Status: 01/19/2022 3:37 p.m
It was a turbulent debate in the British Parliament: Prime Minister Johnson said he wanted to wait for an internal investigation into the scandal surrounding parties at the seat of government. A first Tory MP switched to the Labor Party in protest.
In a turbulent debate in the British Parliament, Prime Minister Boris Johnson ruled out immediate consequences from the “Partygate” scandal. He will await the report of an internal investigation due next week, Johnson said. Once again, the prime minister dodged specific questions about the course of lockdown parties at the seat of government. Opposition leader Keir Starmer will have to wait for the inquiry report, Johnson said.
After he had recently shown remorse, the prime minister, who is threatened with a vote of no confidence in his own ranks, now showed himself combative and sharply attacked his political opponent. If Starmer had his way, the country would still be in lockdown, Johnson claimed. Thanks to his policies, however, Great Britain came through the pandemic economically well.
Tory MP Christian Wakeford switched to the Labor Party – and was greeted with jubilation.
Image: AFP
Internal party pressure on Johnson is growing
Shortly before the debate, it was announced that a Tory MP was moving to the Labor Party. Christian Wakeford, who had voiced his distrust in Johnson, was greeted with loud cheers and slaps on the back from his new colleagues. There were boos from the government bank. Johnson pointed out that Wakeford only got into Parliament thanks to the brilliant Tory victory in 2019 under his leadership in the Bury South constituency. “We will win again at Bury South,” he said.
However, Wakeford is not the only Tory MP unhappy with Johnson’s policies. The Times reported that after the latest revelations in the “Partygate” scandal, 20 Conservative MPs met to discuss a no-confidence vote against Johnson. Accordingly, the majority are young Tory politicians who entered parliament for the first time after Johnson’s clear election victory in 2019. According to the report, many of them come from the former core areas of the Labor Party in northern England.