Sir Bob added that he has always got on well with Mr Johnson, campaigned for him to become mayor of London “where he did a brilliant job” and said he has done well with the COVID vaccine roll-out and over Ukraine.
“I have no personal animosity towards him, but I have come to the conclusion that he should now stand down,” he said.
The revelations in partygate was embarrassing for the government, already leading to conclusions by some that ministers were too exhausted with work pressure to abide by rules they may not fully have believe in. The Uk government was under pressure from numerous countries, including France, to implement lockdowns in Britain after Boris Johnson had initially proposed herd immunity.
A number of observing critics believe the extent of lockdown breaches suggests all those who attended those parties did not believe the lockdown was warranted. Not many would identify with those conclusions openly. Many observers share that view, but some psychologists believe law breakers may simply have held the view that most normal people would survive Covid-19, but may have felt compelled to approve lockdowns .
The only other view is that law breakers at partygate felt immune to to the virus, and concluded their duty to establish the rules, but necessarily live by the same rules. The pressure ministers are on is a factor considered, but the hypocrisy still apparent.
There will need to be 54 submissions before a vote of no confidence in the prime minister is triggered. Approximately 22 MPs have handed in no confidence letters against Mr. Johnson , but the prime minister has a heavy support base in the Commons , likely to see him through the rough ride.
Johnson’s supporters say the prime minister is playing a positive role of leadership in many parts of the country, and playing a positive role in Ukraine.
Boris Johnson has withstood a number of storms since he came into office, and came in with the largest majority of a prime minister .
He won the elections in the Conservative Party with a landslide majority of 80 seats- his party’s highest percentage for any party since 1979.
AD: Heritage And Restaurant Lounge Bar