Damaged Boris Johnson is dragging the party down, Tory MPs fear
British PM Boris Johnson will make it more difficult for the Tories to win the next election after the Partygate scandal, a Conservative MP has said.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will make it more difficult for the Tories to win the next election after the Partygate scandal, a Conservative MP has said.
Robert Syms said the party had no direction under Mr Johnson. A total of 24 Tory MPs have called for Mr Johnson to quit and 11 have criticised him in public amid mounting disquiet in the party.
Sir Robert told The Times he would take “a lot of persuading” to back Mr Johnson if it came to a confidence vote. He is still considering whether to submit a letter demanding a vote to Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tories, and was concerned by the government’s 21bn “big bazooka” cost-of-living package, funded in part by a windfall tax.
“We can beat the Labour Party,” he said. “But it’s more difficult if Boris is there because he’s been damaged. He was given the benefit of the doubt at the last election. Some people feel let down. I’m sure Boris can recover some ground but the headwinds are quite strong.
“I don’t like windfall taxes. I don’t like throwing money at problems. If we’re going to beat the Labour Party we have to know where we’re going.”
Another Tory MP said a letter would be submitted if the Conservatives lost the by-elections at Wakefield and Tiverton & Honiton. The MP said the party was close to the “trigger point” of 54 letters needed for a confidence vote. “(Mr Johnson) doesn’t seem to have an idea of what he’s doing or who he is or what we are,” the MP said. “The domestic stuff has no direction.”
The concerns among MPs have been exacerbated by claims at the weekend that Downing Street figures lobbied Sue Gray, the senior civil servant who conducted a probe into Partygate, to dilute her report on the scandal.
On Sunday night, Labour called for Mr Johnson to account for his whereabouts on the night of his 56th birthday following reports that he may have attended a second gathering that day. He was found in breach of Covid regulations and fined by police over another gathering.
The Times
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