UK government accused of ‘blackmail’ to keep Boris Johnson in power
- A senior Conservative lawmaker says MPs seeking to oust the scandal-plagued prime minister are facing ‘pressures and intimidation’
- Johnson is facing growing calls to resign after admitting he attended a party at Downing Street while Britain was under strict Covid-19 lockdown
A senior Conservative lawmaker accused the British government on Thursday of intimidating and attempting to “blackmail” those lawmakers they suspect of wanting to force Prime Minister Boris Johnson out of power.
Johnson is facing growing calls to step down over a series of scandals, including admitting he had attended a party at his Downing Street office at a time when Britain was under a strict Covid-19 lockdown.
Some younger Conservative lawmakers have spearheaded attempts to unseat their leader and opposition leaders have demanded he resign. The heat was turned up in parliament on Wednesday when one of the party’s longest-serving representatives told the prime minister in parliament “In the name of God, go.”
Johnson, who won a large majority in 2019, has vowed to fight on, saying he would lead the Conservative Party into the next election.
But in another blow to his shaky standing, William Wragg, chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, accused the government of blackmail.