Three more Conservative MPs have publicly demanded Boris Johnson’s resignation as prime minister following the publication of an official report into COVID-19 breaches inside Downing Street, bringing the total number of Tory MPs who have done so to 19.
The widely anticipated report by senior civil servant Sue Gray, which was published on May 25, detailed events at which officials drank so much they were sick, sang karaoke, became involved in altercations, and abused security and cleaning staff at a time when millions of people across the country were unable to see friends and family.
Gray wrote that “the senior leadership at the centre” must bear responsibility for the breaches, which resulted in a total of 126 fines issued to 83 people, including Johnson, his wife Carrie, and Chancellor Rishi Sunak.
Johnson told MPs he accepts “full responsibility” for the “partygate” scandal, but stressed he didn’t knowingly mislead the House of Commons when he said COVID-19 rules had been “followed at all times” in Downing Street.
Hours after the Gray report was published, Conservative MP Julian Sturdy called for Johnson to resign.
In a statement on Twitter, Sturdy said the report “clearly shows the prime minister has presided over a widespread culture of disregard for the coronavirus regulations.”
He said he could no longer give the prime minister the benefit of the doubt and “feel it is in the public interest for him to resign.”
On May 26, two more Tory MPs—John Baron and David Simmonds—added their names to the growing discontentment towards the party leader.
Simmonds said, “It is clear that while the government and our policies enjoy the confidence of the public, the prime minister does not.”
He added: “It is time for him to step down so that new leadership can take forward the important work of the government in ensuring that our people and country prosper.”
Baron accused Johnson of misleading Parliament, and said he “no longer enjoys my support.”
The prime minister could face a leadership challenge if 54 Conservative MPs—15 percent of the parliamentary party—write to the chairman of the influential 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers, Sir Graham Brady, calling for a vote of no confidence.
While only 19 Tory MPs have so far publicly called for Johnson to step down, it does not necessarily reflect the total number of formal letters submitted to Brady, which is kept secret.
