A group of conservative parliamentarians are trying to get party member and Prime Minister Boris Johnson out of the saddle because they say he cannot stay on after the riot over drinks at 10 Downing Street during lockdowns.
British media speculated that enough MPs could force the group to hold a confidence vote on Johnson.
Under the party’s rules, 54 of the 360 Conservative deputies now have to request a vote from the party board. Johnson wants to replace the group with another prime minister consisting of around twenty most recently elected MPs. It is not clear how many actually sent a vote request to the board. Likewise, it is unclear how many other MPs do the same.
Conservatives loyal to the prime minister, including government ministers, have reacted angrily. They disparagingly call the rebels the Pork Pie Plot. That’s because a pivotal figure in the rebel group, MP Alicia Kearns, has been elected to an English constituency that has made a name for itself with a pork pie.
Johnson has been discredited over an affair dubbed the ‘party gate’. This scandal revolves around drinks and parties that Johnson and his employees held during corona lockdowns. The first lockdown includes a garden party at 10 Downing Street official residence in May 2020.
The prime minister has said he was not aware that the garden party violated the measures in force at the time. His former adviser and confidant, Dominic Cummings, says this lies. Johnson defended himself on Tuesday, insisting he thought it was a work meeting. A senior official investigates the celebrations. Several ministers, such as Nadhim Zahawi of Education and Rishi Sunak of Finance, emphasized that people should wait for the outcome of this investigation.
