How Can a Birthday Party Force Boris Johnson to Resign?

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday, January 26, rejected opposition Labor leader Keir Starmer's call for him to resign over alleged birthday parties at the prime minister's Downing Street residence, in violation of anti-Coronavirus restrictions during the closure.

Johnson told the House of Commons that he could not comment on the matter as the investigation was underway, stressing that he was focusing on the economic recovery or crisis in Ukraine.

Labor leader Keir Starmer accused the Prime Minister of "contempt" for the country, calling Boris Johnson a "liar," and having Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle to intervene repeatedly to restore calm.

 

Illegal Gathering

So far Sue Gray’s report found that “at least some of the gatherings” in Downing Street represented “serious failure” to observe what was asked of the public at the time.

A No 10 office spokesman said: “Given the police have said they are investigating a number of events, it would not be appropriate to comment further while the investigation is ongoing.

“However the Prime Minister is clear we must not judge an ongoing investigation and his focus now is on addressing the general findings.”

The report, released online on Monday afternoon, suggests that Boris Johnson was or likely to have been at a gathering in the Cabinet Room in No 10 on Boris Johnson’s birthday.

A version of the long-awaited report into alleged lockdown-busting parties has found that "at least some of the gatherings" were "a serious failure to observe not just the high standards expected of those working at the heart of Government but also of the standards expected of the entire British population at the time.”

Senior civil servant Sue Gray said she is “extremely limited” in what can be said about a series of alleged parties investigated by the Cabinet Office because of a request by the Metropolitan Police to avoid mention of events it is investigating.

Twelve of the lockdown parties included in the report are being investigated by the Metropolitan Police, the document suggests.

“Against the backdrop of the pandemic, when the Government was asking citizens to accept far-reaching restrictions on their lives, some of the behavior surrounding these gatherings is difficult to justify,” the report said.

“The use of the garden at No 10 Downing Street should be primarily for the Prime Minister and the private residents of No 10 and No 11 Downing Street. During the pandemic it was often used as an extension of the workplace as a more COVID secure means of holding group meetings in a ventilated space,” it added.

 

No Confidence Vote

A vote on the PM's future will be conducted if enough Tory (Conservative) MPs decide they no longer support him.

To trigger a vote of confidence against the prime minister, at least 54 people must write to Sir Graham Brady, leader of the backbench 1922 Committee.

Only a few Conservatives have officially admitted to sending the letter, but many MPs were waiting for the Gray report to determine their leader's fate.

If the vote threshold is met, Tory MPs will decide whether or not they trust Mr. Johnson's leadership.

To survive the vote and avoid another year of opposition, the PM will need the support of 181 Conservatives (half of his MPs plus one).

If he loses, however, a leadership election will be held, and he will be compelled to leave.

 

Brexit Resignation

Boris Johnson's leadership was struck with another huge blow last month, in December 2021, when it was revealed that the man in charge of Brexit was leaving the cabinet.

Lord David Frost left the government following frustrations with Brexit negotiations and broader concerns about the government's Coronavirus policies and tax increases, as Tory MPs have already warned the prime minister that he must regain control of the government to stay in power until the next election.

Frost's resignation is yet another symptom of the Tory party's deepening divisions. In terms of Brexit, it has also harmed Johnson in other ways.

Those in Johnson's Conservative Party who support a harsher approach to leaving the European Union are furious that he has accepted, at least temporarily, a de facto EU–UK border that divides Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom.

The goal was to avoid re-establishing a hard border between Northern Ireland, which is still part of the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland, which is a member of the European Union, but talks on this issue will continue.

 

Economy Struggle

The larger burdens for Johnson and his government center on his handling of Coronavirus and the state of Britain’s economy.

Leaders of all the major opposition parties—Labor, the Liberal Democrats, and the Scottish National Party—gripe that Johnson’s leadership during the pandemic has been erratic, while critics within his own party have argued that government-ordered lockdowns have inflicted unnecessary damage on a struggling economy.

Johnson’s biggest economic burdens have taken the form of product shortages and inflation, which surged to 5.4 percent in December, the highest rate in three decades.

Higher prices are caused by multiple factors: global product shortages and supply chain gaps created by COVID-19, central bank policies designed to stoke economic growth rather than contain prices, and even worker shortages exacerbated by changes to labor laws that followed Brexit.

Inflation is a hot button political issue because it erodes the value of the money in voters’ pockets. And Johnson has yet to persuade voters and political critics that he has a credible plan to make things better.