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MP Christian Wakeford in Parliament
Photo: House of Commons / dpa
The British Conservatives are seething after the revelations about parties at Prime Minister Boris Johnson's official residence during the corona lockdown.
Now, just before the weekly question time with Johnson in the British Parliament, an MP has switched camps.
Tory MP Christian Wakeford will be a member of the opposition Labor Party.
According to the local newspaper »Bury Times«, he justified his move with a great deal of dissatisfaction with the work of the government.
Britain needs a government that is focused on a way out of the pandemic and sets high standards of integrity.
"Unfortunately, the Prime Minister and the Conservative Party as a whole have failed to offer the leadership this country needs," he wrote in a letter to his party.
Labor leader Keir Starmer welcomed Wakeford.
The MP for the Bury South constituency was only elected to Parliament after Johnson's brilliant election victory in 2019.
The interests of his constituents are now best represented by Labour, Wakeford said.
Johnson on resignation calls: "No"
Johnson is under a lot of pressure because of parties in his office in the middle of the corona lockdown - now also in his own ranks.
His reputation among the population and the party is already considered to be badly damaged.
There have already been calls for his resignation, including from conservatives.
At the start of a debate in Parliament today, Labor asked Johnson if he would resign.
The prime minister replied with a simple "No." He wanted to first wait for the results of an internal investigation into the controversial parties.
Johnson has been referring to the investigation since the beginning of the party affair.
So far, seven MPs have publicly voiced their distrust in the prime minister.
According to research by the British media, it could quickly become more: Several conservatives are planning to send letters of no confidence against Johnson.
According to the current status, it takes 54 votes in Parliament in London to obtain a vote of confidence – 15 percent of the 360 Conservative MPs.
In a secret ballot in the parliamentary group, the prime minister would then have to get at least 50 percent of the members on his side in order to survive the vote.
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