Things are bubbling behind the scenes, and more and more Tories seem to be sawing Boris Johnson’s chair. But the head of government is not yet defeated.
If Prime Minister Boris Johnson (centre) lied in Parliament, this would be grounds for resignation, Justice Minister Dominic Raab (left) said.
(dpa)
In the face of an impending revolt in his party, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson launched a counterattack in an emotional parliamentary debate. On Wednesday, the head of government was demonstratively unimpressed by new attacks by the opposition in the “Partygate” affair about lockdown celebrations at the seat of government.
However, tough winds are still blowing against Johnson. Conservative MP Christian Wakeford called Johnson’s behavior in the scandal “disgraceful” and switched to the opposition Labor Party. According to various media reports, numerous other Tories are calling for a vote of no confidence in the prime minister. Former Brexit Minister David Davis openly called on his party colleague Johnson to resign in a remarkable statement in Parliament.
Critical threshold reached soon?
Commentators no longer rule out that the threshold needed for a vote of no confidence in Johnson will soon be reached. There would be an internal party vote if 15 percent of the now 359 Conservative MPs spoke out against him. In a secret ballot, the prime minister would then have to get at least 50 percent of the members on his side to survive the vote. Johnson’s reputation has been badly damaged.
If the prime minister had recently shown himself to be remorseful and apologized for the impression that corona rules had been broken on Downing Street, Johnson was now particularly combative. The 57-year-old announced in the House of Commons that the Corona rules, which had been reintroduced shortly before Christmas due to the spread of the omicron variant in England, would expire on January 26.
This means that there will no longer be any government regulations for masks to be worn in shops and on local public transport or for vaccination certificates for attending major events.
Conservative hardliners had been calling for this step for a long time. The end of the corona measures is therefore considered central to Johnson’s plan to appease his party, christened “Operation Red Meat” – “raw meat” that is thrown to critical MPs. This also includes projects such as an end to the BBC subscription payments and the use of the military against migrants in the English Channel.
“His time is up”
In the turbulent House of Commons debate, Johnson sharply attacked the opposition. Had Labor leader Keir Starmer had his way, the country would still be in lockdown, he claimed. But thanks to his politics, the country got through the pandemic well.
However, many Tory rebels do not seem to be dissuaded from their plan. “His time is up,” Telegraph reporter Christopher Hope quoted a member of parliament as saying. “I think we’ve done it,” another rebellious Tory told well-connected BBC reporter Laura Kuenssberg. It is unclear how many letters of no confidence were actually received.
EXC As many as 20 Tory MPs from the 2019 intake are planning to submit letters of no confidence in Boris Johnson tomorrow.
The number could breach the 54 letters required for a confidence vote. One 2019 Tory MP told me it could be the PM’s “D-Day”, adding: “His time has gone.”— Christopher Hope? (@christopherhope) January 18, 2022
The fact that many MPs speak out against Johnson, who only got into parliament because of the brilliant Tory election victory in 2019, causes a stir. They met at Alicia Kearns’ office on Tuesday.
Because their constituency around Melton Mowbray is known for pork pies, the media are talking about a “pork pie coup”. Johnson’s allies accused the young parliamentarians – the alleged rebels have an average age of 34 – of ingratitude. ‘You were only elected because of him. Most of them are fucking nobody,” the Times quoted a cabinet member as saying.
Johnson had denied allegations by his ex-adviser Dominic Cummings on Tuesday that he lied about the “Partygate” affair. No one drew his attention to the fact that an event in May 2020 in the garden of his office could violate the current Corona requirements, he asserted. The Guardian newspaper called the interview, in which Johnson seemed exhausted and repeatedly struggled for words, “devastating”.
Even members of the government are no longer unreservedly behind Johnson. Secretary of State James Heappey told Times Radio that he believed the protestations. “But I know that this is not enough for many of my voters,” said Heappey.
What could save the prime minister is that there is no clear challenger. Foreign Minister Liz Truss, who had publicly assured Johnson of her full support, and Finance Minister Rishi Sunak are considered possible successors. The Chancellor of the Exchequer now sat next to Johnson in Parliament after he went into hiding. Apparently no top politician wants to come out of cover at the moment.
PM waits
Johnson also rejected immediate consequences from the “Partygate” scandal on Wednesday, but still did not explicitly rule out resignation. He is awaiting the report of an internal investigation, which will appear next week. Again he dodged specific questions about the course of lockdown parties at the seat of government.
There were also new allegations on Wednesday. The Times reported that Johnson ignored warnings from employees in March 2020 and only self-isolated after days with a violent cough. “He said he was strong as a bull and hit his chest,” the newspaper quoted a source as saying.
At the time, Johnson was seriously ill with Covid-19, and doctors fought for his life in the intensive care unit for days. “Number 10” said Johnson had complied with all regulations.