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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson addresses MPs on Wednesday as he faces a revolt within his own party over revelations that his staff threw parties as the rest of Britain was forced to obey strict Covid-19 lockdown rules. His remarks come as Conservative MP Christian Wakeford defected to Labour in protest against Johnson’s leadership.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday faced signs of an organised revolt in his Conservative party over revelations of lockdown-breaching parties, as he geared up for a grilling in parliament.
Johnson was set to speak at the weekly session of Prime Minister’s Questions, before outlining a plan to lift most coronavirus restrictions, as he strives to reboot his embattled leadership.
Criticism intensified after Johnson on Tuesday gave a strained television interview, in which he claimed not to have been told that at least one “bring your own booze” event would breach the Covid lockdown rules that he set.
Afterwards, a group of more than 20 Tory MPs met to “discuss their concerns about Johnson’s leadership”, The Times newspaper reported.
It said a number of those were preparing to submit letters of no confidence after Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons at midday (1200 GMT).
Several were named by media as those elected for the first time in Johnson’s landslide election victory in 2019, including younger Tories from the opposition Labour party’s former heartlands of northern England.
Their bid to unseat the prime minister was dubbed the “pork pie plot” because one of the MPs involved represents Melton Mowbray, a town in central England known for making the pastry covered meat products.
“Pork pies” is also Cockney rhyming slang for “lies” — which a majority of voters believe Johnson is guilty of spreading over the “partygate” affair, according to several opinion…
Source : france24
