Boris Johnson’s premiership appears to be hanging ahead of the May 5th local election, with several ominous clouds of alleged bad news hovering over the prime minister amid the ongoing scandal surrounding the party.
Sue Gray’s notorious report on the Downing Street blockade appears to be the biggest threat to Mr Johnson so far, with a senior official familiar with its contents saying he could “interrupt” the prime minister, according to the Times.
But Ms. Gray, the senior civil servant tasked with conducting an initial internal investigation into Downing Street parties, will not publish her full report until metropolitan police have completed their investigation – by then Mr Johnson could have received more fines for the parties. .
Another investigation will begin as soon as Ms. Gray’s report is published, this time to see if Mr Johnson has disrespected Parliament by misleading lawmakers by claiming last year that Covid’s laws have always been followed. in government.
And the threat of a no-confidence vote from the backs of the Tories will make Mr Johnson look over his shoulder in the coming weeks.
The conspirators may be just eight MPs to provoke a vote of no confidence in the prime minister, with reports claiming that 46 Tories now want Johnson removed.
If the Conservative Party does not perform well in the upcoming local elections on May 5th, more Tories are likely to join the no-confidence vote.
What does the prime minister expect?
In an interim report published before police launched their own investigation, Ms. Gray said Downing Street’s behavior during the pandemic showed that number 10 had “leadership and judgment gaps.”
She condemned Downing Street’s “serious failure” to meet coronavirus standards and said “several” gatherings should not have been allowed.
But her full report is said to be much more damaging to the prime minister.
According to the Times, an official familiar with the report said: “Sue’s report is desperate. This will make things incredibly difficult for the prime minister.
“There is a lot of pressure on her – her report may be enough to end it.”
Mr Johnson received a fine from police for violating Covid rules, but he is being investigated for attending a total of six rallies, which means he could face five more fines.
He paid his £ 50 fine for attending his 56th birthday party in June 2020 – as did his wife Carrie and Chancellor Rishi Sunak – but his fixedgate party fine could be in the thousands. if he is fined for all the meetings he has attended.
Some No. 10 employees were fined last week for attending a party at Garden No. 10 in the midst of the first blockade – Mr Johnson is known to have been present but has not been fined so far.
He is believed to be the first prime minister to break the law during his term as prime minister, but he says he did not know at the time that he was breaking the laws he had recently set.
The police investigation is believed to have many weeks before it ends, with ITV News political editor Robert Peston learning that officers still need to investigate some of the events in question.
A third investigation into the prime minister’s behavior will begin as soon as the other two are over and the findings are revealed.
Last week, lawmakers agreed that Mr Johnson should be investigated to see if he lied to parliament, claiming he had always followed coronavirus rules during the pandemic.
Critics of the prime minister say police fines prove he misled parliament and have instructed the municipal privileges committee to investigate.
The Commission will investigate several allegations made by Mr Johnson to the Municipality between 1 and 8 December 2021, which include the scandalous quote: “the guidelines were followed and the rules were followed all the time”.
The commission has the power to collect reports and documents, which means that MPs can request a full version of the investigation of senior civil servant Ms. Gray for blocking violations, as well as photographic evidence.
Mr Johnson could be expelled or removed from parliament if the committee decides he has committed disrespect by misleading lawmakers.
Tory MPs are able to remove their leader through a no-confidence vote, which will be triggered if 15% of the party – 54 MPs – submit letters to the 1922 Committee stating that the Prime Minister no longer enjoys their support. .
Reports claim that up to 46 Tories may have sent letters, but this cannot be confirmed, as commission chairman Sir Graham Brady is obliged to keep the figure secret.
Several senior lawmakers said they had sent letters, including Mark Harper and Steve Baker, but the number that went public was much lower than required.
A secret ballot will follow if 54 letters are sent and if the prime minister receives the support of less than 50% of the vote, there will be a leadership election in which other Tory MPs will be able to try to replace him.
Add Comment