Speaking at a hearing of the powerful Liaison Committee – which is made up of select parliamentary committee chairs – the Prime Minister was told by SNP MP Angus McNeill that “the game is up”. Asked by Mr MacNeil if he would remain in his post tomorrow, the Prime Minister replied: “Of course.” Politics Hub: Boris Johnson on the brink as resignations continue Later asked by Labour’s Darren Jones, chairman of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee, how his week was going, Mr Johnson replied: “Great”. Mr Jones told the prime minister “on a very human level, you have to know it’s in the country’s best interest to leave”. The Labor MP said it was “no joke” for Johnson to stay in office, telling the prime minister: “It’s not a game.” But Mr Johnson reiterated that he had a “duty” to carry on and would not be “responsible” to leave No 10 given the scale of the challenges facing the country. “I look at the pressures people are under and the need for the government to focus on that, on its priorities, what we’re doing,” he told committee members. “I have been watching the biggest war in Europe for over 80 years and I cannot for the life of me see how it is responsible to walk away from it. “Like I said earlier, especially not when you have a mandate like the one we won two, three years ago.” Mr Johnson insisted that both the truth and the accuracy of the language were “very important” to him during a series of inquiries by the Conservative chairman of the Justice Select Committee, Sir Bob Neill. Meanwhile, William Wragg, a Tory MP who described the prime minister’s position as “untenable” in January, asked Mr Johnson “At what point does it become impossible for the Queen to continue in government?” Mr Johnson replied: “I really think you are underestimating the talent, energy and sheer ambition of MPs and wanting to get things done.” He added that governments cannot solve problems “by threatening to call elections”. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 2:09 Cabinet looks on as Boris Johnson fends off criticism and calls for resignation. PM to “continue” At PMQs, the prime minister pledged to “continue” in his role, despite the fact that 27 MPs at the time had resigned from his government. The number of resignations, which began after Number 10 admitted Johnson knew about allegations of misconduct by MP Chris Pincher from 2019 before hiring him as deputy leader in February, has now passed 30. Mr Pincher resigned from the role last week after further allegations that he abused two men at a private club in London and was later expelled from the Conservative Party. Former senior civil servant Lord MacDonald revealed on Tuesday that the Prime Minister had been told personally about the 2019 allegations, despite what Downing Street told the press. At the Liaison Committee hearing, the Prime Minister once again refused to deny that he had said “Pincher by name, Pincher by nature” in relation to the disgraced MP’s actions. Less than 12 hours later, Rishi Sunak resigned as chancellor and Sajid Javid stepped down as health secretary, sparking an uproar from more junior ministers who said they could no longer support Mr Johnson. An ally of the prime minister told Sky News that Johnson will fight to the end, not because he believes he will change things, but because he wants to appear to be being dragged from office. Asked if the prime minister knew the end was coming, the ally appeared to suggest Mr Johnson did, adding “of course he has eyes and ears”. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 2:33 Sam Coates explains how those who support the Prime Minister are trying to save his position – and how those who don’t could try to get rid of him. 1922 The committee could change the confidence vote rules But it may not be up to Mr Johnson whether he is allowed to continue as prime minister, as the 1922 executive committee of Tory MPs is expected to meet at 4pm. to discuss possible rule changes – which could lead to another trust vote their leader. Under current rules, the prime minister is now immune from another leadership challenge for 12 months. The prime minister narrowly survived a vote of confidence by Tory MPs last month – but suffered a rebellion bigger than Theresa May. Some 211 MPs voted in favor of the prime minister, against 148 votes against – a majority of 63. After PMQs, Number 10 said Mr Johnson would fight any new vote of confidence in him from supporters and believed he still had the support of a majority of his MPs. Meanwhile, resignations continued as the prime minister was investigated by the Liaison Committee over “integrity” issues. Conservative MP and Transport Select Committee chairman Huw Merriman appears to have published his letter calling on the Prime Minister to get into the same room as Mr Johnson. A particularly damning letter from Mike Freer, who resigned as minister for exports and equalities, reported “an atmosphere of hostility towards LGBT+ people”. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 2:09 Cabinet looks on as Boris Johnson fends off criticism and calls for resignation. The Prime Minister should take responsibility and resign Earlier at PMQs, Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer attacked the prime minister for his handling of the scandal, reading the allegations leveled at Mr Pincher as “a reminder to everyone who supports this prime minister how serious the situation is”. In heated exchanges at PMQs, the Labor leader said his list of resignations had left a “z-list of nodding dogs” on his front bench. He also criticized those who resigned from the government, saying they lacked an iota of integrity as they failed to resign due to other scandals engulfing the Johnson administration. Opposition MPs were not the only ones to get the boot, with several in the Conservative backbenches using PMQs to tell Mr Johnson to go. Gary Sambrook, an executive member of the Tories’ 1922 committee, which could be key to the prime minister’s future, said Mr Johnson was “always trying to get off the mark, always trying to blame other people for mistakes and [there is] there was nothing left for him but to take responsibility and resign.” While David Davis, who called for the prime minister to go six months ago, repeated his demand. When he was told at the committee that a delegation of senior Conservatives was waiting in Downing Street, calling on him to resign, the Prime Minister refused to attend to the reports. “I am not going to comment on current political events, we will deal with the government of the country,” he said.
