Why is UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson facing calls to resign?

Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister, is fighting for his job after meetings at his official residence were apparently in violation of his own Covid lockdown restrictions.

Mr Johnson is accused of misleading the public and parliament about drinks parties held at 10 Downing Street in London, putting his leadership in jeopardy.

He is facing not only calls to resign from opposition politicians, but also a mutiny among Conservative Party members.

In addition to the revelations regarding potentially Covid-breaching events, he has been under fire on other fronts, including money for a flat renovation and a row last year in which his government attempted to save a Conservative MP.

To add to the confusion, Mr Johnson’s former senior adviser, Dominic Cummings, has come out against the prime minister, claiming that the prime minister was told of a drinks party in the Downing Street garden before to the event.

Conservatives are now debating whether the man who helped secure the Brexit vote and a comfortable majority in the past election is indeed expendable.

Let’s take a look back at how we got here – and where we might be headed – as the prime minister’s position becomes increasingly precarious.

What information do we have regarding the gatherings?

Mr Johnson attended a “BYOB” (or “bring your own booze”) party in the Downing Street garden in the spring of 2020, during England’s first Covid lockdown.

People could not leave their homes – or be outside the place where they lived – without a legitimate justification, according to official laws at the time. Work (if you couldn’t work from home), exercise, and getting items like food and medicine were all provided.

The rule also made it illegal for groups of more than two persons to congregate in a public location unless they were all members of the same household or the meeting was “necessary for job purposes.”

The Downing Street garden party is thought to have drew around 30 attendees. Lawyers, on the other hand, have pointed out that the place is not a public space.

In a different incident, a photo dated May 2020 shows the prime minister and his staff in the Downing Street garden with bottles of wine and a cheeseboard. When queried about it, he explained that it was because people were “at work talking about work.”

The prime minister has apologized for “misjudgments” and stated that he was unaware the gathering he went on May 20th was a party and had “implicitly” assumed it was a work function.

Several further meetings were recorded in late 2020 and April 2021, including two parties involving Mr Johnson’s workers hosted the night before Prince Philip’s funeral — when indoor mixing was still prohibited.

Mr Johnson was not there at either event, and his office later apologized to the Queen after the claims surfaced.

However, the public and lawmakers on all sides have been outraged by the revelations and his handling of the situation.

What exactly is being looked into?
An investigation is underway to gain a “general understanding of the nature” of the Downing Street gatherings and determine whether any “individual disciplinary action” is necessary.

The report, which is being overseen by senior civil servant Sue Gray, is expected to be mostly factual and will not rule on whether lockdown rules were broken.

However, if her investigation reveals proof of potentially criminal behavior, the police will be notified.

Ms Gray’s professionalism has been lauded, but she faces the tough challenge of conducting an investigation.

Mr Johnson has urged MPs to wait for the results of Ms Gray’s investigation before pronouncing judgment on his actions.

When it was revealed that one of the parties had been held in his own office, the UK’s senior civil servant, Simon Case, stood down from conducting the same inquiry into the parties in December 2021.

Is it possible to oust the Prime Minister without holding an election?

Yes. Because, unlike the United States, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is not directly elected, Mr Johnson, as the leader of the ruling Conservative Party, relies on the ongoing support of his MPs.

Conservative MPs who doubt Mr Johnson’s competence to lead the country can write letters of no confidence in him if he is accused of lying to parliament and the public.

If 54 MPs from the prime minister’s own party submit letters, a confidence vote will be held, and if the prime minister loses, a leadership race will be held.

Other potential leaders will then require at least two Conservative MPs to nominate them.

If there are multiple candidates, a series of ballots will be used to narrow them down to two.

Between rounds, candidates may withdraw, and if all but one remain, the surviving contender will be elected leader without the need for a vote from the members.

Only a few Conservative MPs have publicly expressed their disapproval of the prime minister, but others are rumored to be considering sending letters, and one MP told Bazzup that they were considering it.

So, what’s next?
While a few Conservative MPs have joined the clamor of opposition parties calling for Mr Johnson to resign, the majority have openly stated that they will wait for the results of Sue Gray’s investigation before making any decisions.

MPs can also retract letters of no confidence, and it’s unclear at this point how many will do so when the time comes.

Meanwhile, the inquiry will not pass judgment on the prime minister or his actions, but will just lay out the facts.

Ms Gray’s investigation, the results of which are expected next week, may determine that there is no irrefutable evidence that Mr Johnson was notified the drinks party in his garden was a violation of the regulations.

Conservative MPs, on the other hand, will be paying close attention to what voters think, as the prime minister’s poll numbers are already plummeting.