Guy Faulconbridge

LONDON (Reuters] -British Prime minister Boris Johnson struggled to maintain his primacy on Monday, as he was faced with the publication of a report into boozy parties in the British state that took place during COVID-19 lockdowns.

Johnson, who in 2019 won the biggest Conservative majority in more than 30 years, is now assailed by scandal, facing accusations that he and his staff partied https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/lockdown-party-allegations-facing-uk-pm-johnson-2022-01-13 during the worst pandemic for a century and a new accusation of racist discrimination https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-lawmaker-says-he-will-meet-police-over-government-blackmail-accusations-2022-01-22 in his party.

This week will see the publication of Sue Gray’s official inquiry into the lockdown parties by Cabinet Office officials.

Johnson gave a number of reasons for the gatherings: First, Johnson said that there were no violations of rules. Second, Johnson apologized to British residents for any hypocrisy.

Gray has interviewed Downing Street officers from police and reported that they have provided “extremely condemning” evidence.

Nick Timothy wrote that Johnson has “completely lost his authority,” he was the Downing Street chief-of-staff to Johnson’s Conservative counterpart Theresa May in the Telegraph.

Johnson said that Johnson’s power collapse was causing political chaos and more danger to the Conservatives. Johnson is not popular anymore, and he’s no longer in power.”

Johnson denied a claim that he was made aware of a May 20th “bring your own alcohol” gathering. He said he believed it was an event for work.

Dominic Cummings, his former senior advisor and harsh critic, said Monday that Gray was asking him questions in writing.

Toppling Johnson https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/how-uk-pm-johnson-could-be-ousted-by-unhappy-lawmakers-2022-01-19 would leave Britain in limbo for months just as the West deals with the Ukraine crisis and the world’s fifth largest economy grapples with a once-in-a-generation inflationary wave triggered by the pandemic.

To trigger a leadership challenge https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/first-rebellion-against-johnson-was-doomed-next-may-not-be-2022-01-21, 54 of the 359 Conservative MPs in parliament must write letters of no confidence to the chairman of the party’s 1922 Committee.

Leaders in the Conservative Party are Rishi Sunak, 41 (Chancellor of the Exchequer), and Liz Truss (46)

SCANDAL DISCRIMINATION

Johnson ordered Monday an inquiry by Johnson into the allegations of a lawmaker who claimed she was fired partly for making her colleagues uncomfortable.

Nusrat Ghani (49), who was a junior minister of transport, said that she had been informed by a whip – an enforcer parliamentary discipline – that her “Muslimness” had been brought up in her dismissal.

Downing Street reported that “the prime minister has requested the Cabinet Office conduct an inquiry into allegations made Nusrat Gani MP.” These claims are taken very seriously by the prime minister, as he stated at that time.

Mark Spencer, the chief whip of the government, claimed that he was at the heart of Ghani’s claims. They were false and defamatory, he said.

He said, “I’ve never used these words that are attributed to my name.”

Johnson spoke with Ghani in July 2020 to discuss “extremely grave” allegations, according to a spokesperson for the prime minister’s Office.

Downing Street claimed that Johnson had recommended Johnson make a formal complaint about the claims to Conservative Campaign Headquarters when they first surfaced.

Downing Street stated that “She didn’t accept this offer.”

Ghani made the allegation after a Conservative colleague said that he was going to meet with police to talk about allegations that whips in government had tried to “blackmail” lawmakers to try to remove Johnson.