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There is growing discontent among Britain's ruling Conservative Party, with lawmakers fearing they could lose their seats over the Downing Street scandal over the country's most severe coronavirus lockouts, a former minister has said. , quoted by BTA.

According to David Davis, one of the critics of Prime Minister Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson is a British politician who was born on June 19, 1964 in New York.

Davis said this amid growing calls for the prime minister to resign following a report released by senior government official Sue Gray with the findings of an investigation into violations of anti-epidemic measures at 10 Downing Street and Whitehall government residences. lockdowns in England.

It turned out that among the names of Tory MPs who sent letters of confidence to the Prime Minister is that of former Health Minister Steve Brown.

This group also includes Anne Marie Morris, an MP from Newton Abbott.

She confirmed to the Press Association that she had been reinstated as organizational secretary in the Tory parliamentary group after she was fired in January for her decision to support an opposition measure to reduce the value added tax on electricity bills.

Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee, a Tory parliamentary faction, is required to ask for a vote of confidence in Johnson if he receives at least 54 letters asking for it.

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More than 20 lawmakers have openly said they have withdrawn their support from the prime minister, but the actual number could be much higher because the procedure is secret.

Brian said Gray's report did not change his view that "a vote of confidence in the prime minister is inevitable."

"All I can do as an ordinary MP is to help demand a vote of confidence, as I have done in the past," he confirmed in a statement on his website Wednesday, released by the media only on Saturday.

"Ever since this whole saga began, I have always said that I will not defend and that I cannot defend what cannot be defended. Those who create the rules cannot then break them," he added.

On Friday, the dissent group was joined by Sir Bob Neal, the Conservative chairman of the House of Commons legal committee, who also confirmed that he had sent a letter withdrawing his confidence in Johnson's administration.

Alicia Kearns, also a Tory MP, accused the resident of 10 Downing Street of "misleading" parliament with her assurances that anti-epidemic measures were being followed.

The report by Gray, who is also essentially a government official, reveals how treats for sending outgoing colleagues got out of hand, with government officials vomiting after drinking too much, rude security and even damaging a cradle in the garden. at the Downing Street residence.

The document states that the Prime Minister - who was fined by the police for attending a birthday party in June 2020, when indoor gatherings were banned - also attended a number of Downing Street treats for sending outgoing employees during full lockdowns in England over the pandemic.

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Gray points out that he gave speeches and drank alcohol at these parties, although as part of measures to curb the spread of the virus, social contacts for the rest of society were banned.

Davis's warning of growing discontent among his party members came after a poll by the Yugawa poll found that if the election were held today, the Conservatives would win in only three of the 88 so-called fluctuating majority constituencies, threatening a majority. in the House of Commons.

According to the study, even Johnson himself will lose in favor of Labor the two districts from which he was elected - Uxbridge and South Ryslip, and traditional Labor bastions such as Blythe Valley and Stoke on Trent will return to the control of the opposition led by Sir Kier Starmer .

For the Conservatives, only Ashfield, Bassetlow and Dudley-North will remain, according to Yugav.

James Johnson, a former sociologist at Downing Street since Theresa May's term, said the actual results could be even worse than predicted in the study.

"Keep in mind that it does not take into account the tactical voting and some local features of the given constituencies," he wrote on Twitter.

"Tactical voting is currently helping Labor and the Liberal Democrats, so the real picture for the Tories is even worse than the one described in this study."

Davis, a former Brexit minister, told BBC Radio 4 on Today that when it comes to the party leadership, what the Tories are thinking about is the possible election losses because of that leadership, and the problem. that Partygate distracts society from other important issues.

As early as January, he called on Johnson to resign, calling on him "for God's sake, resign," and now said he had "not changed his mind at all since."

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Asked to comment on whether discontent among the Tories is growing, Davis said: "This is undoubtedly due to two reasons. First, frankly, they think they will lose their seats. They think the party will lose the next election. Second, this scandal it has an unpleasant effect on the country as a whole. On the one hand, it absorbs all public attention and thus hinders the solution of other problems, and on the other hand damages the country's reputation. "

Former Justice Minister Robert Buckland also told Westminster Week on Radio 4 that if the Tories suffered "heavy losses" in next month's by-elections in Wakefield, Tiverton and Hunton, then "change will be necessary."

However, Buckland expressed hope that the party would be able to avoid losses of this magnitude, which would make "conservative members again think seriously about who will lead them."

Although he has been criticized for his arguments over the Partygate scandal, last week the prime minister decided to announce changes to the code of ethics for ministers, a move that opponents say blurs the question of ministerial punishment.

According to the updated version of this code, ministers will not automatically lose their posts if they violate the standards of conduct set out in it, but instead will be able to apologize or temporarily not receive a salary.

Chris Bryant, chairman of the House of Commons ethics committee, told Today that the decision shows why there is a need for independent scrutiny when investigating ministerial violations.

The Labor MP, who resigned and never led a House of Commons privilege inquiry into whether the prime minister misled parliament with his assurances of Partygate, said that under the current system, "all control mechanisms remain in place." the hands of the Prime Minister, and it is clear that in his own eyes he is always innocent. " 

Boris Johnson

conservative party