THE WOKINGHAM Liberal Democrat leader has reacted to the prime minister’s statement in the House of Commons yesterday.
Cllr Clive Jones said that this is a “damning moment for Boris Johnson”, and called on Sir John Redwood, Wokingham’s Conservative MP to speak out.
“The Conservative MP for our area cannot hide behind lame excuses any longer,” he said. “We all know while people in Wokingham made terrible sacrifices during lockdowns, Boris Johnson and his team were partying in Downing Street.
“It is time for Sir John Redwood to sack Boris Johnson. No more ifs or buts.
“It is an insult to everyone in our area to see the local Conservative MP refusing to sack a Conservative Prime Minister who broke the law and lied about it.”
He added: “We all have painful memories of that lockdown, from not being able to see dying relatives, to being separated for months on end from our friends and family.”
Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Ed Davey MP said: “Everyone knows Boris Johnson broke the rules and lied to the country.
“It’s time Conservative MPs did their patriotic duty, listened to their constituents and stood up for decency by sacking Boris Johnson. He must go before he does our country any more harm.”
Sir John Redwood said: “I have always said that those in Government who imposed the laws on us and told us to obey them had a duty to observe them themselves.
“The prime minister has rightly apologised for the way people working long hours in the Downing Street offices, often using the garden for greater safety, blurred the lines between their necessary work and events to thank staff or bid farewell to staff leaving.
“There is also the complication that the Downing Street Garden is also the garden for the residents of Downing Street including the PM and his wife.
“I also support the Gray Report in its findings that the culture in the Downing Street offices was not acceptable and the excessive consumption of alcohol has to end.”
Sir John added: “The prime minister has said he will be taking action to improve the management structure of the prime minister’s department, and will require improvements in culture and behaviour. This is clearly an urgent necessity.
“We also await any decisions by the Metropolitan Police who will investigate some of the gatherings further to see if the law was broken.
“The [Gray] Report we have now seen does not tell us much about the nature of the events listed, who went to them and who organised them. These will presumably be examined by the police.”
