LONDON (Reuters) – A Tory MP tabled a no-confidence motion in Boris Johnson on Friday and another resigned as assistant home secretary, adding to the pressure on the British Prime Minister since the scandal of the illegal parties organized in his Downing Street residence during the confinement periods linked to COVID-19.
Bob Neill, chairman of the House Justice Committee, said an official ‘partygate’ report published on Wednesday provided evidence of ‘unacceptable behaviour’ during the coronavirus crisis, adding that he did not find it credible Boris Johnson’s explanations on this subject.
“Trust is the single most important factor in politics, but these events have undermined trust not only in the PMO, but in politics itself,” Bob Neill said in a statement.
“To restore that confidence and move forward, a change in leadership is needed.”
Boris Johnson said after the report was published that he took responsibility for the matter but refused to resign.
Another Tory MP, Paul Holmes, announced earlier on Friday that he was stepping down from his government post as a private parliamentary aide to the Home Office to focus on his elective duties.
“It is clear to me that a deep distrust of the government and the Conservative Party is the result of these events… It is appalling to see that the work done on your behalf has been tarnished by the culture toxic that seems to have permeated Number 10,” Paul Holmes said in a statement.
Other Tory MPs this week called for a vote of confidence in Boris Johnson. This procedure can only be initiated if 54 parliamentarians so request.
Since these letters are confidential, only the chairman of the 1922 Committee in charge of this question in the Conservative Party knows how many he has received.
Paul Holmes told Reuters that he had not sent a letter asking for Boris Johnson’s resignation.
(Report Alistair Smout and Andrew MacAskill, French version Jean-Michel Bélot, edited by Nicolas Delame)
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