LAST UPDATE | 26 May 2022
THREE CONSERVATIVE MPS have demanded Boris Johnson’s resignation for the first time following the publication of Sue Gray’s report into Covid-19 breaches inside Downing Street.
Tory MPs David Simmonds and John Baron urged the Prime Minister to step down on Thursday, adding their names to the growing discontentment towards the party leader.
Johnson “apologised in person” to cleaning and security staff in Number 10 who were treated poorly during partygate, a minister has confirmed to MPs.
Commons Leader Mark Spencer also told MPs that the Prime Minister had “addressed the culture” within Number 10 following the publication of the Sue Gray report.
The report into parties at the heart of Government during the Covid pandemic lockdowns revealed that security staff had been mocked by those revelling in Number 10, and cleaners had to deal with wine stains and vomit.
At Business Questions, Spencer told MPs: “I am glad that Sue Gray has finally managed to get her report out there.
“I think it does identify the challenges that were ongoing in Number 10, but I think it also – as the Prime Minister made clear – he has addressed the culture within Number 10, he has changed the senior management team.
“I think he was also shocked, as many colleagues would be, by the treatment of security and cleaning staff.
“That is why the Prime Minister yesterday personally went around and apologised in person to those security and cleaning teams on behalf of those people who were rude to those people. I think that was the right thing to do.”
Spencer added: “He has made it clear that the culture has now changed within Number 10 and what the Prime Minister is now doing, he is focused on what matters to the British people, which is the global fight against inflation, Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, and making sure our constituents’ priorities are the Government’s priorities as they always have been.”
Shadow Commons leader Thangam Debbonaire had said it was “particularly sickening to learn of the total lack of respect and poor treatment of security staff, being mocked, and cleaners being left to mop up”.
She asked: “Could the Leader clarify if any of those who mocked staff are special advisers? If so has the Prime Minister sacked them and if not, why not?”
Debbonaire also called on the Commons Leader to reveal “whether anyone in Government received a copy of Sue Gray’s report in advance of its publication” or “whether they attempted to change it”.
SNP Commons leader Pete Wishart called for a debate on the Sue Gray report and “the appalling culture in Number 10”.
He said: “The Prime Minister might think that moving on at lightning speed to do something he could have and should have done weeks ago on the cost-of-living crisis will make this go away, but it won’t. It simply won’t go away.
“Our constituents are utterly furious, and they’re simply not satisfied with his mealy mouthed apologies and this drivel about being humbled. They want us to debate, they want us to debate why it’s OK for Number 10 to have these parties to say goodbye to employees but no other workplace in this country was offered that facility.”
He added: “The people of the United Kingdom want this Prime Minister gone and in democratic countries, what usually happens is that people get their way.”
Spencer replied: “He says this is the one topic that everybody wants to debate. I think that my experience is that people are sick and tired of hearing about this.
“They want the Government to be focused on actually what matters to them.”
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Backbencher Julian Sturdy had begun the trickle of fresh voices demanding Johnson’s exit after the damning inquiry from the senior civil servant was published yesterday.
The 60-page report detailed events at which officials drank so much they were sick, sang karaoke, became involved in altercations and abused security and cleaning staff at a time when millions of people across the country were unable to see friends and family.
A total of 19 Tory MPs have so far publicly called for his resignation, with many critics of Johnson holding back due to the war in Ukraine.
Under Conservative Party rules, there must be a vote on the Prime Minister’s future if 54 MPs write to the chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, saying they have lost confidence in their leader.
But the public calls do not equate to formal letters being submitted to Sir Graham. The total number of letters which have been sent to the committee is also kept secret, meaning it is unclear how many the chairman has received.
Meanwhile, Downing Street’s chief of staff said the Prime Minister has made a “significant change” to No 10 by shaking up his team and apologising for the lockdown-busting events.
Steve Barclay said he and Johnson were both “shocked” and “appalled” by the report’s findings after it was issued yesterday, nearly a week after the Metropolitan Police concluded its investigation.
The force handed out 126 fines for rule breaches in No 10 and Whitehall, with the Prime Minister receiving a single fixed-penalty notice for his birthday party in June 2020.
In a statement, Simmonds, the MP for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner, said: “I listened to what the Prime Minister had to say at Prime Minister’s Questions, his statement and the 1922 Committee yesterday following the publication of the Sue Gray report.
“Having reflected on what he said, and the views of the constituents and my Conservative association, it is clear that while the Government and our policies enjoy the confidence of the public, the Prime Minister does not.
“Accordingly, it is time for him to step down so that new leadership can take forward the important work of the Government in ensuring that our people and country prosper.”
Minutes earlier, Baron accused Johnson of misleading Parliament, and said he “no longer enjoys my support.”
“Given the scale of rule-breaking in No 10, I can not accept that the Prime Minister was unaware,” he said in a statement on his website.
“Therefore, his repeated assurances in Parliament that there was no rule-breaking is simply not credible.
“Having always said I would consider all the available evidence before deciding, I’m afraid the Prime Minister no longer enjoys my support – I can no longer give him the benefit of the doubt.”
Former minister Tobias Ellwood has also been repeating his challenge to Tory colleagues to oust their leader.
Barclay, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said he and Johnson were “shocked and appalled” by Gray’s report, in particular around how cleaning staff were treated.
He told Sky News: “We had an all-staff meeting yesterday in Downing Street further to that.
“It is why we’ve had so many changes in terms of both myself going into Downing Street, the permanent secretary, a new director of communication, a new principal private secretary, it’s why we put procedures now in place.
“We were appalled. That’s why the Prime Minister apologised, it’s why he went to the House of Commons. He said how humbled he was to read about what had happened.”
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