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This week’s R&D covers British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s political problems. Johnson is under fire for hosting gatherings with his staff at No. 10 Downing Street while the rest of Great Britain was locked down under COVID-19 restrictions in spring 2020. The more egregious allegations are that Johnson’s staff partied before the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, which had social distance restrictions. Johnson has told the British Parliament that the gatherings were for work and were not social, but the public is skeptical, as are members of the British Conservative Party. Some Conservative MPs are calling on Johnson to resign, noting that opinion polls are showing the Conservative trailing the Labour Party by double digits. Johnson has so far refused and stated earlier in the week that he would fight any no-confidence vote.
Prime minister odds: The favourites to replace Boris Johnson 👀 https://t.co/zFhIT298CL
— The Independent (@Independent) January 19, 2022
🔎 What could a no-confidence vote mean for Boris Johnson?
All the questions you may have, answered 👇 https://t.co/igXeqacQX1
— The Times (@thetimes) January 19, 2022
Vote of no confidence, resignation or survival: what next for Boris Johnson? https://t.co/fTCwVoydvS
— The Guardian (@guardian) January 19, 2022
David Davis tells Boris Johnson ‘in the name of God, go’ at chaotic PMQs https://t.co/vIL9DNg69I
— The Guardian (@guardian) January 19, 2022
No one can claim they were not warned about Boris Johnson. He is in no sense a mystery. The content of his character was known and yet people still saw fit to put him in power https://t.co/Ck303T2FGJ
— The Economist (@TheEconomist) January 19, 2022
Britain’s scandal-hit Boris Johnson lifts covid restrictions, battles to save premiership https://t.co/hWTVVdQJXz
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) January 19, 2022
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is in trouble. So what is the “pork pie plot” and what does it mean for him? https://t.co/9jNCDpya7G
— CNN International (@cnni) January 19, 2022
Boris Johnson faced increased pressure over allegations he broke lockdown rules, as a group of lawmakers from his party strategized on how to potentially oust him https://t.co/6xf6fkYbKb
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) January 19, 2022
Boris Johnson no-confidence vote ‘when not if’, says senior Tory https://t.co/2CyIPFxwAY
— The Independent (@Independent) January 19, 2022
Can Boris Johnson’s linguistic manoeuvring keep him in Downing Street? https://t.co/JZCQUqIGSM
— Guardian news (@guardiannews) January 18, 2022