Letter: Our MPs should have more guts and call for Johnson's resignation

SIR – Desmond Swayne says Boris Johnson’s apology for the lockdown party was "fulsome" (A&T, 14th January). Christopher Chope believes it was "abject", showed contrition and that reasonable people should accept it, with the caveat that an inquiry is in progress.

I’m a reasonable person and I don’t accept the Prime Minister’s so-called apology for one moment. It was pathetic, risible and as full of holes as a colander.

If he believed "implicitly" that it was a work event, why was his wife there? Weren’t the bottles, food and music a bit of a giveaway? If he wanted to thank his staff, could he not have sent a group email?

All the PM is sorry about is getting caught.

What makes his ludicrous non-apology even more outrageous is learning that immediately after his statement, he reportedly toured the House of Commons tearoom, telling Tory MPs that sometimes one has to carry the can for other people’s mistakes.

He has now allegedly launched Operation Save Big Dog, a move which would get rid of the various staff members he seeks to blame for the culture of rule-breaking. But as the most senior leader person at Number 10, and a politician notorious for flouting the rules throughout his life, he has set the tone for others to follow.

His elastic relationship with the truth is also a matter of record. When caught out, he blusters, bluffs, ducks, and dives to avoid giving a straight answer. When all else fails, he blames someone else.

You might think that revelations about boozy parties at Number 10 the night before our elderly monarch followed the rules by sitting alone at her husband’s funeral would have shamed Boris Johnson into tendering his resignation.

But this is a man without integrity. It’s all about him, not what’s best for the country – or for the UK’s reputation worldwide.

Desmond Swayne and Christopher Chope choose to reserve judgement until for the results of the inquiry. This may or may not find that the PM broke the ministerial code.

However, the gravity of this scandal has simply underlined the fact that time and again, Boris Johnson shows he is not fit to hold high public office.

Some Tory MPs have had the guts to acknowledge this unpalatable fact and are calling for his resignation. Messrs Swayne and Chope should join them.

Sheila Purcell,
Brockenhurst