British Prime Minister (PM) Boris Johnson continues to struggle in maintaining his premiership as a member of his Conservative party defected to the opposing Labour Party. The new development is a part of the internal rebellion against Johnson, wherein members of his own party have been urging him to step down over the Partygate scandal.
Christian Wakeford, a Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Bury South constituency, announced his decision to switch to the Labour Party on Wednesday. In his statement, he said, “I can no longer support a government that has shown itself consistently out of touch with the hard-working people of Bury South and the country as a whole.” In a major embarrassment for the incumbent British government, Wakeford walked across the House of Commons and joined the Labour Party during the Parliament’s Wednesday session.
Responding to the incident, Johnson said, “The Conservative party won Bury South for the first time in generations under this prime minister [...] and we will win again in Bury South at the next election under this prime minister.” However, despite Johnson’s show of confidence following the session in the Parliament, it was reported that a group of 20 Conservatives gathered to “discuss their concerns about Johnson’s leadership.”
According to Al Jazeera, several Conservatives are already considering triggering a no-confidence vote, which would require 54 Members of Parliament to send letters to the head of their parliamentary group and demand a vote. So far, seven legislators have publicly declared their lack of confidence in the PM. If passed, the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak or Foreign Secretary Liz Truss are likely to replace Johnson.
Johnson has been caught in a string of scandals that brought to light the several parties attended by British ministers as the country’s citizens struggled with COVID-19 restrictions. As a result, an internal probe has been launched to look into the allegations. This includes a gathering on November 27, a Department of Education meeting on December 10, a Christmas quiz on December 15, a December 18 Christmas party at Downing Street and a Downing Street staff party hosted by the PM at his residence during May 2020. As a result, Johnson popularity has taken a hit and his position as PM is not secure.
However, PM Johnson has continued to ignore calls to resign from his premiership. In fact, in response to a question by a Liberal Democrat MP about whether it was time for him to quit, Johnson clearly said that it was not. Instead, he said that the people of the UK should wait for the decision of the inquiry committee that is currently investigating the gatherings. The reports of the committee are expected to be published next week.
Meanwhile, in an attempt to quell citizens and politicians opposing COVID-19 restrictions, Johnson withdrew all measures in place, including mandating masks and COVID-19 passes, and encouraged working from home. He said that the decision was made in pursuance of advice from experts who believe that the wave prompted by the Omicron variant “has now peaked nationally.” However, Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer said that his party would support the change provided that it is backed by evidence. Starmer said that Johnson must reassure him that his decision was made to “protect” the health of British citizens, and not Johnson’s job.