Tory MP who called for Boris Johnson to resign tells GB News he still needs to go over Partygate row

Tory MP who called for Boris Johnson to resign tells GB News he still needs to go over Partygate row
24 Peter Aldous MP has not retracted his lett
Tom Evans

By Tom Evans


Published: 24/05/2022

- 13:00

Updated: 24/05/2022

- 13:25

Tory MP Peter Aldous, who called for the Prime Minister to resign during the Partygate affair, says it would still be "best for the country" if he stepped down

Boris Johnson has been pictured raising his glass at a party in Downing Street during the second lockdown in leaked images of the event.

It comes as the hotly-anticipated Sue Gray report is expected to land this week, with pressure mounting on the Prime Minister to resign over the scandal.


Many Tory MPs have already called for the PM to step down, including Peter Aldous – the MP for Waveney.

Appearing on GB News for Gloria de Piero's Real Me show, he said it would be "best for the country" if the PM was to stand down.

Peter Aldous
Peter Aldous
GB News

Gloria asked: "You called for Prime Minister Boris Johnson to resign during the Partygate affair.

"Some of your colleagues did the same but have withdrawn, it is reported that they have withdrawn their letters. Have you?"

He replied: "I haven’t, no.

"I thought long and hard back in late January, early February, as to whether I should do that.

"And I weighed up all manner of considerations. I concluded then that it would be best for the country, and dare I say it for the Conservative Party, if he did [resign].

"And I’ve revisited that decision over the last few months, and I’ve decided that really those reasons are still there.

"Now I fully respect there are colleagues who have not reached that same decision, and that is up to them one way or another.

"But if I look what’s happened since then, well we’ve had... the Prime Minister has been fined.

We’ve had a situation where he’s been referred to the parliamentary privileges committee as to whether he knowingly misled Parliament or not.

"And I think we’ve got to wait to see what happens. But that event in itself is not something that happens very often, I think it’s happened four, three previous times since the war, and then never to a Prime Minister."

Mr Aldous then went on to discuss the war in Ukraine and how it has changed the state of play in Westminster.

Gloria De Piero
Gloria De Piero
GB News

He continued: "So it’s completely unprecedented. One of the things that has changed since then are that obviously there has been the Ukraine war, which was talked about at that time, has actually happened.

"And it looks at the moment as if it’s not going to be [like] the Kuwait War, as if it’s going to go on for some considerable time.

"The problems in Northern Ireland have very much, focus has come on those and they’ve come very much into the spotlight.

"And also obviously the cost of living challenge.

"So we’ve got some enormous challenges there. Some people would say that actually now is not the time for a change.

"The other side of the argument is that it would continue to be a distraction. And I think what I also find when I go back and I listen to people in my constituency, it really has split people.

"Some people say: 'What are we doing worrying about all these problems? We shouldn’t be worrying about parties, get on with it.'

"Other people, you hear some heart-rending stories of people who weren’t able to see their loved ones when they were sadly passing on. And they will never get over it.

"I sense that they will never forgive.

"And so we are in a, it’s very, very difficult circumstances. We’ve obviously, also, you’ve got to look at the court of public opinion.

"We had council elections earlier this month where, whichever way you look at it, they weren’t very good for the Conservative Party.

|And so without any ill feeling or malice, yes I still hold my views, and my letter still remains with Sir Graham Brady."

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