In spite of signs that Partygate row has made it clear that anyone could rebel against Boris Johnson, today’s revolt appears to have reached the junior ministers.
A number of private secretaries from the political world, representing the lowest level on the ministerial ladder, slapped the Prime Minister and No10 team in private.
Paul Holmes is believed to have said that one of the PM’s secretaries, Dan Rosenfield, told him that heads must roll amid all the chaos surrounding the government.
Jane Hunt, an aide to Cabinet Office Minister Steve Barclay, is alleged by the Sunday Times to have told him: ‘I wouldn’t p*** on you if you were on fire.’
According to the comments, Johnson was unable to reply about MPs supporting him on Government payroll if backbenchers cause a confidence vote.
Gordon Brown, an ex-prime minister of Labour, was also present to help lighten the fire.
Speaking to Sky News he warned that Mr Johnson’s Government will likely end in scandal, former prime minister Gordon Brown has said.
Trevor Phillips: Sunday’s interview with Mr Brown.
“And I don’t believe we will see this administration end with anything but scandal.”
One, Paul Holmes, is said to have told Dan Rosenfield, the PM’s private secretaries that ‘heads must roll’, while Jane Hunt, an aide to Cabinet Office Minister Steve Barclay, is alleged by the Sunday Times to have told him: ‘I wouldn’t piss on you if you were on fire.’
This happened as the Tory civil conflict erupted into more conflict over alleged Islamophobia today, after an ex-minister claimed that Boris Johnson told her she was going to fire her because she is ‘Muslim’.
Nusrat Ghani, 49, alleges she was told by a party whip she was being axed as a transport minister in February 2020 because her status as a Muslim woman and a minister was ‘making colleagues feel uncomfortable’.
Dominic Raab (Deputy Prime Minister) stated Tory MPs have rallied behind Boris Johnson, ahead of this week’s expected publication of the Downing Street report on lockdown parties.
Raab said that there was a strong support for the Prime Minister. He could sense it from the room.
‘I think that booster campaigns have been so successful. Now we’re coming out of lockdown measures and we’re opening the economy. All of this is because the Prime Minister made the call.
Raab was unable to answer questions about whether Sue Gray, the Whitehall senior civil servant,’s conclusions would be published full-text, even though he said there would be ‘full disclosure’.
He said, “The Prime Minister will decide the procedure.”
Boris Johnson reiterated that if found guilty of misleading Parliament about what he knew, and when it was concerning a number of illegal parties on Dowenign Street, he would be forced to resign.
The Deputy Prime Minister stated that the code of conduct for ministers clearly states that it is illegal to mislead Parliament.
He suggested that publication of Gray’s report might take a little longer than anticipated.
“If it takes more than a day, that is perfectly fine. Sue Gray ought to decide this,’ he stated.
Brown stated that the attention had shifted to other issues such as the Afghan humanitarian crisis and the rise in living expenses in the UK. He also mentioned Russia’s aggressive actions against Ukraine through the Downing Street party.