An adviser to the Foreign Ministry left after saying that Boris Johnson should leave number 10 and that it was a “duty” that was “the wrong thing to do”.
Helena Morrissey, a Tory peer, also disputed that the prime minister had shown “remorse” for the Partygate scandal – saying she should show “deeds, not words”.
She has now resigned as director of the Office for External Action and Development, a paid role in providing “strategic leadership” and a “representation and delivery board”.
Understandably, she agreed to leave after Liz Truss, the foreign minister, said her position was untenable.
Baroness Morrissey was asked on LBC radio if she wanted Mr Johnson to “continue as prime minister” after a massive crackdown on 148 Tory MPs voting against him in a no-confidence vote.
She replied, “Honestly, I’d rather he didn’t,” adding, “I don’t see any remorse.”
He said, “I’m going to fight.” That’s not what we want to hear. Tax cuts one minute after we increased them will not help.
Asked about the impact on Mr Johnson’s Conservative Party, which is trying to hold on to power, the colleague added: “I think this will be harmful and I don’t think we will see the end.
“I think there will be additional challenges and I know there are discussions about the practical aspects of that.”
Baroness Morrissey argues that the booing of the prime minister during the jubilee celebrations shows that “he has in fact become a liability and not an asset in some way.”
She expressed hope that he would be able to “walk with dignity”, adding: “He is a very talented man, he is just doing the wrong thing.”
The resignation is the first since a no-confidence vote Monday, despite expectations that some ministers could leave – to try to fuel a revolt against the prime minister.
Immediate pressure on Mr Johnson has eased, but only to two possible defeats in an important by-election in Westminster later this month.
He then faced the disgrace of the municipal committee’s investigation into whether he had lied to parliament about the parties №10 – which would be a violation of the ministerial code and would be considered a crime of resignation.
Baroness Morrissey made headlines in April when she denied the Covid pandemic and blamed Chinese “fake videos” for her fears of the virus.
She suggested that the crisis had been exaggerated by government “propaganda” because people were not “falling dead on the streets”, tweeting: “Data shows we are NOT in a pandemic.”
She added: “If we were, would we need constant propaganda and the biggest government advertising spending ever! If people fell dead on the street, we would have noticed and not gone to M&S and had all these football matches. “
Add Comment