{"id":21284,"date":"2022-04-13T07:09:07","date_gmt":"2022-04-13T07:09:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tahrir2day.com\/news\/2022\/04\/13\/scottish-tory-leader-says-pm-should-not-be-removed\/"},"modified":"2022-04-13T07:09:07","modified_gmt":"2022-04-13T07:09:07","slug":"scottish-tory-leader-says-pm-should-not-be-removed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tahrir2day.com\/news\/2022\/04\/13\/scottish-tory-leader-says-pm-should-not-be-removed\/","title":{"rendered":"Scottish Tory leader says PM should not be removed"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Scottish Tory leader has said Boris Johnson should not be removed from office “at this time” despite his fine for breaking lockdown rules. <\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Douglas Ross said he shares public anger at the Prime Minister’s “unacceptable” actions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But he said it would be wrong to destabilize the British government while the war in Ukraine rages on. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Chancellor Rishi Sunak and the PM’s wife Carrie Johnson are also fined for partying at Downing Street.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Downing Street has confirmed that Mr Johnson’s fine was linked to an event he attended on June 19, 2020 to celebrate his birthday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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His wife and Mr Sunak are also said to have been at the gathering, with an ITV report saying the Prime Minister was presented with a cake while people sang him Happy Birthday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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  • PM and Chancellor to be fined for lockdown parties<\/li>\n
  • Live reaction to the fines<\/li>\n
  • Are Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak dead?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    The fines are among more than 50 imposed so far by Met officials investigating alleged breaches of the law at 12 gatherings in Whitehall and Downing Street during lockdowns in 2020 and 2021.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Mr Johnson is the first sitting UK Prime Minister to be sanctioned for breaking the law.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer have both called for the resignation of Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    But Mr Ross said in a statement that removing the prime minister “would destabilize the British government when we must be united in the face of Russian aggression and the killing of innocent Ukrainians”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    He said the public was “rightfully angry” at what happened at Downing Street during lockdown, adding: “I understand why they are angry and share their anger. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    “The behavior was unacceptable. The Prime Minister must now respond to the imposition of these fines. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    “However, as I made very clear, in the midst of war in Europe, when Vladimir Putin is committing war crimes and Britain is Ukraine’s greatest ally, as President Zelenskyy said over the weekend, it would not be right to remove him, then Prime Minister.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Awkward doesn’t really cover the point where Douglas Ross is. Its credibility is in question. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    After concluding in January that the prime minister’s position was “unsustainable” before police investigated, he now argues the opposite as Boris Johnson was fined. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    This turnaround is not new. He did this in the early stages of the Ukraine war on the basis that Britain should present a united front against Russia. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Partygate has certainly united the opposition by calling for the Prime Minister’s resignation, with some arguing Britain cannot afford to be represented on the world stage by a right-breaking leader. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    There are also divisions within the Conservative Party, with former Scottish leader Ruth Davidson sticking to her view that Mr Johnson has lost the “moral authority” to govern. Indeed awkward. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Mr Johnson has confirmed he paid the fine and he has apologized but insisted he would not be stepping down on the matter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    “I accept in all sincerity that people had a right to expect better,” he said in an interview at his retreat on Checkers country.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    “[But] Now I feel even more committed to meeting the priorities of the British people.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Reports that Downing Street parties had been held during lockdown first surfaced in December last year, with Mr Johnson initially insisting that “guidelines were followed at all times”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    He later apologized for attending a drink party in Downing Street’s garden but told Parliament he believed he had attended a work event.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    That admission initially led to Mr Ross saying the Prime Minister’s position was no longer tenable, and he wrote to the 1922 Committee of Backbench Tory MPs in January, calling for a leadership contest. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    But he withdrew the letter in March, arguing that calls for Mr Johnson to resign should be put on hold following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Mr Johnson then attended the Scottish Conservatives Conference in Aberdeen, where he was greeted on stage by Mr Ross. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Mr Sunak was also asked in December in the House of Commons if he had attended any Christmas parties said to have taken place in 2020, and replied: “No, I did not attend any party.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    First Secretary Nicola Sturgeon tweeted that Mr Johnson had broken the law and “repeatedly lied to Parliament about it” and must therefore resign.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    She added: “The core values \u200b\u200bof integrity and decency – which are essential for the proper functioning of any parliamentary democracy – demand that he go. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    “And he should take his aloof chancellor with him.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Labor leader Sir Keir said the fines showed the Conservatives were “completely incapable of governing”, adding: “Britain deserves better.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    “Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have broken the law and repeatedly lied to the British public. They must both resign.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Scottish Green Party MSP Gillian Mackay said Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak were “a disgrace” and “if they have any shred of dignity left they will step down immediately”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    And the leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Alex Cole-Hamilton, said Parliament should be convened for a vote of no confidence in the Prime Minister. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Activists from the Covid-19 Survivors for Justice group also said there was “simply no way that neither the Prime Minister nor the Chancellor can go ahead”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Scottish Secretary Alister Jack issued a statement of support for Mr Johnston, saying he remains “the right person to lead this country at such a crucial time. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    However, former Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson tweeted that he had lost his moral authority and “should go”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The Scottish Tory leader has said Boris Johnson should not be removed from office “at this time” despite his fine for breaking lockdown rules. Douglas Ross said he shares public anger at the Prime Minister’s “unacceptable” actions. 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