North Thanet MP refreshes call for Conservative Party leadership election amid Downing Street parties fury

January 14, 2022 Kathy Bailes News 213

Sir Roger Gale

North Thanet MP Sir Roger Gale has ‘refreshed’ a letter calling for a leadership election in the Conservative Party.

The renewed request for action comes amid furore over Downing Street ‘parties’ while the country was in lockdown.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologised in the House of Commons for the ‘bring your own bottle’ garden bash which took place in May 2020 but has faced backlash amongst his own party and calls for him to resign.

The gathering of around 40 people is one of several alleged incidents and is being investigated by senior civil servant Sue Gray although The Times reports that she is not expected to find the event breached covid laws.

The Metropolitan Police is not conducting a criminal investigation but is in contact with the Cabinet Office over Ms Gray’s inquiry and will review its position if it receives evidence of potential criminal offences, The Times adds.

North Thanet MP said the ‘bring a bottle’ to a ‘work event’  was on ‘very thin ice indeed,’ and followed that up by saying: “I have already indicated publicly that I have submitted a formal letter to the Chairman of the 1922 Committee calling for a Leadership Election. This was done a year ago following the ‘Barnard Castle’ incident and has been refreshed recently.

“Having made my position clear I believe that we should if possible afford Ms Gray the courtesy of allowing her to conclude and present her report of her investigations into allegations of improper ‘party’ events in Downing Street before instigating further action if appropriate.

“That may change in the light of any future information that emerges in the course of the coming days.”

The veteran MP told BBC Radio 4’s The World At One programme: “Politically the Prime Minister is a dead man walking.”

Craig Mackinlay

South Thanet MP Craig Mackinlay said he awaits all the evidence but said he did not know whether the PM would “survive this period.”

He said: “Are these issues requiring resignation, votes of confidence or other measures? I await the full report before considering these matters further.

“I was a Magistrate in Kent for ten years; that experience told me to look at all evidence, hear the ‘prosecution’ and ‘defence’ and any mitigation and then to conclude appropriately. There is no doubt that the PM is facing the most difficult period of his premiership, if not his entire political career.

“When he is at his best, he helps to bring a unique sparkle to political life and a rare electoral appeal. I cannot tell you at this stage whether he will survive this period; much is in his own hands to make up all that has been lost, which is considerable.”

The Prime Minister’s said he “believed implicitly that this was a work event.” In his apology, claimed the event in May “technically” fell inside covid guidance- calling the Downing Street gardens an ‘extension of the office’ but acknowledged the anger felt across the country by people who were expected to abide by lockdown rules, including not seeing family, limiting funeral attendance and being unable to visited those in hospital.

213 Comments

      • I am afraid not, my old Tory chum. The party you voted for the last 38 years is dead, gone to meet its maker, pushing up the daisies, is no more. It is a dead Tory party, a late tory party. What you have now is labelled as the Tory party, but I am afraid it is now run by the very misfits, cranks and fruit cakes; that David Cameron described back in 2010.
        As for calling Rory Stewart weird, he’s not the one in dyed hair deconstructing raves from the 1960’s pop music grave, is he?

  4. “Johnson is a great admirer of Donald Trump, who logged up 30,573 false or misleading statements during his 4 years in the White House” according to the Washington Post! “Johnsons own record of duplicity, in word and deed, is unrivalled in British politics” wrote Rory Stewart one time Tory MP, and minister! He went on to say “he has mastered the use of error, omission, exaggeration, diminution, equivocation, and flat denial”. Although a fan of Trump, “Johnson required no tuition in mendacity, since he has practised it continually throughout his career” quoted Rory. Many put the blame on Johnsons personal turpitude, rooted in his rule breaking sense of entitlement bred into him at Eton, and the Bullingdon Club” said the eminent journalist Patrick Cockburn in the I newspaper dated 8th December! I could go on, but the mystery is why did so many people vote for someone who is so evidently a mendacious clown? Quoted me!

  5. South Thanet MP Craig Mackinlay sits on the fence as usual. At least Roger Gale has the balls to say what the rest of us think. How the hell did Boris the clown get into Number Ten in the first place? Doing his “Have I Got News For You” act was alright for TV but not in the halls of power. Now bugger off and get you hair sorted out. You look more like an unruly child rather than a statesman.

    • To say that having got Brexit done is a credit for Boris is absurd. All economic commentators estimate that we will be 4% down in terms of GDP because of Brexit.
      Brexit has given us virtually nothing, and has created enormous problems in return. Shirt of covid, it is the worst thing to have happened to this country in 70 years.

        • I have a feeling you find facts, experts and being challenged boring.

          I’ve met plenty of people like you.

        • Peter, only a minority of the electorate voted to leave, but what is most important is no one had a clue what they voted for, as the Terms & Conditions were not available at the time and still arn’t (See Northern Ireland!) Also, no one was told that once we leave the EU we could no longer return Asylum Seekers to the first EU country they arrived at! Thats why we have thousands of them attempting to cross the Channel from France, where they cannot be returned to now, Duurh!

          Then there was the biggest of Johnson’s lies, remember the bus he was swanning around in, with his slogan that if we left the EU we would get back £350 million a week! That didn’t happen, but perhaps if it had the nurses could have got a decent wage increase! The man wouldn’t know the truth if it leapt up and bit him on his ample arse!

      • Rome was not built in a day.
        In a few years time you will be eating your words regarding Brexit.
        The majority in this country voted for it, obviously not you or all the other Remoaners, including Sir Roger Gale.

        • A small majority (of those who actually voted) voted for Brexit. Most of the population didn’t vote. Stop calling people “Remoaners”. We aren’t “moaning”. Just criticizing.

        • Your wrong Jack, do the sums! The turnout was 72%, those who voted to leave was 52% of the turnout, 52% of 72% is 37.4%! Yes Jack, less than 35% of the electorate voted to leave, which was another massive cockup by the Tory’s! Any self respecting government should have set the bar at 66% to change our unwritten constitution, but no, Cameron didn’t think of that did he, or any of the other no nothing numpties in the Tory government at the time, Duurh!

          • Dumpton, are you a statistician?
            You seem obsessed with figures and percentages.
            Whatever you say, the majority voted to LEAVE, just accept it. It is a fact.

    • Roger Galehas no balls he not speak speak for me it is about time he retired no help to his constituents at all only those he chooses to help he is guilty of campaigning to keep Manston open knowing full well that the houses intended for Manston would have to be built some where as it turns out that some where was the farmland of Thanet the man is no different to any other politician when it comes to telling lies I personally loathe the man sitting out there in his home surrounded by pristine farmland while his part of Thanet is being choked to death by concrete

      • The majority of the population clearly did not vote to leave the EU and there was a small majority of voters who did vote to leave.

        • Marva, the majority of the population that voted, clearly did vote to leave, otherwise we wouldn’t have left. Do you understand that?

          There was a legal vote, and the majority spoke up.

          • A referendum is a survey. For such an important issue, it should have been made clear that the status quo would remain unless there was a significant majority preferring to leave the EU. As Dumpton says above, less than 35% of the population voted to leave the EU.

      • Roger Gale, issues a written reply to EVERY physical written communication he receives from his constituents and is available to be met in person at his regular surgeries. He passes on queries/questions to relevant departments and then forwards them back to the constituent in question, i’d hazard a guess he’s one of the country’s more active mp’s.

  6. Not sure it’s a good idea, to call them the “Conservative Party” at the moment, there seems to have been so many Conservative parties, that we no longer know which party they are talking about.

  10. I remember a group who used to call themselves the “Bring a Bottle Party” Have they now amalgamated with the Tories, to be able to hold all these parties?

  11. All who attended any of the parties should be lined up, named and shamed and fired. Disgraceful work ethos marked by Friday booze parties. While we were all isolating they packed suitcases full of booze and smuggled it into No.10. ….we I’m going to get ‘suitcased’ now.

    • In reply to PJ, I totally agree anyone, including Boris who attended one of their many parties, should be forced to go.

      They were just laughing at us (and the Queen) for isolating.

  12. It’s that old saying yet again: “how do you tell when an MP is telling lies?”

    Answer; their lips are moving.

  13. anybody that rates churchill and that thing thatcher as great britains must be a total crank to begin with , but then they have had centuries of looking after and covering for thier own!

  14. Wow, he has a blooming cheek to demand the Prime Minister’s resignation. He promised his own resignation over a year ago but is still plodding along. About time he looked at all his own misdemeanors before calling out wrongs over a number 10 party.Were you not invited? Is this just the Pot calling the kettle black Mr Gale !

  15. Didn’t do anything worse than the NHS staff that stand (stood) in groups outside the hospital having a fag and coffee break.without social distancing.

    • Quite agree. No one should break the covid regulations.
      However, NHS staff have saved countless lives; Boris armand his team have overseen the covid deaths of more than 150,000 people (amongst the worst in the western world) whilst lining their and their mates’ pockets with lucrative PPE contracts.

      • Reply to Andrew
        So, do you think you could have done any better?
        What a thing to say, that he oversaw the Covid deaths of 150,000. He did not cause COVID, it came from China.
        He and his team had to find a solution and thank goodness they did, with the vaccine.
        We should all be grateful for that.

  16. Perhaps many NHS staff have spread the bug unwittingly by refusing to get the jab. Anď Sir Kier hasn’t been to clever either. I hope Liz gets the vote she will finish off Lanour for good.

  18. The reason Roge has kept himself elected all this time is knowing when to please his local voters. Whilst people will turn their back in droves from the Tory party Roger will have impressed his core voters by coming out and saying this. He is reading his inbox and judge when the time was he need to distance himself to save his own seat.

    They are the unfortunate facts here.

    At least we can say he is at least trying to represent the voice of the local people and for that he should get some praise.

    Craig on the other hand wouldn’t know Ramsgate from Margate. His arrogance and contempt for Thanet has always been clear.

  19. Boris has had a tough time since becoming PM, Brexit , Covid, and has tackled both fantastically. He has even had Covid himself and has made plenty of mistakes en route. I do wonder if Roger Gale is a mate of Dominic Cummings as both seem quick to stab Boris in the back.People that have never made an error are generally people that have done nowt all their lives. How scary to imagine Starmer, Rayner & Co running our country !!!

    • It is the hight of absurdity to suggest that Boris has done a good job.
      Brexit he brought upon himself.
      As for covid, the UK has one of the worst death rates in the Western World. A litany of disasters, from the running of the Cheltenham Gold Cup in the spring of 2020 right through to his insistence that, You do know we know 100% sure it wasn’t from the Chinese wet market don’t you?in the face if surging Omicron, there should be no restrictions on social mixing.
      The mans a womaniser and serial liar.

      • So which party do you think could have done any better? Labour?
        It is a global pandemic, unprecedented, affecting every government in the world and every person. I thimk he has done an excellent job with the vaccination programme, and everybody is entitled to a private life, aren’t they?

        • Speculating on who would have done better is pointless. The fact is, the current government could have done much, much better- but they didn’t.

        • I thought it was the NHS (the NHS Boris thanked by offering a 1% pay rise) that rallied round and delivered the vaccines that had been produced by our scientists?

      • Currently the Uk is 31st globally in death rates per million. The consultant who told Javid of his reasons for not being vaccinated also remarked that the majority of those he’d seen in his icu were “very overweight”. Correlate the covid death rates with obesity rates around the world and you’ll see we’ve actually done quite well despite the efforts of the populace to eat itself into bad health.

  20. I write part time both short stories and slogans for advertising agencies, I have been contacted today for permission to use one of my slogans I wrote years ago “ Same old Tories Same old Lies”
    Maybe there’s a general election on the cards.

  21. I’ve never met Peter Checksfield but whenever I read his posts I can’t help
    but hear them in a Smashey & Nicey voice.

  22. So he lied about the garden party and is being hounded to resign, but what about another Prime Minister, also accused of tellint lies about weapons of mass destruction and causing the death of thousands by taking us into war. Was he made to resign, no of course not, he has recently been rewarded with a Knighthood haven’t you Sir Anthony Blair

  23. Only this evening a picture of the ever righteous Starmer has been caught on film at a lock down party with colleagues stones and glass houses come to mind the two faced twit

      • The fact that others might or might not have broken the rules does not exonerate the PM.
        He made the rules.
        Surely, if it was ok for Boris, it was ok for everyone else, too.
        Or are you suggesting that the PM is above the law?

        • No, I am not!
          Nobody is above the law.
          He made a big mistake and rightly has apologised for it.
          He has the public funded, supposedly impartial BBC, or Boris Bashing Corporation working their hardest to get him to resign, plus Dominic Cummings vengeful onslaught.
          Even at the highest level in society, we all make mistakes and before you ask, I do not condone them. I am just grateful for the positive things that have been done.

          • Jack again I agree with your comment that weasle cummings should be arrested I will never forget him leaving Downing Street hugging that box which undoubtably had items inside to bring Boris down going by the smirk on his face and I also think Cummings has a friend inside Downing Street leaking information to the press

  25. All PMs make mistakes . Maggie sold Council house off cheap but did not replace them and installed the hated Poll Tax. Brown sold our gold off at its lowest price and set up the FCA with did not keep tabs on our banks leading to the RBS/Nat West debacle, Northern Rock & Bradford & Bijngley going bust. The list is endless. Boris has erred and apologised for some daft decisions , trusting Dominic, knowing possible iffy gatherings were happening in Downing Street etc. But he had no time to settle in before he was faced with Covid and the EU treating GB with contempt. He has had a child, had Covid, and steered us far better through almost 2 years of Covid far better than virtually any other country. Would the likes of Corbyn, Starmer , Sturgeon, or the rest have done a better job. Sadly most definitely not.

    • The EU has not treated us with contempt. We were the ones who threw our toys out of the pram and stomped off.
      As for Boris’ “leadership” during the crisis so far: the list of his failings grows longer by the day.
      He didn’t introduce lockdown soon enough, and he released it too soon.
      He didn’t introduce a “circuit breaker” when advised to do so by SAGE.
      He claimed his policy would be driven by data, not dates. But it was always dates.
      His “world beating” track and trace system is not fit for purpose.
      His mates and cronies have made billions out of flogging second rate PPE – PPE which should have been stockpiled, but wasn’t.
      And whilst many of us were taking lock down very, very seriously, missing out on births and deaths of loved ones, Boris was hosting illegal parties.
      I have no idea how Labour, Lib-Dem, Green or any other party would have coped.
      The fact is, Boris was in charge. No one else.

      • He was dealing with something, that no other PM has ever in my lifetime, had to cope with and make decisions about. A GLOBAL pandemic.
        For every country it has been almost a learning curve, as nothing like it had ever happened before. They learned as they went along. Would anybody have wanted that job?
        He is damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t. He cannot win!
        Hindsight is a winderful thing!
        As KC has said, what about all the mistakes other P.M’s have made over the years. Nobody is going to change your mind. It is made up and your hate for Boris is obvious by your comments.
        But I reiterate my gratitude, for the vaccine programme which saved my sister in law and her husbands lives.

        • No. Mr. Checksfield. I think Lesley Peeling needs to get out more and talk to reasonable people. I don’t approve of her utterly negative attitude to people.

  27. Was it 20 years ago,in 2002,at the conservative party conference in bournemouth,that Thearsa may called it THE NASTY PARTY

  28. I am going to have a solo socially distanced party this evening.
    I don’t fancy cheese and wine so no point in contacting Boris, cannot afford champagne, so no point in contacting champagne socialist Sir Tony Blair, so think it will be beer. I will contact Sir Keir Starmer to see what he recommends.

  30. Hey sir Rog, its not just the recent yawning st party events that will dim your boss and chums.

    Please remember brexit and northern ireland, still a lot of outstanding issues to be sorted with the border.

    Need a general election, soon !

    • 134 comments on this post and only one for HM Coastguard marks 200th anniversary!
      Says a lot especially as we are a seaside town!

      • The situation in which we find ourselves is a consequence of 10 years of tory non-government, not 200 years of Coastguard. I expect that’s why this thread has attracted so many comments.

        • Yep 134 comments! Most of them the regurgitated crap from people like you Phyllis Quot.

          Always have to mention Brexit don’t you? Count yourself lucky you live in the U.K., as when your beloved EU implodes and many of the the EU states are on the verge of economic collapse already, watch the huge sh+t show as Germany, Holland and the Scandinavian countries finally fully wake up to the fact that they are propping up most other EU countries. The Greek financial crisis of 2010+ will look like a fiver lost down the back of a sofa compared with what will inevitably come.

  31. A question to Phyllis Quot, regarding the petition, to have Tony Blair stripped of his Knighthood. Was it actually reported on BBC television news or their online news?

  33. how anyone in these washed up dereict seaside towns even voted conservative is beyond me , reading some of the comments on here you would think we were in kensington and chelsea.

    • If you don’t like these washed up derelict seaside towns (your words not mine) then leave. Why are you living here if thats how you feel?
      I think you will find a lot of the people who live in Kensington & Chelsea lean much more to the left.
      Maybe thats more the area for you.

    • Phyllis If you think, ableist that I would walk away from comments made by you you were /are wrong you are a vile person who would deny disabled people the same ease of getting around as able bodied people you are disgusting I will not back off from you or your likes .

  35. So does my referring to you as she which was not intentionally rude justify calling me ‘fatty’?
    As I said you are very nasty to anyone has a different opinion to you which I think is actually quite sad because it means you must be deeply unhappy.
    I wish you well.

    • whatever you say no manners Ruth. I know I can be rude but I DO have manners Marva is a troll and let me put you straight every comment I have made over the last two years that Welsh woman has contradicted every one of them now I am up for a good argument the same as most people but c’mon every comment?two years?I think most people would lose their rag at being treated in such a way,what I will not stand for is having my name sullied by her or anyone else , and just to keep the peace I apologise for calling You fatty my name is Lesley NOT she and I will pick any one up on when they call me that lastly Ruth I do not need or want your concern,please save it for those who do, now I think that puts an end to it don’t you?

  36. Leslie Peeling, I remember my father calling me up for referring to my mother as “she”. I am going back many decades. He would say, “Who is she, the cat’s mother?” Referring to someone by their name or position was considered good manners in comparison.

  37. Well, let’s hope Ms Peeling’s 6.57 comment really is a “final shot”. She’s racist about Welsh people, she can’t take disagreement….I suppose we should feel sorry for her, it must be very difficult being like that.

    • who is she Marva? you ill mannered person another one dragged up and what have I ever done to you unable to answer be ready for the writ.it was also really coarse snitch

    • Marva Rees I laugh in your face and when are you going to answer my question ? or is it too hard for you? whatever the reason that you do not have, must mean you are just being a nasty, vindictive contradictive, attention seeking old,lonely woman I have met rats nicer than you now can report that to Ms Bailes as well. you stop harassing me an I will hold back the writ, choice lady your choice.

        • Yes Ruth I’m sure you and others would like that well sorry to disappoint but I will not stop if you do not like my comments then do the same as every one else do not reply but then I know there is at least two of you incapable of doing that. Lastly for now instead of you and that woman trying to tell me how to live my life concentrate on your own the pair of you are obviously lacking something in you little lives the fact I do not like people is nothing to do with you or any other Tom Jock or Taffy got it?

    • Being anti-Welsh is not a crime. Neither is it “racist”. Anne Robinson despised the Welsh but she still works on TV. Both my parents were Welsh but there is something about the way they spoke that made me feel uncomfortable. The Welsh accent does sound daft to me.

      • But the comment was deleted by the moderator and just to inform you that Anne Robinson was forced to apologise for the comments and offered to do some work for the Welsh Tourist Board!

        I am not Welsh but think they get enough stick!

  42. I am often told what a beautiful accent I have. I don’t know how any accent can sound “daft”.

    Is it okay for a Welsh person to despise the English, then?

    • Well you despise Boris Johnson!
      I am from Southern Ireland and lets face it we have had to put up with comments about our accents.
      Robert Edwards comments are right, it is not racist, which seems to be one of the most popular words used these days and often not in the right context.

  43. I hope the comments about the Irish accent have been as nice as the ones I’ve had!

    I despise and disapprove of certain individuals who happen to be English, not the entire English nation.

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