The Speaker of the House of Commons (House of Commons) Sir Lindsay Hoyle gave the signal for the end of the session and sounded inside the room, from a crowd of MPs, full of mockery and in a happy tone “Bye Boris”! This phrase summed up the general mood that prevailed in Parliament today and symbolized the British Prime Minister’s greatest fear: his removal from Downing Street…
It all started with Johnson’s admission yesterday, shortly after 5pm UK time, that he knew about the sexual harassment allegations made by his former colleague and Conservative MP Chris Pincher and still went ahead with his promotion in February as Party Discipline Officer (Deputy Chief Whip). Of course, it should be remembered that during a week when everyone in Britain was wondering whether Boris knew or not, his representatives and supporters insisted that their leader knew nothing.
The “Aeolos’ sack” of resignations has opened
The news of the admission was the icing on the cake of repeated scandals involving the British Prime Minister. This admission, however, is not forgiven even by his traditional allies.
The beginning of the successive resignations of the government scheme was made at 18:02 on Tuesday by the Minister of Health Sajid Javid and nine minutes later, at 18:11, it was the turn of the Minister of Finance Rishi Sunak. Today is Wednesday and up to this time we count the resignations of 35 deputy ministers and secretaries of ministries, a list that is constantly growing with Boris Johnson not even able to replace them.
And yet he doesn’t seem to be in the mood to resign. Johnson began his speech to parliament by insisting he would not leave Number 10, adding that “when times are tough and the country is facing economic pressures – and the biggest war in Europe for 80 years – then it is time that you expect a government to continue the work and not give up”.
Opposite him, the leader of the main opposition Sir Keir Starmer, after initially reading out the description of the sexual harassment allegations, attacked the ministers who still support Johnson, likening them to a “low level troupe of nodding dogs”.
A little later the British Prime Minister was directly and harshly attacked, in just one sentence, by Conservative MP Tim Lutton who asked almost rhetorically “under what circumstances would he resign?”. Equalizing was Sajid Javid’s position regarding his resignation, where it was also the one that effectively closed the “Prime Minister’s Hour”. Among other things, he said that “the problem starts at the top and this is not going to change” adding that he has often justified Boris Johnson but “so far it has not been there” as the problems are “fundamental”, again leaving spikes for the Briton’s morale prime minister.
“Thriller” for Johnson in the next few hours
The big day for the prime minister continues as he tries to find ways to hold on while his MPs chase him down. In his presence at the Liaison Committee (committee that controls government work), Boris Johnson avoided answering any question about his future as prime minister, but the hostile attitude of the members of the committee prescribes the reality he will face from now on Johnson.
Even his ardent supporter and Secretary of State for Development Michael Gove seems to have asked Johnson to resign, something that has not yet been confirmed but is being reported by all the British media, along with rumors that similar moves are being made by other ministers.
“Thriller” also takes place with the 1922 Committee, responsible for the implementation of the Tory constitution, as it depends on it whether a second vote of no confidence will be held to remove the prime minister and party leader. In theory, Johnson has “earned” one-year immunity from the previous vote held exactly one month ago, on June 6, but the committee is meeting today to change the statute and effectively overturn the immunity. If this happens, in the next few days we will have another motion of no confidence and this time it seems that Boris Johnson will not just lose the battle but the war.
Zoe Katzagiannakis, London
Source: Deutsche Welle
Source: Capital
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
