British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday lashed out at his predecessor Boris Johnson over denied appointments to people close to the former Downing Street occupant, which have contributed to tensions within the Conservative Party.
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Boris Johnson asked me to do something I wasn't ready to do, because I didn't think it was right," Sunak told media interviews. "I didn't think it would have been a good thing, and if some people don't like it and too bad," he insisted.
Risky by-elections
This firm exit of the Prime Minister illustrates the tensions that shake the Conservative Party in power, between supporters of the current occupant of Downing Street and those of his thunderous predecessor. The latter resigned last summer but is believed to want to return to power.
On Friday, Boris Johnson announced his immediate resignation from Parliament as he faces sanctions for lying to MPs during the Covid-19 pandemic. He strongly attacked his successor. Two other MPs did the same, suggesting risky by-elections for the Conservatives at their lowest in the polls.
The departure of Boris Johnson also comes after a psychodrama surrounding the list of lifetime appointments to the House of Lords of the British Parliament that propose, according to tradition, Prime Ministers at the end of their mandate.
It is up to the Prime Minister in office to approve these appointments after consulting the Appointments Committee of the House of Lords (Holac) and according to custom he makes no changes to the list submitted. According to British media Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak recently spoke about these appointments.
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Some names mentioned repeatedly in the media are not part of the final list, political allies and the father of the former prime minister. Several supporters of Boris Johnson have accused Rishi Sunak of not having respected his promise to validate it entirely. The controversy swelled over the weekend, leading the commission to indicate that it had not supported the candidacy of eight (unidentified) people proposed by Boris Johnson.
On Monday, Rishi Sunak explained, assuring that publishing a list different from the opinion of this commission "would have amounted to exceeding" its prerogatives "or to make promises to some". "I said I was going to do things differently because I want to change politics and that's what I'm doing," added Rishi Sunak, who promised an honest and accountable government after the scandals of the Johnson era.