THERE is not “a chance in hell” that Boris Johnson will stand down voluntarily, a Tory peer has said, as a former Conservative Party leader warned it would be a “very difficult task” to win back the trust of the public.
Gavin Barwell, who served as chief of staff to Theresa May and now sits in the House of Lords, said there was a “strong case for change” at the top of Government.
But he said Johnson would not leave office of his own accord. Speaking on Sky’s Trevor Phillips On Sunday, Barwell said: “My inclination is that the Conservative Party would be better making a change and I also think, for the good of the country in terms of trust and faith in our politics, there’s a strong case for change.
“But it’s not up to me to make a decision. Ultimately, this is a decision that, up until the next election at least, is one for Conservative MPs.”
He added: “I don’t think there’s a chance in hell that the Prime Minister is going to voluntarily resign. He’s going to stay there unless Conservative MPs remove him or unless he loses an election. I don’t see any prospect of him voluntarily standing down.”
READ MORE: Kirsty Strickland: Met Police has duty to act quickly on Partygate investigation
Meanwhile, former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said the Downing Street Partygate saga and its aftermath had been “hugely damaging” and the public were “very angry”.
Asked whether it was possible to recover the reputation of the Tory Party with Boris Johnson remaining as Prime Minister, he told the BBC’s Sunday Morning programme: “None of us know the answer to that question ... Respect and trust you have to earn, and when you lose it, it’s very difficult task to get it back across the board.
“And so that’s going to be a huge task. The Government and the Prime Minister have set out to try to do that.”
Duncan Smith said he still thought Johnson was the right person to lead “at the moment”.
He said: “My sense right now is that if we go and plunge ourselves into a leadership election, vote of confidence – which in the end always damages leaders even if they win it – and then maybe a leadership election, internecine warfare, in the midst of which we’re facing a big cost of living crisis Getting that sorted, that is our number one priority.
He said other political players who might be vying for a leadership bid should “temper their ambition” for now.
“Ambition is a thing that exists in all of us, but it’s ambition at the right time. I would say to people, ‘temper your ambition’,” he said.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel