Sir Keir Starmer backs snap elections and calls for ‘reset Britain’
Sir Keir Starmer has backed snap elections and called for a “fresh start” in government.
Asked if he would support an election if one was called in the next few weeks, Sir Keir said: “Yes. We need a fresh start for Britain.
“We need a change of government.”
Sir Keir said it was “clear that this government is now collapsing” and claimed the senior ministers who resigned were “complicit” in what he called a “corrupt” Tory party.
When the Prime Minister was hit by the resignations of Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid, the Labor leader described Mr Johnson as “dishonoured”.
Sir Keir said in a statement: “After all the filth, the scandals and the failures, it is clear that this government is now collapsing. The Tory Cabinet Ministers have known who this Prime Minister is all along.
“They were his cheerleaders during this sad saga:
– to support him when he broke the law
– support him when he has repeatedly lied
– to support him when he mocked the sacrifices of the British people.
“They were complicit in every step as he dishonored his office and failed his country. If they had any integrity, they would have left months ago.
“The British public cannot be fooled. The Tory party is corrupt and changing a man is not going to fix that.
“Only a real change of government can give Britain the fresh start it needs.”
Mr Johnson’s leadership has been rocked by the resignations of the Chancellor and the Health Secretary.
Her departure follows an escalating series of scandals and nasty allegations over the past week.
Mr Sunak resigned, saying: “The public has a right to expect the government to be run properly, competently and reputably”.
It was followed by Mr Javid, a former contender for the leadership who earlier announced his own departure.
The latest crisis facing the Tory leader has been how to deal with the Chris Pincher series for which he publicly apologized today.
He conceded that he should have sacked Deputy Chief Whip when he was told of the allegations against him as Foreign Office Secretary in 2019, but instead appointed him to other government posts.
After the resignation of the cabinet, Scottish Labor leader Anas Sarwar said: “These are rats abandoning a sinking ship.
“We all know that Boris Johnson is a morally bankrupt and corrupt Prime Minister and he leads a corrupt Tory government that is not afraid of contact.
“Therefore, the sooner we have general elections, the better. And in this election, only Labor can replace the Tories – the rest can simply defy them.’
Mr Johnson returned to Downing Street this evening after speaking to reporters at his Commons office.
He was joined in No 10 by ultra-loyal culture secretary Nadine Dorries and chief whip Chris Heaton-Harris as he assessed the significance of the cabinet revolt against his leadership.
Supporting the Prime Minister, Ms Dorries tweeted: “I’m not sure anyone actually doubted it but I’m 100 behind @BorisJohnson the Prime Minister who consistently gets all the big decisions right.”
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https://metro.co.uk/2022/07/05/sir-keir-starmer-says-its-clear-that-government-is-now-collapsing-16948247/ Sir Keir Starmer backs snap elections and calls for 'reset Britain'