“I want to apologize”: Johnson and the quarantined holiday scandal

In what has surely been the most bitter day since he took office on July 24, 2019, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson went to Parliament for the first time since the scandal of private parties organized in the middle of the national confinement was known. And while he apologized for the “impression” the images released in recent weeks may have given, Johnson reaffirmed that they were linked to his work agenda and not to a private celebration. I went out into the garden to thank the staff for their work during those months and after 25 minutes, I went back to my office. Now I understand that I had to order everyone to come back inside and find another way to thank them,” the former Mayor of London said.

However, this was not taken seriously by the Labour Party, which under the figure of Keir Starmer, harshly questioned Johnson.” What is your defense? That I didn’t know it was a party. It is so ridiculous that it is offensive to citizens, when are you going to do the only thing that is decent: resign?” the opposition leader asked. Many Conservative MPs (part of the prime minister’s party) had called in the run-up to Johnson’s presence in the House of Commons, that the prime minister apologise forcefully to avoid a rebellion within his own party. In this way, the position of the 1922 Committee, the parliamentary group that concentrates Conservative deputies without representation in the ministries, gains weight, which has already reported that they began to receive letters requesting an internal motion of confidence against Johnson.

According to the customs of the House, when the leadership of the committee receives a total of 54 texts in that line it is automatically obliged to convene the motion. This has already happened on other occasions, such as with former prime ministers Theresa May and Margaret Thatcher, who although they overcame the challenge, with that event began the end of their political careers. The number of cards that accumulate is anonymous and is not known until the mechanism of the internal motion is activated. While that number over last year’s close seemed pretty far away, with this event seeming closer and closer to happening.

Original source in Spanish