Johnson fights on despite Tory revolt

Johnson fights on despite Tory revolt

LONDON: Britain’s embattled Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowed on Tuesday to plough on with policy priorities including the economy and Ukraine, but was urged by a Conservative predecessor to quit and save the nation from further “agonies”. Addressing his cabinet a day after narrowly fending off a no-confidence vote from his own Conservative MPs, Johnson said: “We’re able now to draw a line under the issues that our opponents want to talk about.”

But most critics and commentators disagreed, with many characterizing the margin of his win – 211 votes to 148 – as a “Pyrrhic” victory that left the Tory leader drained of much authority. Johnson’s former employers at the Daily Telegraph branded it “a hollow victory that tears Tories apart”. “Party’s over, Boris,” headlined the Daily Mirror, in a nod to a series of lockdown-busting parties held in Downing Street, which saw Johnson fined by police and drew outrage from voters.

The prime minister’s team tried to regain the offensive by pointing to a set piece speech expected in the coming days on new economic support measures, as Britons struggle with a cost-of-living crisis. The government is also expected to introduce new legislation to unilaterally walk away from its post-Brexit