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Bristol Post
Bristol Post
National
JJ Donoghue

Boris Johnson must resign amid Downing Street party allegations, say Bristol MPs

Boris Johnson is facing calls to resign from Bristol MPs after he admitted attending a drinks party in Downing Street at the height of the Covid-19 lockdown in May 2020.

The Prime Minister has apologised to MPs for attending a party in the Downing Street garden when the rules allowed people to meet no more than one person from another household at any time, after an email leaked to ITV showed that up to 100 people had been invited to bring alcohol to the gathering,

The government now awaits the findings of an inquiry by Sue Gray into the parties in Downing Street, but Johnson is facing growing backlash from MPs across the political spectrum.

READ MORE: All the parties across Government reportedly held during Covid restrictions

Several Conservative Party MPs have submitted letters of no confidence in the Prime Minister, and Bristol's Labour MPs have called on him to resign.

Kerry McCarthy, who represents Bristol East, wrote an open letter to Johnson telling him he had lost the faith of the public.

She wrote: "To put it simply, they have completely lost what faith they had in you and your ability to lead this country. A Prime Minister should set an example to the country, and you have abjectly failed to do so.

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"You have irrevocably broken their trust and I believe that the only decent thing for you to do now is to resign."

Her letter also highlighted some of the individual tragedies of Bristol people who made personal sacrifices during the pandemic to follow the rules.

"The vast majority of people did what was asked of them, often at great personal cost. I have a dossier of messages from my constituents, telling me what they went through during lockdown.

"Some were unable to visit terminally ill relatives before they passed away. Some couldn’t attend funerals for their loved ones. One constituent, who had an aunt commit suicide, was not even able to hug her mother – who had found her sister’s body – at the funeral.

"Other constituents were unable to accompany their partners when they went into labour, or to visit family in hospital and care homes.

"Many went months without seeing their close family, in accordance with Government guidance at the time. Weddings were downsized or cancelled altogether.

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"There are many more examples, across the country, of people making huge personal sacrifices in order to abide by the Covid regulations. They did this knowing that we were all expected to follow the rules. Including people at the heart of Government."

Darren Jones, MP for Bristol North West, also called on the Prime Minister to step down following Johnson's apology at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, January 12.

He wrote on Facebook: "I've never been to a Prime Minister's Questions like the one today. The Prime Minister had nothing to offer the country but excuses.

"I hope he takes this last chance to repair the reputation of his office and resign."

Thangam Debbonaire, MP for Bristol West, and Karin Smyth, MP for Bristol South, have also been approached for comment.

The Prime Minister is set to face MPs at PMQs this afternoon, amid speculation that he could be forced to resign.

To trigger a leadership contest under Conservative Party rules, 54 Tory MPs need to submit letters of no confidence to the chair of the Conservative backbench 1922 committee.

Seven MPs have openly submitted letters so far, according to the BBC, but there is speculation that number could be higher.

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The Prime Minister and other senior Conservative figures have so far said that the country should await the verdict of Sue Gray's inquiry before any decision is made.

The senior civil servant is carrying out an investigation into alleged Covid rule breaking in Downing Street and government departments.

Her report, which ministers say will be published shortly, is likely to be a largely factual account of any gatherings, and she cannot rule on whether lockdown laws were broken.

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