Boris Johnson cancels visit after family member tests positive for COVID | politics news

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Downing Street said Boris Johnson canceled a visit to Lancashire today because a family member tested positive for COVID.

A spokesperson for Number 10 said the prime minister would “follow the guidelines for close vaccinations, including daily testing and limiting contact with others”.

No member of his family is known to have tested positive for the virus, but he lives with his wife, Carrie Johnson, and two children, Wilfred, 20 months, and five-week-old Romy, at No. 11 Downing Street.

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2:17 Johnson thought the garden party was a business event

The Prime Minister has not said anything publicly about the situation, but tweeted Thursday morning to thank Deputy Chief Medical Officer Sir Jonathan Van Tam for his “extraordinary contribution” after the scientist announced that his loan spell to the government would end in March, when he would return. to the University of Nottingham.

The Prime Minister apologizes for closing the party, but faces calls for resignation

The canceled visit comes a day after Johnson apologized for attending a party at No. 10 during the first lockdown, which prompted calls for his resignation from the opposition but also from within his own party.

However, ministers threw their support behind him, with Northern Ireland Minister Brandon Lewis on Thursday morning supporting Mr Johnson to lead the party into and win the next election.

But when asked if Mr Johnson could continue as prime minister if an investigation found he had misled Parliament by insisting he had not broken COVID rules – in theory, an outright matter – Lewis avoided the question.

“This prejudges what the report will find,” he told Kay Burley.

Four Conservative MPs have publicly called for Mr Johnson to resign, saying his position is now “untenable” after he claimed the party on May 20, 2020 was a practical event that did not break lockdown rules.

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0:44 Conservative Party chief: ‘Johnson should not continue as prime minister’

Letters of no confidence

There are letters of allegation from Tory MPs which were submitted to Sir Graham Brady, Chairman of the influential 1922 Committee of Tory MPs.

It is not known how many letters were delivered, but 54 letters – 15% of Tory MPs – are needed to urge a vote of no-confidence in the prime minister, which could lead to his dismissal by his MPs.

A handful of Conservative MPs are suspected of delivering letters to Sir Graham after expressing their disgust with the Prime Minister – including Scottish Conservative Party leader Douglas Ross – but only one, Sir Roger Gill, has confirmed that he did so as the Prime Minister described it as ” A dead man is walking.”

He told Sky News on Wednesday: “I wrote to Sir Graham Brady and said there should be a leadership contest.

“I believe that in this case it is the duty of the 1922 Committee to go to the Prime Minister and speak with him, because we cannot proceed in this way. I say this with a sad heart because he conducted Brexit.”

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