Involved in a series of scandals, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face the wrath of his majority in the House of Commons today on the occasion of the vote for the introduction of delayed, restrictive measures in the face of another outbreak of the epidemic in the country, this time due to the Omicron variant. And the vote is expected to be tumultuous, as at least 60 Tory MPs intend to vote against the measures, according to information in the British press.
The United Kingdom, one of the most affected by the pandemic in Europe, with 146,500 dead, is once again facing a tidal wave of the Omicron variant. Two more outbreaks of the Alpha and Delta variants have preceded the outbreak due to delays in taking restrictive measures. This time, Boris Johnson is betting on a quick and massive vaccine booster campaign. But, the information from London speaks of huge queues of long waits in front of the vaccination centers, crashing of the appointment platform, lack of diagnostic tests …
Boris Johnson also announced the introduction of new restrictive measures: indoor mask use, daily diagnostic tests for contacts, mandatory teleworking and health certification at public events, which, according to the government, are necessary to prevent overcrowding in hospitals. weeks.
“The government must do what it deems reasonably right in the interest of the country. I believe these are proportionate measures combined with a significant boost in efforts to get people to receive a booster dose before Christmas,” he said. Deputy Prime Minister Dominique Raab told Sky News that “for the time being” he was blocking more restrictive measures.
However, the Conservative MPs are not convinced and some of them are revolting against the measures that “restrict freedoms”.
“I think all the measures are bad, they are disproportionate and the evidence that they are necessary is insufficient,” former Brexit minister Steve Baker told the BBC.
The “uprising” of the Tories MPs does not threaten the outcome of the vote. The government of Boris Johnson has a comfortable majority of 80 seats, while the Labor Party has assured through Kir Starmer that it will support the measures.
But this uprising falls at the worst moment for Boris Johnson.
Favoritism and corruption
Two years after his historic election victory with the promise of Brexit, the prime minister is seeing his popularity plummet in opinion polls and is facing calls for his resignation after a long series of scandals.
On Sunday, the Sunday Mirror published a photo of Boris Johnson hosting, surrounded by his associates, a Christmas quiz on Downing Street, showing persistent contempt for the restrictive measures, at a time when the government had called on the British to dramatically reduce their social contacts.
The British also accuse him of organizing a party he organized on Downing Street on December 18, 2020, when they themselves had been deprived of any social event due to the pandemic. And the video that shows his associates joking about the “Christmas party” added fuel to the fire.
These series of scandals related to the restrictive measures affect its credibility at the very moment when it is in need of implementing a new series of measures. And they add to the allegations of corruption, which could lead to a motion of censure on the Conservative Party against Boris Johnson.
The British Prime Minister was recalled to the renovation of the Prime Minister’s residence on Downing Street and the Electoral Commission fined his party for failing to declare the total amount of private sponsorship it received to pay for the renovation work.
“Relentless” Tory
Boris Johnson was also outraged when he tried to amend disciplinary rules in Parliament in favor of Owen Patterson, a Conservative MP who had been convicted of a conflict of interest case.
The by-election on Thursday to fill the resignation of Owen Patterson, who resigned, will be symbolic.
But there are other open issues concerning the prime minister’s lavish vacations, his government’s dangerous dealings with business circles, accusations of favoritism over rewarding generous Tory donors with seats in the House of Lords.
According to Robin Petit, a British political expert, Boris Johnson’s arrogance could save him from a couple of scandals … but if the outbreak continues, “the Conservative Party has always been ruthless when it comes to getting rid of counterproductive leaders …” .
Source: AMPE
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Source From: Capital
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