British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, weakened by the scandal of the government parties during the lockdown, suffered a further setback on Wednesday, when several deputies from his party stepped forward to end his tenure in office.
(Read here: Johnson denies lying to Parliament about Downing Street party)
The loudest was Conservative MP Christian Wakeford’s decision to join the labor opposition. “You and the conservative party have shown yourself incapable of showing the leadership and government that this country deserves,” said the deputy, in a message read by another parliamentarian.
(Also: Scandals lead to a crisis in the British monarchy and government)
Labor leader, Keir Starmer, showed the new deputy on his party’s bench and accused the prime minister of “defending the indefensible.” But, after having multiplied the apologies and having been sorry on television in recent days, the conservative leader was very combative this Wednesday before the deputies.
During the session in parliament, which generated a total of five calls for his resignation, he defended his policy, attacked the opposition and also announced the elimination of part of the anticovid restrictions.
Johnson, 57 years old and in power since 2019, is in the eye of the hurricane after the revelations of the parties organized in Downing Street when the United Kingdom He lived in strict confinement.
(You may be interested in: Boris Johnson tries to recover his image after scandals)
The ‘pork pie’ plot for a confidence motion
The British press reported on Wednesday that some twenty young Conservative MPs met on Tuesday to discuss a possible confidence vote against Boris Johnson.
These politicians think they have enough votes to get him out of office, in what the press is already calling the “pork pie plot,” referring to “pork pie,” a local specialty of one of these deputies.
Last week, Johnson’s excuses before Parliament, where he acknowledged having been present at one of the parties in May 2020 stating that he thought it was a work meeting, did not calm things down.
According to the British press, Boris Johnson foresees a series of populist measures to try to stay afloat. For example, his government has said it will use the army to block migrant arrivals from the English Channel and could abolish an audiovisual fee financed by the BBC, two sensitive issues for his electorate.
To get Johnson out of the Conservative Party presidency and consequently out of Downing Street, at least 54 Conservative MPs need to send an email to the so-called “1922 committee” asking for a confidence vote.
For now, seven deputies admitted that they had already done so. According to the press there would be about 30, but the British press wonders if they will manage to reach 54.
“I think so, but it’s hard to say,” one of the MPs told the BBC. Another told the Telegraph that “the time has come” for the prime minister.
But the Financial Times estimates that there is a lot of indecision and that some deputies want to wait for the conclusions of Sue Gray, an official who must deliver a report that determines if the regulations in force were breached.
In addition to the parties during the confinement, the prime minister is also plagued by accusations of favoritism and also has to face a serious crisis in the purchasing power of the citizens. UK inflation in December reached levels not seen in the last 30 years.
AFP
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