UK Labor leader urges Johnson to resign, calls him ‘national distraction’

Britain’s main opposition leader, Keir Starmer, has called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to resign after new revelations confirmed that a party was held for him in his office during the COVID-19 lockdown.

In a twitter post on Tuesday, Starmer blasted the premier as “national distraction,” saying millions of people were “struggling to pay the bills”, while Johnson and his government were “spending the whole time mopping up their own rule-breaking, sleaze and deceit.”

“He’s got to go,” the Labor Party leader said, calling for Johnson’s immediate resignation.

The Prime Minister is a national distraction.

Millions of people are struggling to pay the bills, but Boris Johnson and his government are spending the whole time mopping up their own rule-breaking, sleaze and deceit.

He’s got to go.

— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) January 24, 2022

In remarks cited by Skynews on Tuesday, Starmer said the country “cannot afford to go on with this chaotic, rudderless government.”

“Any prime minister who misleads parliament should resign,” he stressed.

He also shared his article on Twitter, published in Huffington Post, saying “people across the country are facing rising costs but Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak (Chancellor of the Exchequer) are nowhere to be seen.”

People across the country are facing rising costs but Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak are nowhere to be seen.

My message to the Government is simple:

End the dither and delay.

Back Labour’s plan to provide security to millions of people. https://t.co/SIFbRWb8O0

— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) January 25, 2022

“At a time when the government should be leading the charge against the pressures people face, they are hopelessly distracted by scandal of their own making and Westminster parlour games,” the article reads.

“But while the Tories spend their time insulting the British people’s intelligence with ridiculous denials and defences of their behaviour, Labour is coming up with serious plans for the serious problems facing the country.”

The UK premier’s office has confirmed the rule-breaching party took place in his presence.

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Starmer’s remarks came in the wake of revelation that up to 30 people had gathered inside the PM’s residency in 10 Downing Street to celebrate his birthday in June 2020.

Apart from his birthday party, there were several other Downing Street gatherings last year in the middle of strict lockdown in the country.

Johnson has given a flurry of excuses and explanations about the parties at different points.

Firstly he rejected the fact that rules had been broken but then apologized to the British people for the apparent hypocrisy of such gatherings, when the nation was mourning those killed by the pandemic.

The departure of Boris Johnson is “in the national interest”

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces mounting criticism and calls to resign over a series of parties in Downing Street while the rest of the UK was in lockdown, resulting in national outrage.

Sue Gray, a senior British civil servant who is currently second permanent secretary in the cabinet office, is leading investigation into the PM’s parties and is expected to report her findings later this week.

She has been interviewing different politicians who may have details about the parties.

According to The Telegraph, a group of police officers guarding Johnson’s office at the time of lockdown-breaching parties have also been interviewed by Gray for the probe, and they have given “extremely damning” evidence.

On how significant their information was, a source told the British newspaper: “Put it this way, if Boris Johnson is still prime minister by the end of the week, I’d be very surprised.”

Johnson faces a make-or-break week for his premiership as lawmakers await the findings of the probe.

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