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31
May 2022
Last Updated: 31/05/2022
North Yorks council leader says MPs should decide PM's fate
Prime Minister Boris Johnson's leadership has come under scrutiny following revelations of lockdown parties in Downing Street.
Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council.
The future of Prime Minister Boris Johnson following the partygate saga is for Conservative MPs to decide, says North Yorkshire County Council’s leader.
The Guardian reported yesterday that Cllr Les would support a leadership election in the party.
However, speaking to the Stray Ferret today he claimed he was misquoted and any leadership election within the party was a matter for MPs. He said:
“I said it was disappointing results and I am sure that [partygate] was a factor."
Read more:
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- Harrogate district MP: ‘Time for Boris to get on with the job’
- Andrew Jones MP tells constituent he feels ‘anger’ over partygate
When asked if he supported Mr Johnson, Cllr Les reiterated that the Prime Minister's future was for “the parliamentary party to decide”.
His comments follow the publication of the Sue Gray report, which found that many of the parties in Downing Street “should not have been allowed to happen”.
Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP, Andrew Jones, told a constituent in a letter that he felt “anger” over the report.
But Mr Jones, who said in January that "lawmakers can't be lawbreakers", did not say whether he had submitted a letter of no confidence in Mr Johnson.
The BBC reported this morning that 27 Tory MPs have publicly urged the Prime Minister to resign.
Letters of no confidence have been submitted to Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 committee of backbench Conservative MPs, but the precise number is unknown.
Former Attorney General Jeremy Wright became the latest senior Conservative to call for Mr Johnson to step down, saying the lockdown parties at Downing Street had done “lasting damage” to the party.
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