HEREFORD and South Herefordshire MP Jesse Norman has become the latest Tory MP to announce that he has submitted a letter to Sir Graham Brady calling for a confidence vote in Boris Johnson.
His letter comes following civil servant Sue Gray's Partygate report. The Hereford Times has been pressing Mr Norman for his reaction to the report since it was published on May 25.
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In a letter to the Prime Minister posted on social media, Mr Norman said Mr Johnson had presided over “a culture of casual law-breaking” in No 10 and that his claim to be vindicated by the Sue Gray report was “grotesque”.
Mr Norman said that Boris Johnson’s current policy priorities were “deeply questionable” and that there were no circumstances in which he could serve in a government led by him.
I have supported Boris Johnson for 15 years, for the London Mayoralty and for PM. Very sadly, I have written to him to say I can no longer do so, for the reasons set out below. pic.twitter.com/0Mjs4hjeSF
— Jesse Norman (@Jesse_Norman) June 6, 2022
In his letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Norman, a former minister, warned that any breach of the Northern Irish Protocol would be “economically very damaging, politically foolhardy and almost certainly illegal”.
Boris Johnson is facing a vote of no confidence by Tory MPs pic.twitter.com/0tAEfReIcx
— PA Media (@PA) June 6, 2022
“You are the leader of the Conservative and Unionist party, yet you are putting the Union itself gravely at risk,” he said.
He said the Government’s Rwanda policy was “ugly, likely to be counterproductive and of doubtful legality” and that plans to privatise Channel 4 were “unnecessary and provocative”.
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Responding to Conservative MP Jesse Norman’s statement, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said MPs are “entitled to their views”.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Mr Javid said his colleagues are “entitled to their views and to express them and that’s how we come to a decision”.
“Jesse’s entitled his views,” he added.
“I’m entitled to my views and my view is that we don’t need a leadership election.
“What we need is to all rally around the Prime Minister and focus on delivery and deliver for the British people.”
A No 10 spokeswoman said: “Tonight is a chance to end months of speculation and allow the Government to draw a line and move on, delivering on the people’s priorities.
“The PM welcomes the opportunity to make his case to MPs and will remind them that when they’re united and focused on the issues that matter to voters there is no more formidable political force.”
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