Former Attorney General Jeremy Wright has become the latest Conservative MP to call for Boris Johnson to resign, saying his continued presence at 10 Downing Street was a hindrance to the process of “restoring confidence” in the government.
The call from the former cabinet minister came as a backbench MP elected for the first time in 2019 revealed that he had submitted a letter of no confidence in the prime minister.
Carlton and Wallington MP Elliot Colburn told a constituent that he had submitted a letter to the chairman of the 1922 committee, Sir Graham Brady, “sometime before” and that the Sue Gray Report had nothing to persuade him to withdraw it. saw. At least 20 MPs have submitted letters so far and if that figure reaches 54, Sir Graham should convene a leadership contest.
Mr Colburn’s suburban south London seat is a top “blue wall” target for the Liberal Democrats, who since 1997 snatched the constituency from only 629 votes in the last election, making it one of the most marginalized in the country.
Meanwhile, another Tory MP called on Mr Johnson to put himself forward for a trust vote to allow the party to move on from the PartyGate scandal.
Nikki Aiken, MP for the cities of London and Westminster, said she was “incredible and appalled” by the details of the lockdown-violating parties at 10 Downing Street that were uncovered in the Gray Report.
“If I had been in that position, I would have put myself before the Conservative Parliamentary Party for a vote of confidence,” she said in a letter to constituents. Ms Aiken, a former Westminster City Council leader, saw Labor’s authority decline earlier this month and only had a majority of 3,953 in her central London constituency.
In a statement on his website, Mr Wright said he would hinder the process of “restoring confidence in good government” if Mr Johnson remains at 10 Downing Street.
And he added: “I am sorry that for the good of this and future governments, the prime minister should resign.”
Mr Wright is the latest of at least 25 Tory lawmakers to ask Mr Johnson to step down, many of whom came forward in the wake of last week’s Sue Gray report on the Partygate scandal, which found a “leadership failure” at No. Went.
The MP for Kenilworth and Southam said he had not issued a £50 fixed fine notice to the PM at a birthday party at number 10 with evidence that he misled the House of Commons when he claimed that Downing Street had violated COVID lockdown rules. was brought up.
But he added: “In my view there is clear evidence that he has been negligent.
“I believe that he should have done more to satisfy himself that the assurances he had been given, and that he was giving to Parliament in return, were in fact correct.”
And he said the “regular disregard” within 10 Downing Street for COVID rules is “at best a casual and at worst a contemptuous approach to sacrifices and strict adherence to both the spirit and letter of those rules.” felt distress for the people who followed”. ,
Damn, he added: “I find it impossible to accept that the prime minister does not take some personal responsibility for that tone.”
Mr Wright – who served as attorney general in David Cameron’s administration and culture secretary under Theresa May but was sacked by Mr Johnson when he took office in 2019 – said the exhortation by Ms Gray The incidents have not caused real and permanent damage to reputation. Not just for this government but for the institutions and authority of the government more generally”.
There is evidence that people in Downing Street have failed to comply with rules imposed on other Britons, making it “less likely” that the public will follow government-issued instructions again in a future emergency, he warned.
“Many will say that if senior government officials don’t follow the rules, why should I?” They said.
“That right is of utmost importance to the essence of government authority and to the effectiveness of government policy, and I cannot see that an escalation or pardon of civil servants, however heartfelt, will be successful in doing so.
“Something more is needed to restore confidence in accountability and good government, both to protect future public compliance with government directives and to allow the current government to deliver on the important legislation it has introduced.” for, including significant changes to social care funding, energy security and online regulation.
“It seems to me now that continuing in the position of Prime Minister will hinder those very important objectives. Therefore, I conclude with regret that, for the good of this and future governments, the Prime Minister should resign.
