Comes the day when that lying, arrogant, ignorant bastard must resign as Prime Minister !!! PM’s leadership under fresh pressure as ethics chief questions partygate response Richard Wheeler and Gavin Cordon, PA Political Staff 1 June 2022, 0:38 am Boris Johnson has faced criticism from his ethics adviser over his handling of the partygate scandal, as the prospect of a leadership challenge moved closer. After another bruising day for the Prime Minister as more Tory MPs called for him to resign, Lord Geidt suggested that Mr Johnson’s fixed penalty notice (FPN) may have breached the Ministerial Code. He said a “legitimate question” had arisen as to whether the FPN, issued for a June 2020 birthday party thrown in Mr Johnson’s honour in the Cabinet Room, might have constituted a breach of the “overarching duty within the Ministerial Code of complying with the law”. Lord Geidt, the independent adviser on the Ministerial Code, also questioned the Prime Minister’s willingness to “take responsibility for his own conduct” in relation to the ministerial rules and delivered a withering assessment of exchanges with Downing Street officials. This included Lord Geidt advising them that Mr Johnson should be “ready to offer public comment” on his obligations under the code, noting this had “not been heeded”. Mr Johnson, in a letter released on Tuesday evening, responded by claiming the FPN “did not breach” the Ministerial Code as there was “no intent to break the law”. He also insisted he had taken “full responsibility for everything that took place on my watch” in light of lockdown-busting gatherings in Downing Street and pointed to his House of Commons apology. Amid suggestions Lord Geidt was considering his position over the handling of the issue, the Cabinet Office pushed back and insisted he is not quitting. But Lord Geidt appeared to hint about the prospect when, in his annual report, he noted he had attempted to avoid offering advice to Mr Johnson about his obligations under his own Ministerial Code. He added: “If a Prime Minister’s judgment is that there is nothing to investigate or no case to answer, he would be bound to reject any such advice, thus forcing the resignation of the independent adviser. “Such a circular process could only risk placing the Ministerial Code in a place of ridicule.” The exchanges were made public after more Tory MPs publicly called for Mr Johnson to quit in the wake of Sue Gray’s report on lockdown parties Downing Street. There is a growing belief at Westminster that it is only a matter of time before the 54 letters from Conservative MPs needed to trigger a confidence vote are reached. Former Tory leader William Hague said the Prime Minister was in “real trouble” while another ex-leader, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, appealed to colleagues to halt their plotting until celebrations for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee are over. Former cabinet minister Dame Andrea Leadsom became the latest senior figure to publicly criticise Mr Johnson, saying Ms Gray’s report had exposed “unacceptable failings of leadership that cannot be tolerated and are the responsibility of the Prime Minister”. In a letter to her constituents shared on social media, she stopped short of calling for him to go but said she and other Tory MPs “must now decide individually on what is the right course of action that will restore confidence in our Government”. Meanwhile, Carlisle MP John Stevenson became the latest Tory backbencher to announce publicly that he has submitted a letter to the chairman of the 1922 Committee Sir Graham Brady calling for a vote of no confidence. Baroness Davidson of Lundin Links, a former leader of the Scottish Tories, predicted there could be more letters submitted in the coming days. She said MPs will have constituents raising their feelings during recess, telling Piers Morgan Uncensored on TalkTV: “I think that the trickle that you’ve seen in the last couple of days is part of that and we may see a few more.” But Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries struck a bullish tone about Mr Johnson’s prospects, telling Sky News: “180 MPs are what would be needed to secure a vote of no confidence in the Prime Minister, that is never going to happen.” Since the end of last week a steady stream of MPs – having had a chance to study Ms Gray’s findings in detail and consult with their constituents – have come forward calling on Mr Johnson to quit. Under party rules, the chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee is required to call a vote of confidence in Mr Johnson’s leadership if 54 Tory MPs – 15% of the parliamentary party – submit a letter calling for one. So far, more than 25 MPs have publicly called on the Prime Minister to stand down – although not all of them have said whether they have written to Sir Graham. However, it is also widely believed in Westminster that a number of others have put in letters without declaring their intentions amid speculation the tally is approaching the total needed to trigger a vote.
Some people here are celebrating mrs windsor sitting on the throne for 70 years (that's some Dysentery she has suffered !!!) but when we finally get rid of Boris, the whole country will host a wild party !!!
We could be holding parties later this week, particularly if the by-election in Wakefield goes against the scumbag 'nasty sleaze party'
We could be holding parties next weekend too. PM faces prospect of no-confidence vote as poll signals Tory Wakefield defeat Patrick Daly 5 June 2022, 0:30 amBoris Johnson could reportedly face a crunch vote on his premiership as new polling predicted the Conservatives risk being pummelled in a key electoral contest. A survey of voters in Wakefield, who will go to the polls on June 23 to elect a new MP, has suggested the Tories could lose the by-election by as much as 20 points in an indication the revelations about Downing Street lockdown-busting gatherings have hit the party’s popularity in a battleground seat. The Prime Minister secured his landslide 2019 majority off the back of scalps in the so-called Red Wall, with traditional Labour-supporting areas in the North of England, the Midlands and Wales switching their support to the Tories. But the Wakefield constituency polling by JL Partners and reported in The Sunday Times is likely to make for anxious reading for Tory campaigners, with the company putting Labour on 48 points compared with 28 points for Mr Johnson’s outfit – a 19 point slip on the winning Tory performance two-and-a-half years ago. The poll findings come amid reports the threshold for a no-confidence vote might have been reached, with suggestions a leadership test could be coming as soon as Wednesday. James Johnson, co-founder of JL Partners and a former Downing Street pollster during Theresa May’s tenure, said the so-called partygate saga looked to have damaged the Tory reputation among Red Wall voters. The polling expert said the top reason swing voters in the West Yorkshire seat – who are voting for a candidate to succeed former Tory incumbent Imran Ahmad Khan after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting a boy – gave for preferring Labour was because “Boris Johnson tried to cover up partygate, and lied to the public”. According to the company, 60% of those interviewed for the survey taken online between May 13-22 had a negative opinion of the Prime Minister. James Johnson tweeted: “The main hesitations about voting Conservative: trust, Boris, and a sense the Tories are out of touch and only care about the rich. “All signs are that partygate has crystallised historic concerns about the Tories and turned the people of Wakefield decidedly against them.” Boris Johnson is the most unpopular party leader in Wakefield, with a net rating of -37. 23% have a positive view of him, 60% negative. Keir Starmer has a rating of -28 (21% positive, 49% negative). (5/10) — James Johnson (@jamesjohnson252) June 4, 2022 The survey could pile more pressure on the PM, who faces a second test in the Tiverton and Honiton by-election on the same day as Wakefield, in the wake of the party revelations. Last month, an investigation published by senior civil servant Sue Gray laid bare the details of a host of Covid rule-breaching gatherings held in No 10 and Whitehall. The inquiry found that raucous parties had taken place, with staff throwing up, getting into altercations and being rude to security staff. The Prime Minister was found to have attended a number of leaving dos for aides, giving speeches and joining in the drinking of alcohol, despite him at the same time telling the public not to see sick and dying loved ones in a bid to stop the spread of the virus. The publication of Ms Gray’s findings have accelerated calls for Mr Johnson to resign, with almost 30 Tory MPs having called for him to quit and more publicly voicing criticisms. Under Conservative Party rules, if 54 letters of no confidence in his premiership are submitted to Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tories, then a leadership vote will be held. The Sunday Times said it had been told as many as 67 letters had gone in which, if correct, would mean the threshold has been reached. The rebels would need 180 voters to remove the Prime Minister from power during the secret poll, otherwise affording him, by the current rules, a year’s stay of execution before another bid to oust him can be held. A vote this week on his future as Britain’s Prime Minister would cap a bruising few days for Mr Johnson, who on Friday was booed upon his arrival, alongside his wife Carrie, for a service at St Paul’s Cathedral to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Queen’s reign. Comedian Lee Mack also made a joke about partygate at the Platinum Party at the Palace concert on Saturday evening, with the Prime Minister watching on from the royal box at the time. Shadow culture secretary Lucy Powell, writing in The Observer, said the decision to jeer Mr Johnson was a reflection that he does not uphold the British values of diplomacy, rule of law, decency and integrity. “The Prime Minister has repeatedly shown he is unable to uphold those values, and the reaction of the public at St Paul’s showed they know it too,” she said. Mr Johnson will reportedly look to appease his critics this week by announcing right-wing and Thatcherite friendly policies, including extending the right to buy scheme and publishing domestic legislation designed to override elements of the Northern Ireland Protocol which are causing friction for the Union. It is feared acting unilaterally on the protocol could spark a trade war with Brussels. The Foreign Office said only that the Brexit treaty-related Bill would be announced in due course, while No 10 said no date had been set for an announcement on possibly giving more renters the ability to buy the homes they rent from housing associations.
