‘Humiliated’ In the aftermath of the ‘bring your own booze party’ claims, Conservatives have warned Boris Johnson’s position may be ‘utterly unsustainable.’
After being accused of attending a 40-person party in the Downing Street garden during the initial lockdown, the prime minister has spent the day on the run.
In a leaked email, his Principal Private Secretary Martin Reynolds appears to have invited 100 staff employees to the event on May 20, 2020, encouraging them to ‘enjoy the beautiful weather.’
Mr Johnson’s job is being questioned by more than just MPs, with a recent survey suggesting that 66 percent of UK citizens say it is time for him to stand aside.
Meanwhile, John Caudwell, the founder of Phones4U, a prominent Conservative supporter, has attacked the government’s ‘arrogance and hypocrisy.’
He told the BBC that the claims are ‘disastrous’ for the party and that the PM needs to’sort it out or stand down.’
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said tonight that if Mr Johnson is proven to have deceived Parliament, he should quit. This is the most substantial Conservative criticism thus far.
Mr Ross said he was ‘furious’ at Holyrood because the Tory leader has yet to deny attending the gathering.
‘I’m enraged,’ he said. That, I believe, represents how people across Scotland and the United Kingdom are currently feeling.’
‘Nothing would undercut what Sue Gray is trying to achieve, for the Prime Minister to come out and answer a very basic question,’ Mr Ross said, adding that he backed Sue Gray’s investigation into the accusations. Was he there at the gathering or not?
‘That wouldn’t jeopardize her probe or inquiry, but it would inform the public in some way.’
‘Last night, the Prime Minister had to make a statement.’ This email was made public last evening. We’ve had it all day.’
‘I believe we’ve got to wait and see what his answer is,’ Mr Ross said when asked if he felt Mr Johnson had deceived parliament.
‘However, I have no doubt that any member – whether the Prime Minister or not – who wilfully misleads parliament will be removed from office.’ They’d have to quit, as I’ve already stated.’
Nigel Mills, the Tory MP for Amber Valley in Derbyshire, has also warned that Mr Johnson may be ‘unsurvivable’ as a result of the fresh discoveries.
He told BBC News: ‘If anybody went there in any kind of senior capacity who thought they were right to attend the party while they were announcing on TV the same night the rules that you couldn’t have parties, anyone who willingly attended that can’t possibly have a position of setting Covid policy. It is utterly untenable, we have seen people resign for far less than that.
‘If the Prime Minister knowingly attended a party I can’t see how he can survive having accepted resignations for far less.
Source: latestnewssouthafrica
