Boris Johnson is facing fresh calls to resign as Prime Minister over revelations that he attended another Downing Street garden party at the height of last year’s covid lockdown.
Ian Blackford, the SNP Westminster leader, said Johnson was “sticking two fingers up at everybody else” by allowing Downing Street staff to gather at a second alleged summer party last May.
The Prime Minister is facing fury from within his own party over a bombshell leaked e-mail showing more than 100 No10 staff were invited to a ‘bring your own booze’ drinks party on May 20 last year.
Blackford said: "The Prime Minister and others were telling people what they should do, and then effectively sticking two fingers up to everybody else by having this party by encouraging people to bring their own booze.'
"This wasn’t about having a drink at home, this was a deliberate attempt to have a party in contravention of the rules and the law when we know that many people were being arrested charged, and facing criminal sanctions as a consequence.”
As Labour demanded the Prime Minister “come clean” with a Commons statement on the issue, Blackford said it was time for Tory MPs to move against Johnson and force him to resign.
He said: “When you have a situation that Prime Minister that has behaved in such an egregious way cannot now have moral authority to give leadership at a time of crisis. His time has gone, he should have the dignity and self respect to recognise he should resign.”
Blackford said that a motion of no-confidence, which would have to be lodged by the Labour opposition, would only serve to strengthen the Prime Minister by forcing Tory MPs to back the Prime Minister.
But the SNP leader asked Conservative MPs “how much are you prepared to take?”
He added: “If he wins a vote of no confidence that would embolden him. That’s why it’s really up to the Conservative MPs that recognise that this man is doing tremendous damage to the United Kingdom, to have the strength of their own conviction to recognise that he has to go.”
Labour criticised Johnson for hiding behind an investigation by senior civil servant Sue Gray into the events at Downing Street and published a list of eleven times they claimed the Prime Minister "lied" about the issue.
Angela Rayner MP, deputy Leader of the Labour Party, said: “The truth is out now. Not only did Boris Johnson know about the parties, he attended them and he lied.
“It’s time for the Prime Minister to stop hiding behind Whitehall inquiries and finally come clean."
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