MATT WESTERN MP COLUMN: Tory MPs need to accept the truth and oust Johnson

There have been ugly scenes outside the Houses of Parliament, not helped by Boris Johnson's comments, says Matt Western

There is now a responsibility on the shoulders of every elected representative across the country – particularly those in the Conservative Party – to act and stop the rot in public trust that Boris Johnson has caused as Prime Minister.

He and number 10 are no longer in control. He is busy doing the same thing he has always done: reducing public service to nothing more than a platform that serves his own self-interest.

Talking to people in the street, they tell me they believe him to be a man without shame, who clings on as the country struggles and politics is paralysed.

And a huge number of constituents are writing to me saying the same thing.

As I’ve said in Parliament, law-makers cannot be law-breakers.

It is therefore without equivocation or qualification that I urge Conservative MPs across the country – but particularly in Warwickshire – to do the decent thing and submit a letter of no confidence in the Prime Minister.

Failure to act tarnishes their reputation and that of the rest of us, while doubt hangs over their principles and undermines their own legitimacy to serve the public.

Meanwhile, the Treasury has written off £4.3 billion in fraudulent Covid loans and wasted nearly £9 billon on PPE.

This is more than the National Insurance tax hike will raise and nearly three times the

entire ‘Levelling Up’ fund.

And this is on top of blowing £37 billion on Test and Trace - which had ‘no clear impact’ in bringing cases down.

And another £3.5bn has been handed out in pandemic contracts to companies and individuals connected to the Conservative Party.

And that’s only the contracts that have been uncovered!

This government has wasted our money and ten years of Conservative rule has wasted our time.

In addition, the British public is now facing the highest tax burden for 70 years; and at a time when the cost-of-living crisis has become the most pressing issue in politics.

By some estimations, the average person faces a £1,400 increase in bills this year, including £250 extra in National Insurance contributions, £70 for Council Tax rises and a crippling energy bill increase of nearly £700 or more, among other costs.

Meanwhile oil and gas giants rake in £750 per second.

On energy bills, most people in the UK will see their bills soar by 54 per cent, whereas in France, which has a nationalised network, rising bills are capped at 4 per cent.

The Chancellor’s £350 boost to help with energy costs is only available to the worst off and is still simply not good enough. We need a windfall tax on oil and gas profits – and that’s just the start.

And to rub salt in the wounds, Warwickshire County Council has just raised Council Tax by 3.75 per cent, while inflation is set to rise beyond 6 per cent.

How will people cope?

Finally, the Conservative Party and its MPs must finally accept that the spreading of conspiracies, smears and falsehoods can cause direct violence in our society.

We have seen the deaths of our much-loved colleagues, Labour MP Jo Cox and Conservative MP David Amess.

We have seen journalists and other politicians of all parties face dangerous mobs outside Parliament.

The latest ugly scenes of Keir Starmer and David Lammy being accosted by violent and abusive crowds outside Parliament – repeating falsehoods we have heard in the last week from the Prime Minister – must indicate that enough is enough.

Online conspiracies and far-right smears should never make their way into the House of Commons. The Prime Minister must apologise and retract his comments.