New Times,
New Thinking.

  1. Chart of the Day
1 February 2022

Most voters want Boris Johnson to resign

The prime minister's defence in the face of lockdown party criticism has done little to change public opinion.

By Afiq Fitri

Boris Johnson’s efforts to stem the tide of criticism against him during a heated session in the House of Commons yesterday have done little to change the electorate’s opinion of his premiership.

More than six in ten Britons (63 per cent) continue to believe Johnson should quit, according to a YouGov snap poll conducted after the publication of Sue Gray’s much-anticipated preliminary report on lockdown parties at Downing Street. 

 

While scant on detail, the 12-page report highlighted “failures of leadership and judgement” at the heart of No 10 and said that the events represented a “serious failure” to uphold the standards expected not only of the government but of the public. Sixteen gatherings on 12 dates in 2020 and 2021 were examined for evidence of breaches of pandemic rules. Twelve of the events are being investigated by the Metropolitan Police.  

After multiple Conservative MPs demanded an unredacted version of the report, a No 10 spokesperson said that Gray would reopen the inquiry and that a new version of its findings would be presented once the police finish their investigations.

Content from our partners
How to solve the teaching crisis
Pitching in to support grassroots football
Putting citizen experience at the heart of AI-driven public services

Give a gift subscription to the New Statesman this Christmas from just £49