Loyalist: British PM Johnson’s removal 'an inevitable tragedy'

Boris Johnson’s desperate efforts to retain his post as British prime minister have been thwarted as one of his most loyal supporters said it was now “inevitable” that Tory MPs would oust him over the “partygate” scandal.

In an interview with the Observer, Sir Charles Walker, a former vice-chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs, called on the prime minister to act based on the national interest and likened events in the Tory party to a Greek tragedy.

Walker said that in his view Johnson had got many things right, including the handling of the vaccine rollout, and deserved to be remembered for them, rather than suffer the indignity of losing a leadership challenge.

But the succession of parties in Downing Street during the national COVID-19 lockdown has infuriated the public and the only solution left is for the prime minister to resign, Walker said. “It is an inevitable tragedy.”

Johnson is trying to rebuild his cabinet after a wave of resignations earlier this week. Johnson’s chief of staff, private secretary, communications chief, and head of policy all stepped down, leaving the British government rudderless at a time when many doubt the premier will last much longer in No 10.

Weeks of media revelations about the parties - including a “bring your own booze” event attended by Johnson - have seen Conservative opinion poll ratings slump and shaken many of the MPs’ faith in a leader who helped secure them the 2019 election.

The 1992 Committee would trigger a vote on Johnson’s future as Tory leader if it receives letters from 54 MPs, 15 percent of the parliamentary party, calling for a vote.

Some Conservative MPs said they believed about 40 to 45 letters were in or pending, while another estimate suggested the number was closer to the “early 30s.”

Five top aides to UK's Johnson step down amid 'partygate' scandal

Five top aides to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson have resigned from 10 Downing Street within hours of each other, dealing a fresh blow to his embattled government amid ‘partygate’ scandal.

Munira Mirza, Johnson’s head of policy who had worked with him for 14 years, resigned on Thursday over his claim that Labour leader Keir Starmer failed to prosecute pedophile Jimmy Savile during his time as director of public prosecutions (DPP).

After days of criticism, Johnson later “clarified” his position, saying that he was not referring to Sir Keir’s personal record in his remarks. His accusation led to renewed calls for him to resign.

Keir Starmer had called on the Conservative Party to “restore some dignity” as he accused the prime minister of “parroting the conspiracy theories of violent fascists to try and score cheap political points.”

Meanwhile, a network of far-right figures has celebrated Johnson’s allegation that Keir Starmer failed to prosecute Jimmy Savile.

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