LONDON (REUTERS) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday (Jan 19) he would not resign and people should await the outcome of an inquiry into alleged parties held in his Downing Street residence during coronavirus lockdowns.
Asked by an opposition Liberal Democrat lawmaker whether it was now time to resign, Mr Johnson told Parliament: "No."
"I apologise sincerely for any misjudgments that were made," he added, before asking her to "wait for the inquiry next week" before drawing any conclusions.
Meanwhile a lawmaker quit Mr Johnson's Conservative Party on Wednesday to defect to the opposition, calling the British Prime Minister's behaviour disgraceful as he faces a growing rebellion from within his own ranks against his premiership.
Mr Christian Wakeford, who represents the Bury South constituency in northern England, said Mr Johnson's policies were doing nothing to help the people he represents and that he was joining the opposition Labour Party.
"My decision is about much more than your leadership and the disgraceful way you have conducted yourself in recent weeks," said Mr Wakeford, referring to a growing scandal over reports of parties being held at Downing Street during Covid-19 lockdowns.
"I can no longer support a government that has shown itself consistently out of touch with the hard-working people of Bury South and the country as a whole," added Mr Wakeford.
Brexit-supporting Conservative lawmaker David Davis told Parliament: "I expect my leaders to shoulder the responsibility for the actions they take.”
Mr Davis cited a quote from Conservative lawmaker Leo Amery, to then Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain over his handling of war in 1940: “You have sat there too long for the good you have done. In the name of God, go.”
Toppling Mr Johnson would leave the United Kingdom in limbo for months just as the West deals with the Ukraine crisis and the world’s fifth largest economy grapples with the inflationary wave triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic, with UK inflation rising to the highest level in nearly 30 years.
To trigger a leadership challenge, 54 of the 360 Conservative MPs in Parliament must write letters of no confidence to the chairman of the party’s 1922 Committee.
Implored to stay by one supporter, Mr Johnson said he had not yet “sat here quite long enough, indeed nothing like long enough”.
