THE Prime Minister should resign after damaging Britain’s reputation around the world.
That’s the view of Reading East MP Matt Rodda, following the publication of Sue Gray’s preliminary report into parties that took place in Downing Street at a time when the country faced lockdowns and other restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In it, the senior civil servant says there were serious failures of leadership and that some of the gatherings were “difficult to justify”.
It added: “There were failures of leadership and judgment by different parts of No 10 and the Cabinet Office at different times. Some of the events should not have been allowed to take place. Other events should not have been allowed to develop as they did.”
The full report has yet to be published pending a police investigation, however, Prime Minister Boris Johnson refused to resign when making a statement to the House of Commons earlier today.
He did, however, repeat an apology for the events.
“Sorry for the things we simply did not get right and sorry for the way that this matter has been handled. It is no use saying that this or that was within the rules,” he said.
Instead of stepping down, he said: “I want to say to the people of this country. I know what the issue is, it is whether this government can be trusted to deliver and I say yes we can be trusted yes, we can be trusted to deliver.”
After he finished his statement, Maidenhead MP and former Prime Minister Theresa May asked Mr Johnson a question.
She said: “The covid regulations imposed significant restrictions on the freedoms of members of the public. They had a right to expect their prime minister to have read the rules, to understand the meaning of the rules, and indeed those around him to have done so too, and to set an example in following those rules.
“What the Gray report does show, is that Number 10 Downing Street was not observing the regulations they had imposed on members of the public.
“So, either my Rt Hon friend had not read the rules, or did not understand what they meant and the others around him, or they didn’t think the rules applied to Number 10. Which was it?”
Speaking to Reading Today after the statement and its debate, Mr Rodda echoed the call of his party leader, Sir Keir Starmer, that Mr Johnson should immediately step down from office.
“The Prime Minister has clearly let down the public down in the most dreadful way, when families across the country were suffering terribly and were following the rules to protect vulnerable people,” he said.
“He has also damaged Britain’s reputation around the world with the appalling series of incidents at No10. He should now resign.”
Reading West MP Alok Sharma has previously shared his support for Mr Johnson but has not yet publicly commented on the report.
