Plaid Cymru MP tells Tories to ‘discover their backbones’ and oust Boris Johnson

A Plaid Cymru MP has told the Tories to “discover their backbones” and oust Boris Johnson.

The intervention in the House of Commons by Hywel Williams comes in the wake of a bombshell report into partygate by top civil servant Sue Gray.

The long-awaited report into parties in Downing Street has said that there is no need to wait for the police to investigate to know that the gatherings within there and elsewhere should not have taken place.

The report said that the public “rose to the challenge” of the Covid pandemic but that there were “failures of leadership” inside No 10.

It has not been published in full because the most serious allegations are being investigated by the police. Sue Gray re-wrote it after the Met Police  asked for only “minimal reference” to be made to events they are looking at, in order to “avoid any prejudice to our investigation”.

Many Conservative MPs had said they are waiting for the findings of the report before deciding whether to put in letters to trigger a vote of no confidence in the beleaguered Prime Minister.

Hywel Williams told the House of Commons:  “Whatever the Police decide, this ‘update’ – severely limited as it is – would be enough to persuade any other Prime Minister to resign.

“This Prime Minister could resign and salvage himself a crumb or two of honour. Or he may try to delay and take his party down with him.

“So, Mr Speaker, is it not clear that with notable exceptions, his backbenchers should discover their backbones and sack him?”

Boris Johnson responded: “I must really ask him to look at the report properly and also to wait for the inquiry when it comes.”

‘Should not have been allowed’

In the report, Sue Gray says: “As I have noted, a number of these gatherings should not have been allowed to take place or to develop in the way that they did.

“There is significant learning to be drawn from these events which must be addressed immediately across Government.

“This does not need to wait for the police investigations to be concluded.”

Responding to the release of the Sue Gray update, Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS said: “This watered-down update is hugely disappointing.

“Everyone knows Boris Johnson broke the rules and then lied to the country. It’s time Welsh Conservative Members of Parliament stood by their duty to their constituents and stood up for decency by sacking Boris Johnson. He must go before he does our country any more harm.

“Welsh Members of the Senedd should also call for Johnson to resign. Many of the Welsh Conservative MPs and MSs stated they will wait to see what is in Sue Gray’s report, now it is here, albeit, in redacted form, it is time for them to take action.

“The Prime Minister cannot continue to lead with any creditability amongst the population should he decide to struggle on.”