Boris Johnson faces a vote of confidence
A poll of Wakefield voters, who will go to the polls on June 23 to elect a new MP, has suggested the Conservatives could lose the by-elections by up to 20 points in an indication of revelations about Downing Street blockade meetings . they have achieved the popularity of the party in a battlefield seat.
The Prime Minister secured most of 2019 on the back of the scalp in the so-called Red Wall, with traditional Labor support areas in the north of England, the Midlands and Wales shifting their support for the Conservatives .
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But JL Partners’ Wakefield constituency poll published in The Sunday Times is likely to be an anxious read for Conservative activists, as the company puts Labor at 48 points compared to 28 points for the Conservative activists as a whole. Mr. Johnson: A 19-point lead over the winning Conservative. performance two and a half years ago.
Boris Johnson at the Platinum Party at the Palace in front of Buckingham Palace
The poll’s findings come amid reports that the threshold for a no-confidence vote could have been reached, with suggestions that a leadership test could arrive as early as Wednesday.
James Johnson, co-founder of JL Partners and a former Downing Street pollster during Theresa May’s tenure, said the so-called partygate saga appeared to have damaged the Conservatives’ reputation among Red Wall voters.
The pollster said the main reason for West Yorkshire seat voters to vote for a candidate to succeed former Conservative incumbent Imran Ahmad Khan after being found guilty of sexual assault to a child, he preferred Labor because “Boris Johnson tried to cover the party door and lie to the public.”
According to the company, 60% of respondents to the online survey conducted between 13 and 22 May had a negative opinion of the Prime Minister.
James Johnson tweeted: “The main hesitations about voting Conservative: confidence, Boris and the feeling that the Conservatives are out of touch and only caring about the rich.
“All indications are that partygate has crystallized historical concerns about the Conservatives and has made the people of Wakefield decidedly against it.”
The poll could increase pressure on the prime minister, who is facing a second round of Tiverton and Honiton by-elections on the same day as Wakefield, following party revelations.
Last month, an investigation published by senior official Sue Gray revealed the details of a series of Covid non-compliance meetings held at No. 10 and at Whitehall.
The investigation found that there had been disrupted parties, with staff vomiting, arguing and being rude to security personnel.
It was found that the Prime Minister attended a series of outings for the aides, delivering speeches and joining in drinking alcohol, although at the same time he told the audience that he did not see the sick and dying loved ones in an attempt. to stop the spread. of the virus.
The publication of Mrs Gray’s findings has hastened Mr Johnson’s resignation, with almost 30 Conservative MPs calling for his resignation and criticizing him more publicly.
According to Conservative Party rules, if 54 letters of censure are sent in his capacity as Prime Minister to Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the Conservative Committee of the later bank of 1922, a leadership vote will be held.
The Sunday Times said up to 67 letters had been reported which, if correct, would mean the threshold has been reached.
The rebels would need 180 voters to remove the prime minister from power during the secret inquiry, otherwise they would allow him, under current rules, a one-year suspension before another offer to remove him could be made. lo.
A vote this week on his future as British Prime Minister will end some blunt days for Mr Johnson, who on Friday was booed on his arrival, along with his wife Carrie, for a service at St Paul’s Cathedral for celebrate the queen’s 70th birthday. reign.
Comedian Lee Mack also made a joke about the party at the Platinum Party concert at the Palace on Saturday evening, with the Prime Minister watching from the royal box at the time.
Shadow Culture Secretary Lucy Powell, writing in The Observer, said Mr Johnson’s decision to mock Mr Johnson was a reflection that did not uphold British values of diplomacy, the rule of law, decency and integrity.
“The Prime Minister has repeatedly shown that he is incapable of upholding these values, and public reaction at St Paul’s has shown that they know this too,” he said.
Johnson is reportedly seeking to appease his critics this week by announcing right-wing and Thatcherite policies, including the extension of the right-to-buy plan and the publication of national legislation designed to repeal elements of the Ireland Protocol. North that are causing friction in the Union.
It is feared that unilateral action on the protocol could trigger a trade war with Brussels.
The Foreign Ministry only said that the bill related to the Brexit treaty would be announced in due course, while the number 10 said that no date had been set for an announcement on the possibility that more tenants can buy the homes they rent from housing associations.