LABOUR MP for Coventry South Zarah Sultana has called for the Prime Minister to resign after the revelations about the Downing Street parties.
Zarah Sultana, speaking in Parliament during an ‘urgent question’ asked a Government minister if he was ’embarrassed’ that Boris Johnson ‘still had not had the decency to resign’.
Emails leaked to the press show senior Downing Street officials had invited more than 100 people to a ‘bring your own booze’ (BYOB) party in the garden of Number 10 on May 20 in 2020 to ‘make the most of the lovely weather’.
It has been alleged Boris Johnson attended but he has not publicly denied or confirmed he was there but said ‘the rules had not been broken’.
It came during a time when restrictions meant people could only meet with one other person outdoors.
Ms Sultana said: “On the day in question, people in Coventry were heeding government guidance and following the rules, with heart-breaking accounts of people being unable to see loved ones on their deathbeds. But Boris Johnson’s most senior advisors were organising a booze up in his garden.
“It’s absolutely scandalous, yet the Prime Minister was too cowardly to come to Parliament to face up to it today.
“He can run from it, but he can’t hide.
“He lives in Number 10 – he can’t pretend he didn’t know about the party.”
She cited several ‘scandals’ she said ‘the PM had overseen’ including more than 150,000 Covid deaths – the highest in Europe, a cost of living crisis after withdrawing the Universal Credit uplift and donations for decorating his Downing Street home.
“This is the latest in a long list of Conservative scandals and it’s long past the time Boris Johnson did the right thing and resigned.”
In response to repeated allegations of Downing Street parties, the Prime Minister launched an inquiry, now headed by Sue Gray, a senior civil servant.
In response to questions in Parliament Government minister Michael Ellis MP repeatedly said Ms Gray’s inquiry would provide answers and accused Ms Sultana of ‘unsubstantiated accusations’.
On social media Ms Sultana asked if the claims were ‘unsubstantiated’ why had the PM refused to deny them?
She added: “It’s time for the Prime Minister to go.”
