Tory MP takes a stand against Boris Johnson's Partygate behaviour

Tory MP Caroline Nokes has taken a stand against her leader Boris Johnson over his Partygate behaviour via a newspaper column.

Writing in the Guardian, the MP for Romsey and Southampton North said she was sticking by her letter of no-confidence in the prime minister following the fine he received this week for breaking the law.

She wrote: "Twelve years as an MP, and a lifetime spent in the immediate Romsey area, have taught me many things about my constituents. By and large, they are law abiding, they want to do the right thing and they have a strong sense of community, as could be seen by the myriad village support networks that were established at the start of the pandemic. They are the sort of people who are the backbone of this country, hard working, community minded, fair and decent people.

"And right now they are angry, because they look to us, as MPs, to be the same, law abiding and decent, to try (sometimes against the odds) to do the right thing and to uphold the rules we set.

She also recalled emails she has received from constituents who followed the coronavirus rules in the bleakest of circumstances, for example by attending socially distanced funerals.

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"The bulk of the emails I received last week are from people who are genuinely distressed about the family events they could not and did not attend during the pandemic, and many are from people I know who have long been Conservative supporters," she wrote.

"When lives depend upon taking action to try to limit the spread of a virus that kills the vulnerable, you have to do your best and play your part," she added.

The former immigration minister turned against Johnson in January. She told ITV’s Peston on 12 January: “Regretfully, he looks like a liability and I think he either goes now or he goes in three years’ time at a general election.”

Looks like he isn't winning back her support any time soon.

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