Conservative grandees are calling for Boris Johnson to step down after a historic double defeat in the by-elections as rebel lawmakers begin planning new ways to oust him.
Former Conservative leader Michael Howard was among those who demanded the prime minister’s resignation after losses at Tiverton and Honiton and Wakefield, which prompted the immediate resignation of party co-chair Oliver Dowden.
In his scathing letter of resignation, which is widely seen as a call to others to act, Dowden told the prime minister: “We cannot continue with our usual business. Someone has to take responsibility. “
Critics of Johnson have hoped to secure a majority in the executive branch of Tory’s influential 1922 committee, hoping they can change the party’s rules to allow a new vote of confidence without waiting a year.
As the scale of the double defeats sank – both with a worse-than-expected swing against the Conservatives – a number of senior Tories added their voices to those calling for Johnson to leave. Asked if the prime minister should leave, Howard said: “Yes.
“The party and, more importantly, the country will be better under new leadership,” he added. “Cabinet members need to consider their positions very carefully. The executive branch of the 1922 Committee may need to meet and decide to change the rules so that other leadership elections can be held.
Former Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind has suggested that disgruntled ministers could work together to persuade Johnson to step down.
“I think it is in the public interest for the prime minister to seek their views. “If he doesn’t want to see their views because you might be worried about what they might tell him, then they should, at least in some numbers, get together and go see him,” he said.
Johnson spoke defensively at a news conference in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, where he attended a summit of British community leaders, refusing to acknowledge that anything about his own behavior was to blame for the disaster in the midterm elections.
“I really, really don’t think the way forward in British politics is to focus on personal issues, whether they are mine or others,” he said. “No doubt people will keep beating me, saying this or that and attacking me.
He added: “Ultimately, voters, journalists, they have no one else to complain to. I have to take this. But I also have to keep working on providing services to the people of this country, and that is exactly what I was chosen to do. ”
The prime minister is not due to return to the UK until Thursday night, after attending the G7 summit in Germany and the NATO summit in Spain.
Keir Starmer claims that the Tory party is “absolutely falling apart” after Labor won Wakefield by 12.7% – enough to secure a majority government if it is played across the country.
In Tiverton and Honiton, the majority of 24,239 Tories rejected by the Liberal Democrats was the largest ever canceled in a by-election. “Boris Johnson has deceived the British people and taken them for granted for too long,” Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said at a victory rally.
“He has lost the trust of his own party. He lost the trust of the people of Tiverton and Honiton, a place his party has occupied for more than 100 years. And he lost the country’s trust, “he added.
Andrew RT Davis, the leader of the Conservatives in Wales, also broke the ranks to criticize the prime minister for the first time, telling BBC Radio Wales: “Every day the prime minister, like any leader, has to look in the mirror and ask if they can to continue to perform their duties for their country and for the people who put them in office? “
Andrew Bridgen, one of Johnson’s most persistent Tory critics, told the Guardian that he would run for executive office in 1922 on a specific platform to change the rules to allow a new vote of confidence. More than 40 percent of Johnson lawmakers voted against him earlier this month, but another challenge is usually not allowed for a year.
Bridgen said the 1922 election could be seen as a “stalking horse” to replace the prime minister. “1922 is a vote of the party. “If the seats are filled with people who are in favor of changing the rules, a reasonable person in number 10 might think the game is over,” he said.
Former Brexit Secretary Steve Baker reiterated his call for Johnson’s cabinet to act. “With so many MPs from the back seat, I am looking for leadership from the cabinet, especially from those who seek to be noticed to ensure it,” he said.
Another senior party figure who had previously supported Johnson told the Guardian: “It won’t hurt him if he wants to look in the mirror. He has to ask himself, “Do I have a stomach for this and will I be able to do it? Am I?'”
Most of the cabinet remained silent until Friday. Chancellor Rishi Sunak wrote on Twitter: “We all take responsibility for the results and I am determined to continue working to address the cost of living.”
A Conservative party source denied allegations that cabinet members were slow to offer support such as “barrel scraping” – and that Johnson spoke with his health secretary, Sajid Javid, and others.
“He talked to Saj, [Stephen] Barclay et al. [Dominic] Raab and Priti [Patel] were in the media nine years ago, “the source said.
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