By PM will not resign despite ‘bitter and painful’ judgement from Sue Gray’s report
Boris Johnson has once again said he will not resign as prime minister despite the “bitter and painful” judgement of a report into parties held in Downing Street.
Sue Gray’s report highlighted the excessive drinking, mistreatment of cleaners and security staff, and Covid rule-breaking in Downing Street.
She said the leadership in No 10 “must bear responsibility” for its culture.
Some opponents have repeated their calls for Mr Johnson to quit, with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer calling on Conservative MPs to remove him, saying it was time for Mr Johnson “to pack his bags”.
In a press conference on Wednesday evening, the prime minister ruled out resigning, saying: “I’ve got to keep moving forward.”
Speaking to the Commons yesterday he said he took “full responsibility for everything that took place on my watch”, had been “humbled” and learned lessons.
He told MPs that when he had previously said “the rules and guidance had been followed at all times”, it had been “what I believed to be true”.
He said he had attended events to wish staff who were leaving farewell and his attendance was not outside the rules.
“But clearly this was not the case for some of those gatherings after I had left and at other gatherings when I was not even in the building,” he added.
Mr Johnson said he had been “shocked” and “appalled” by some of Ms Gray’s findings, especially over the treatment of security and cleaning staff.
Senior Tory backbencher Tobias Ellwood, a major critic of Mr Johnson, challenged him over the “damning report” which he said revealed an “absence of leadership, focus and discipline in No 10”.
He asked fellow Conservative MPs: “Are you willing day in and day out to defend this behaviour publicly?”
SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford branded the Gray report “damning” and called the prime minister to resign for “orchestrating” the scenes in Downing Street.
The PM will now not only face the backlash from the public, but also the Commons Privileges Committee over whether he misled the House.
If he is found guilty, under parliamentary rule he must resign from parliament.
