British partygate

The then Prime Minister Boris Johnson together with the current one, Rishi Sunak. Leon Neal / AP  

 

Conservative anger at Boris Johnson: "Must be stopped"  

 

Several conservative British MPs are now turning against former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, since he left his seat in Parliament yesterday, writes The Observer. Several heavy names within the party are demanding that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ban Johnson from running in the next election. 

 

- This charade must end. He must be stopped at all costs, the sooner the better, a member of the influential 1922 committee told the paper.  

 

The criticism is based on the fact that many believe that Johnson, with his unexpected defection, has undermined the credibility of the government and parliament. After the defection, two close allies of Johnson have also left parliament during the day.  

 

Boris Johnson. Matt Dunham/AP  

 

Analysis: Johnson has finally thrown in the towel  

 

When Boris Johnson now leaves parliament, he throws in the towel and closes the door to a political comeback, writes Sam Coates in an analysis for Sky News. 

 

"There is no conceivable way back to leadership for him." 

 

He still has the support of many and could have taken the fight, but chose to resign on his own terms to preserve the myth of himself and write his own story, Coates writes. 

 

Even The Guardian's Pippa Crerar assesses that there will be no comeback for Johnson - something she believes makes successor Rishi Sunak breathe a sigh of relief. 

 

However, Johnson will continue to "throw political hand grenades" at the Tory Party and Sunak from the sidelines, she writes.  

 

The BBC's Chris Mason is on the same track - Johnson will hardly sit quietly in the stands, he writes.  

 

“Boris Johnson's ghost haunts Rishi Sunak. That is the last thing a prime minister needs.” 

 

 Now Johnson is exactly where he wants to be – in the center of attention, where everyone wonders what he will do next, writes Mason.