LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told MPs he would “keep going” despite a growing list of Conservative ministers and other officials resigning in protest over his handling of the case of a senior official accused of sexual misconduct.
“The job of a prime minister in difficult circumstances when you’ve been handed a colossal mandate is to keep going. And that’s what I’m going to do,” Johnson said on Wednesday at the weekly session of Prime Minister’s Questions in parliament.
David Davis, a Conservative legislator who had previously called on the 58-year-old leader to resign, told parliament that he was again asking Johnson: “to do the honourable thing, to put the interests of the nation before his own interest, and beforeit does become impossible for government to do its job.”
Johnson said he did not believe that it was against the national interest for him to remain as prime minister.
“I thank him very much for the point he’s made again. I just couldn’t disagree with him more,” Johnson said.
The development came a day after Treasury chief Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid quiet, saying he was not fit to govern.
Johnson quickly replaced the two men, but a string of junior ministers has also quit and his support inside the Conservative Party is shrinking rapidly.
Opponents hope to change party rules to allow a new no-confidence to vote on Johnson. He survived one such vote last month, with 41 percent of MPs voting against him.
According to media reports the changes could come as early as next week “when a backbench committee called the 1922 Committee has its executive elections”.
“Several members of the Conservative Party, who are very, very strong critics of Boris Johnson, will be standing for election to that executive with the intention of immediately changing the rules, hoping to force a new confidence vote before the parliament rises for the summer break and that’s on July 21,” according to media.
The scandal that kick-started the political crisis involved Chris Pincher the deputy chief whip who resigned last week after he was accused of drunkenly groping two men.
Downing Street at first denied Johnson knew of prior allegations against Pincher when appointing him in February.
But by Tuesday, that defence had collapsed after a former top civil servant said Johnson, as foreign minister, was told in 2019 about another incident involving his ally.
Minister for Children and Families Will Quince quit on Wednesday, saying he was given inaccurate information before having to defend the government in a round of media interviews on Monday. –Agencies
