Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Boris Johnson's shock exit reverberates through Tory party

Some Tory lawmakers who backed Johnson express disquiet

Boris Johnson's shock exit reverberates through Tory party

OLD rifts resurfaced in Tory party on Saturday (10) following former prime minister Boris Johnson's abrupt resignation from parliament, while the opposition Labour party sensed opportunity ahead of a general election next year.

Johnson quit late on Friday (9) in protest against an investigation by lawmakers into his conduct as prime minister during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, when lockdown-breaking parties were held in Downing Street.


In his resignation statement, Johnson railed against the inquiry that examined whether he misled the House of Commons about the gatherings, saying it had not found "a shred of evidence" against him. He also took aim at current prime minister Rishi Sunak.

Sunak's Tories, trailing badly in opinion polls, must now fight three by-elections in constituencies vacated on Friday by Johnson and his ally Nadine Dorries, and on Saturday by Nigel Adams, a former minister in the Johnson government.

Johnson's loyalists, some of whom received political honours from him hours before his resignation, praised his record in social media posts. The rest were silent.

"Well done Rishi for starting this nonsense!!" lawmaker Andrea Jenkyns wrote in a Tory WhatsApp group, according to a screenshot shared by a Sky News reporter.

Jenkyns received the honorary title of Dame in Johnson's resignation honours list published on Friday which critics derided as an exercise in cronyism.

His premiership was cut short last year in part by anger in his own party and across Britain over Covid rule-breaking lockdown parties in his Downing Street office and residence.

Henry Hill, deputy editor of the Tory Home website, said Johnson's exit meant he was no longer a "prince-over-water" in parliament who threatened Sunak's grip on the party.

"It will mean that any trouble made by his allies is much less potent," Hill told BBC radio.

A YouGov poll published on Saturday showed 65 per cent of Britons thought Johnson knowingly misled parliament, compared with 17 per cent who did not.

The opposition Labour party, which has a roughly 16-point lead over Sunak's Tories in opinion polls, said it relished the prospect of fighting the by-elections in Tory-held constituencies.

"We will be fighting to win in those constituencies," Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner told the BBC on Saturday.

"They've created a by-election because both of them (Johnson and Dorries) have thrown their toys out of the pram."

Johnson's decision to resign may be the end of his 22-year political career, where he rose from parliament to become mayor of London and then built a profile that tipped the balance of the 2016 European Union referendum in favour of Brexit, before becoming prime minister in 2019.

He did leave a possible door open to return, saying at the end of his resignation statement that it was "very sad to be leaving parliament - at least for now".

(Reuters)

More For You

Jolly Rancher Recalled in UK Over Cancer-Linked Chemical Fears

Jolly Rancher sweet products were recalled due to the presence of banned ingredients

Amazon.UK

Jolly Rancher candy recalled in UK over cancer-linked chemicals

An urgent warning has been issued in the UK after several popular Jolly Rancher sweet products were recalled due to the presence of banned ingredients linked to cancer. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has confirmed that certain products, including Jolly Rancher Hard Candy, ‘Misfits’ Gummies, Hard Candy Fruity 2 in 1, and Berry Gummies, are affected.

These sweets, produced by American confectionery giant Hershey, were found to contain Mineral Oil Aromatic Hydrocarbons (MOAH) and Mineral Oil Saturated Hydrocarbon (MOSH), both of which are derived from crude oil and have been associated with serious health risks, including cancer.

Keep ReadingShow less
British national survives Ahmedabad Air India crash

Rescue and relief work underway following the Air India plane crash, in Ahmedabad. (PTI Photo)

British national survives Ahmedabad Air India crash

ONE survivor walked away from the Air India aircraft that crashed at Ahmedabad airport earlier this morning (12), according to the latest reports from India.

Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, a UK national, was in seat 11A of the Air India Flight 171 bound for London Gatwick when it crashed shortly after take off from Ahmedabad with 242 people on board.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India crash: Former Gujarat chief minister Rupani was on aircraft

FILE PHOTO: Former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani. (PTI Photo)

Air India crash: Former Gujarat chief minister Rupani was on aircraft

FORMER Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani was believed to be on board the London-bound Air India plane that crashed near the Ahmedabad airport soon after take-off on Thursday (12), a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said.

"Vijay Rupani was going to London by the Air India flight," senior BJP leader Bhupendrasinh Chudasama told reporters in Ahmedabad. "I am going to the city civil hospital to inquire about him," he added.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India crash: Police collect 204 dead bodies

Police said they had collected 204 dead bodies (PTI photo)

Air India crash: Police collect 204 dead bodies

  • All 242 passengers on board believed to have been killed in the Air India crash AI-171 in Ahmedabad
  • Air India passenger hotline numbers - 1800 5691 444 and for foreign nationals +91 8062779200
  • There were 169 Indian passengers, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and a Canadian on board the flight bound for London Gatwick
  • Contact @HCI_London on the emergency number 07768765035 with regard to emergency visa assistance to travel to India if needed

POLICE in Ahmedabad said they had collected 204 dead bodies after the London-bound Air India aircraft with 242 people on board crashed into residential buildings after takeoff on Thursday (12).

“We have found 204 bodies,” city police commissioner GS Malik said, adding that 41 injured people were “under treatment”.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer says scenes of Air India plane crash 'devastating'

Keir Starmer. (Photo by JORDAN PETTITT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Starmer says scenes of Air India plane crash 'devastating'

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer on Thursday (12) expressed his anguish following a plane crash involving a London-bound Air India flight with 53 British nationals among 242 on board, shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport.

"The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating,” Starmer said in a statement.

Keep ReadingShow less