The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Tory MPS split on fate of Johnson over ‘partygate’
Divisions in the Conservative Party over the “partygate” scandal and Boris Johnson’s future as leader are bursting into the open, with some taking up the cudgels for the prime minister and others claiming his position is now untenable.
A fully fledged civil war seems to have erupted in the Tory party, as anger over a series of leaks about alleged lockdown parties in Number 10 are engulfing Mr Johnson’s premiership.
Six Conservative MPS have called for the prime minister to quit so far, arguing that a change of senior officials would not reverse the “terminal damage” done to Mr Johnson by the allegations.
Former children’s minister Tim Loughton, in a post published on Facebook on Saturday, said: “It is not down to a simple government policy change or a sacking of ministers or officials to put things right.
“In this case all roads lead back to Downing Street and the person whose name is on the front door.”
Senior Tory Tobias Ellwood said the prime minister must “lead or step aside”, telling the BBC: “We need leadership.”
Backbencher Andrew Bridgen echoed Mr Ellwood as he argued Mr Johnson “has lost the moral authority to lead the country”.
The North West Leicestershire MP confirmed he submitted a letter of no confidence in Mr Johnson’s leadership “some time ago”.
For a leadership contest to be triggered, 54 letters of no confidence in the prime minister have to be submitted by Tory MPS to Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 Committee, asking for a vote on the Conservative leader’s future.
Sir Graham does not publicly state how many letters he has received, but reports suggest about 20 might have been handed in.
While strong words about Mr Johnson have undoubtedly been said by his own faction, many Tories have come out to promptly and passionately defend him.
Veteran Tory MP Peter Bone told LBC he had found constituents in his Wellingborough seat were “clearly in support of the prime minister”, while former trade secretary Dr Liam Fox – who was sacked by Mr Johnson – said it was the “wrong time” for a change of leader.
Meanwhile, Treasury Chief Secretary Simon Clarke also came to the defence of Downing Street.
The Conservative MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland said: “There is no question in my mind that the team in Downing Street, who are obviously not just senior politicians but also some of the most dedicated and professional civil servants that you will find, are working there in the national interest.
“There is no question that mistakes have been made and that is deeply regrettable, and obviously we are all, as I say, both frustrated and upset by what has happened. But it should not be allowed to morph into a situation where we tarnish people who are doing their very best in incredibly difficult circumstances to deliver for this country.”
A handful of MPS are still sitting on the fence about “partygate”.
While Conservative former leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith was heavily critical of the No 10 regime, he told Sky News’ Trevor Phillips On Sunday programme that Cabinet Office official Sue Gray’s report would settle the question of the prime minister’s “authority and about his decision-making.
Similar sentiment was put forward by Conservative MP James Wild (North West Norfolk), who said that Mr Johnson’s apology for the No 10 lockdown parties should have come sooner.
But he added: “I haven’t called for him to resign. I’m not calling for him to resign at this stage and wait to see what comes out in this report and then people can take their judgment.”
All roads lead back to Downing Street and the person whose name is on the front door
Douglas Ross has been urged to sever ties with the UK Conservative Party if Boris Johnson ignores his calls to resign over a series of lockdown-busting parties at No 10.
Former Tory MSP Adam Tomkins called on Mr Ross and his colleagues at Holyrood to consider “what kind of association – if any” they want to have with a party led by Mr Johnson following the revelations.
The prime minister is reportedly preparing a policy announcement blitz and a cull of his own top team as he looks to survive the publication of senior civil servant Sue Gray’s report into the so-called partygate scandal.
It comes as former children’s minister Tim Loughton became the sixth Conservative MP to call for Mr Johnson to quit, saying his resignation “is the only way to bring this whole unfortunate episode to an end”.
Scottish Conservative leader Mr Ross called for the prime minister to go on Wednesday after he admitted attending a boozy Downing Street party in May 2020 when the rest of the country was in lockdown. No 10 was then forced to apologise to Buckingham Palace on Friday after it emerged two staff parties were held on the eve of the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral.
The parties have been added to a growing list of events in government buildings currently being investigated by Ms Gray.
Mr Ross’s Conservative colleagues at Holyrood publicly backed his call for Mr Johnson to quit but the prime minister appears determined to cling on.
That could lead to an extraordinary situation where Mr Ross is forced to head into May’s council elections asking voters to back a party led by a man he believes is unfit to be prime minister. Speaking on the Sunday Show, former MSP Adam Tomkins said the Scottish Conservatives should consider operating independently of the Westminster party.
Mr Tomkins has long called for the Scottish Tories to be separate from their UK counterparts, and argued the latest revelations further illustrate the need to break away.
“If you are the leader of the Scottish Conservative Party and you call in public for the resignation of the leader of the UK Conservative Party, and that resignation does not come, then you’ve got a choice to make,” he said.
Mr Tomkins argued that it follows from the actions and statements of Mr Ross that if the prime minister refuses to quit, the group at Holyrood “have to think really hard about what kind of relationship, what kind of association – if any – they want to continue to have with a UK Conservative Party that is led by Boris Johnson.”
SNP MP Drew Hendry said it is “clear” Boris Johnson and Mr Ross “can’t both remain in post with any credibility”.
“The situation is ludicrous and completely unsustainable,” he said.
Mr Johnson also faced possibly his strongest criticism yet from Sir Keir Starmer, as the Labour leader accused him of breaking the law and then repeatedly lying about it.
Sir Keir claimed the facts “speak for themselves and the country has made up its mind”, adding it is “blindingly obvious what’s happened.”
Meanwhile, Conservative Party chairman Oliver Dowden admitted that there were “failings” in No 10 but denied it is a resigning matter for Boris Johnson.