Labor opposition leader Keir Starmer on Wednesday called for the resignation of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who admitted attending a party in Downing Street during lockdown and apologizing to MPs.
In an overheated House of Commons, the head of the Conservative government maintained that he believed the event of May 20, 2020 in the gardens of his official residence was a working meeting. At that time, in the midst of the first wave of Covid-19, only two people were allowed to be outside and many Britons were unable to say goodbye to their dying loved ones, hence the extent of the anger caused by this event to which more than 100 people would have been invited with instructions to bring a drink.
“His defense of saying he didn’t know he was at a party is so ridiculous it’s actually insulting to the British public,” Mr Starmer said at the weekly government questioning session. .
“Will he now have the decency to resign?” “, He added, accusing the conservative leader of” lying like a tooth puller “.
He will take “responsibility for the mistakes made”
Boris Johnson explained that he should have considered that if the event could “technically” be considered as being within the rules, the perception of the British, prevented from meeting their relatives, could be quite different. “I apologize from the bottom of my heart,” he said. He claimed to take “responsibility” for the “mistakes” that were made.
The Scottish separatists of the SNP and the Liberal Democrats have also called for his departure.
Faced with a series of revelations at the end of last year on parties organized in circles of power in defiance of health rules to fight against the coronavirus in 2020, Boris Johnson has seen the accusations tighten in recent days.
In addition to the holidays, his reputation has been tarnished by suspicion of lying about the financing of the luxurious renovation of his company apartment, the awarding of contracts between friends during the pandemic or even accusations of favoritism.
If he continues to refuse to leave, a vote of no confidence within the party, requiring 54 letters to be triggered, would be enough to overthrow him. Unlikely in the immediate future, this option is however no longer taboo among the conservatives, reluctant to bother with leaders in turmoil and who could prefer the Minister of Finance Rishi Sunak or the head of diplomacy Liz Truss.