Sign up for our daily briefing

Make your busy days simpler with the Axios AM and PM newsletters. Catch up on what’s new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.

Catch up on the day’s biggest business stories

Subscribe to the Axios Closer newsletter for insights into the day’s business news and trends and why they matter.

Sign up for Axios Pro Rata

Dive into the world of dealmakers across VC, PE and M&A with Axios Pro Rata. Delivered daily to your inbox by Dan Primack and Kia Kokalitcheva.

Sports news worthy of your time

Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with the Axios Sports newsletter. Sign up for free.

Tech news worthy of your time

Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.

Get the inside stories

Get an insider’s guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.

Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday

Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday

Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?

Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver

Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?

Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Des Moines newsletter.

Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?

Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities

Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?

Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Tampa Bay newsletter.

Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?

Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte

Want a daily digest of the top Nashville news?

Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Nashville newsletter.

Want a daily digest of the top Columbus news?

Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Columbus newsletter.

Want a daily digest of the top Dallas news?

Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Dallas newsletter.

Want a daily digest of the top Austin news?

Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Austin newsletter.

Want a daily digest of the top Atlanta news?

Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Atlanta newsletter.

Want a daily digest of the top Philadelphia news?

Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Philadelphia newsletter.

Want a daily digest of the top Chicago news?

Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Chicago newsletter.

Sign up for Axios NW Arkansas

Stay up-to-date on the most important and interesting stories affecting NW Arkansas, authored by local reporters

Want a daily digest of the top DC news?

Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios DC newsletter.

Today’s front pages. Photo: Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu Agency via Getty

With speculation already swirling that members of Parliament from Boris Johnson’s own party might soon force him out, the Daily Telegraph (his former employer) added Thursday to the drip, drip of doom over lockdown-defying parties in Downing Street.

Driving the news: The night before Prince Philip’s funeral last April — at which Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II sat alone due to social distancing rules — Downing Street staff gathered at two parties for departing colleagues.

  • The rules at the time said Brits were not allowed to socialize indoors except with members of their own households.
  • But some of the people helping to write those rules were, according to the Telegraph, dancing and drinking until after midnight. Johnson didn’t attend.

State of play: Johnson apologized on Wednesday for attending a different BYOB party during a strict lockdown in May 2020 (more precisely, he apologized for the impression it caused but said he believed it to be a “work event”).

  • Johnson asked members to reserve judgment until after senior civil servant Sue Gray completes her inquiry into alleged lockdown violations on Downing Street.
  • At least five Conservative MPs have already called for Johnson to step down. If 54 members express a lack of confidence in Johnson in writing, that would trigger a leadership election.
  • U.K. media coverage has been full of the accounts of people who missed funerals or couldn’t visit loved ones in the hospital while Johnson’s staff gathered for social events. 6% of the public think Johnson is being honest, per YouGov.

What to watch: If a leadership contest is triggered (no sure thing), the early favorites to become party leader and prime minister would be Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss.

Read More

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *