British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing an increasingly desperate fight to hold on to his position as his Conservative Party turned against him following yet another scandal. Formerly close allies and supporters have seemingly lost confidence in his leadership. The powerful 1922 committee, which governs the Conservative Party’s rules and procedures, decided to elect a new committee on Monday, which will then consider changing the rules to allow another “vote of no confidence” against Johnson after 38 ministers resigned over revelations that the prime minister had hired an accused sex offender to a senior government role. Johnson initially denied reports that he had received a complaint that Rep. Chris Pincher allegedly fondled two guests at a private gathering in 2019 — a man he later promoted to deputy leader. But Lord Simon McDonald of Salford, the former head of the diplomatic service, said Johnson had been made aware of the allegations, prompting Johnson to claim he had “forgotten”.
BRITISH PRIME MINISTER BORIS JOHNSON FACES MULTIPLE LEADERSHIP RESIGNATIONS “Mr Johnson was informed in person of the initiative and the outcome of the investigation. There was a ‘formal complaint’,” the former head of the diplomatic service said in a letter to Catherine Stone, the parliamentary standards commissioner. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson joins CNN’s Jake Tapper for an episode of “State of the Union” on Sunday, June 26. (CNN) The admission prompted a flurry of resignations, which in turn prompted senior officials to call on Johnson to step down as his government continues to crumble. British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid were the first to jump on board, followed by dozens of others – and more are leaving every hour. Sky News reported that Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis planned to meet Johnson on Wednesday night when they will ask him to resign. BANK OF ENGLAND TELLS LENDERS TO PREPARE FOR FINANCIAL STORM In addition, newly appointed finance minister Nadhim Zahawi reportedly joined calls for Johnson to resign just 24 hours after the prime minister appointed him to his new role. Sky News reporters standing outside 10 Downing Street said it appeared “the noose is tightening” and “game over” for Johnson, who has faced an endless string of scandals in recent months. LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 17: British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak listens (C) as Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks at the weekly cabinet meeting at Downing Street on May 17, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Henry Nicholls-WPA Pool/Getty Images)
The prime minister insisted he would not call an election, telling the Liaison Committee on Wednesday he believed an election would be held two years from now “at the earliest”. A defiant Johnson insisted he is having a “great” week and instead wants to “talk about what the government is going to do, not comment on political events”. British chancellor quits over protests from Boris Johnson, says ‘we can’t go on like this’ Johnson survived a “no confidence” challenge in June after new evidence emerged suggesting the Conservative Party would lose control of the government if a general election was held. Johnson faced allegations of sanctioning wild parties in government offices while the country endured a strict lockdown during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Liaison Committee member Labor MP Darren Jones branded the prime minister “deluded” for avoiding questions about his leadership and instead focusing on “fertiliser supplies”.
“They looked pretty bleak to me,” Jones told Sky News of his Tory colleagues after the committee meeting. “I think everyone knows that Boris Johnson’s time is up, he has to go and they probably want to get on with it as quickly as possible.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Conservative MP Andrew Murrison told Sky News that Boris should leave “with dignity” but that he feared Johnson would leave instead after only “an extraordinary piece”. “He’ll go,” Murrison said. “The question is when and in what way, and I sincerely hope he goes in a dignified way, that he goes now, instead of dragging it out, which is not in his best interest, it’s not in the best interest of the party that we both serve . and it is certainly not in the interest of the country.” Peter Aitken is a Fox News Digital reporter with a focus on national and global news.