New Delhi: According to reports, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is on the verge of facing a leadership challenge as a result of an outpouring of anger over allegations that parties were held at his residence during coronavirus lockdowns.
According to sources, after Johnson denied allegations made by a former adviser that he had lied to parliament about one party, the required number of letters from his own lawmakers calling for a no-confidence vote in his leadership could be collected by Wednesday.
According to reports in the media, as many as 20 Conservative lawmakers who were elected to their seats in the most recent general election in 2019 intend to submit letters of no confidence in Johnson.
A request for comment from Johnson’s office did not receive a response.
A little over two years ago, Johnson was the darling of his party after he secured the largest Conservative majority since Margaret Thatcher in 1987, allowing him to follow through on his campaign promises to finally get Britain out of the European Union.
However, as a result of a steady stream of revelations about Downing Street’s apparent flouting of strict lockdown rules, the relationship is rapidly deteriorating, according to sources.
54 out of the 360 Conservative members of Parliament must write letters of no confidence to the chairman of the party’s 1922 Committee in order to launch a leadership challenge against the party’s leader.
Because the letters are kept confidential, the chairman is the only person who is aware of the number of legislators who have actually written them.
PLAN B HAS COME TO AN END?
Following the approval of plans to lift recent restrictions imposed in order to combat the spread of COVID-19 in England, Johnson is expected to address Parliament on Wednesday.
Because of the rapid spread of the Omicron strain throughout the United Kingdom, the government implemented “Plan B” measures last month. They included recommendations for working from home whenever possible, face masks for indoor environments, and vaccine passports for large-scale events.
As Johnson seeks to contain a rebellion sparked by the claims of rule-breaking parties, the lifting of the restrictions would be welcomed by many in his own party who want to return to something resembling normalcy in their daily lives.
His political woes were exacerbated this week when Dominic Cummings, a key architect of Britain’s exit from the European Union and a former senior adviser who resigned from the government in acrimonious circumstances in November 2020, claimed that Johnson was aware that a drinks party held in his garden would violate lockdown regulations.