British Prime Minister Boris Johnson suffered a new blow this week after the Conservative Party’s defeat in Thursday’s by-elections, which prompted the sudden resignation of the party’s president. The prime minister, however, has again insisted that he will not resign.
The Conservatives lost the two seats in Parliament that were up for grabs. One representing Tiverton-Honiton, a historically right-wing constituency in southwest England, and the other representing Wakefield, a traditional left-wing stronghold in the so-called “red wall” of the north of the country, where the Conservatives had defeated Labor in the 2019 legislative elections.
In this Thursday’s election, the result of which was released in the early hours of Friday (24), Tiverton-Honiton elected a deputy from the centrist Liberal Democrat Party, and Wakefield returned to the Labor Party.
The elections came less than three weeks after Boris survived a vote of no confidence presented by deputies from his own party, who questioned his authority in command of the country amid the “partygate”, as the scandal of the parties with the presence of the prime minister became known. during the most severe periods of lockdown against Covid in the country.
The result of the by-elections further weakens a fast-losing prime minister, considered a “liar” by most Britons and who faces general discontent over out-of-control inflation of 9.1% in May and forecast to 11% for October.
In Rwanda, where he is attending a Commonwealth summit, Boris admitted that the election result is difficult for his party, but promised to listen to voters and move forward with the work, ruling out the possibility of resignation. “We have to recognize that we must do more and we will. We will continue, responding to people’s concerns,” he said. Then, in an interview with Channel 4, he declared that he takes responsibility for the new electoral failure.
Big winner of the 2019 legislative elections thanks to his promise to deliver Brexit, Boris, who recorded two defeats in by-elections last year and suffered an electoral setback in the local elections in May, has been seen by the party as an increasingly complicated burden to bear. get loaded.
The new defeats “are the latest in a series of very bad results for our party,” British Conservative Party chairman Oliver Dowden wrote in a letter to Boris in which he announced his resignation. “We cannot go on as if nothing has happened. Someone must take responsibility and I have concluded that under these circumstances it would not be right to remain in office.”
To increase the pressure, Michael Howard, former leader of the legend, said that Boris should resign. “The party and, more importantly, the country would be better off with a new direction,” he told the BBC.
Labor leader Keir Starmer, who plans to replace Boris as prime minister after the 2024 election, said the party’s victory in one of its historic strongholds showed the opposition could win nationally for the first time in more than a decade. “What a judgment for the Conservatives and Boris Johnson … They’re out of whack, out of ideas,” he told the press.
Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrat Party, said that “people are tired of Boris Johnson’s lies and infractions”, and stressed that the election represents “a wake-up call to all Conservative lawmakers who support Boris Johnson”.
Following the vote of no confidence that Boris overcame on June 6, the Conservative Party cannot attempt another such action against its leader for a year under current rules.
The prime minister, however, will soon be the subject of a parliamentary investigation to determine whether he knowingly lied to MPs when he assured that there were no parties in Downing Street, the seat of government, which were later the subject of 126 police fines.
