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| Embattled Boris Johnson (middle) vowed not to quit |
LONDON, July 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told MPs he would “keep going” despite a growing list of Conservative ministers and other officials resigning in protest over his handling of the case of a senior official accused of sexual misconduct.
“The job of a prime minister in difficult circumstances when you’ve been handed a colossal mandate is to keep going. And that’s what I’m going to do,” Johnson said on Wednesday at the weekly session of Prime Minister’s Questions in parliament.
David Davis, a Conservative legislator who had previously called on the 58-year-old leader to resign, told parliament that he was again asking Johnson: “to do the honourable thing, to put the interests of the nation before his own interest, and before it does become impossible for government to do its job.”
Johnson said he did not believe that it was against the national interest for him to remain as prime minister.
“I thank him very much for the point he’s made again. I just couldn’t disagree with him more,” Johnson said.
The development came a day after Treasury chief Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid quit, saying he was not fit to govern.
Johnson quickly replaced the two men but a string of junior ministers have also quit and his support inside the Conservative Party is shrinking rapidly.
The embattled prime minister has been struggling to save his job for months after being caught in a series of headline-making scandals.
He became the first serving British prime minister in history to break the law after receiving a fine from the police for attending a party in 2020 during the country’s COVID-19 lockdown.
Though he survived a no-confidence vote recently within his Conservative Party over the so-called Partygate scandal, 40 percent of his own party voted against him and the forces that want him to go have been gaining momentum following more untoward revelations.
The latest scandal involved Johnson’s appointment of lawmaker Christopher Pincher to deputy chief whip despite being informed of formal complaints about his alleged sexual misconduct. Johnson went on television to apologize for Pincher’s appointment minutes before Javid and Sunak’s resignation.
The seemingly endless string of scandals has dogged Johnson and his government, casting doubt on the Conservatives’ future in the next general election in 2024. Last month, the Tories lost two crucial House of Commons seats in by-elections. — NNN-AGENCIES
