Decline in UK Conservative Party Support over 'Party Gate'... Rising Calls for Johnson's Resignation

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Support for the ruling Conservative Party has declined due to the so-called 'Party Gate,' where staff at the UK Prime Minister's office held multiple drinking parties during the COVID-19 lockdown, intensifying calls for Prime Minister Boris Johnson's resignation.

According to Reuters on the 15th (local time), a poll conducted by the polling agency Opinium over three days starting from the 12th showed that support for the Conservative Party stood at 31%, significantly lower than the opposition Labour Party's 41%.

In a recent survey by the UK media outlet The Times, the Conservative Party (28%) trailed the Labour Party (38%) by 10 percentage points. Reuters reported that this is the largest margin by which the Conservative Party has fallen behind the Labour Party since 2013.

Regarding the controversy, 78% believed that the Prime Minister's office staff violated lockdown regulations. 76% responded that Prime Minister Johnson also breached the lockdown rules. 64% believed that Johnson was not telling the truth, and 67% said a police investigation was necessary.

Paul Goodman, a former Conservative Party MP, pointed out, "More than half of Conservative Party members want the Prime Minister to step down," adding, "He has lost trust, and it will be difficult to regain."

In the UK, it was revealed that in May 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown, staff at the Prime Minister's office held drinking parties in violation of quarantine guidelines, and Prime Minister Johnson also attended. Later, it was confirmed that there was another party held by Prime Minister's office staff on the night before the funeral of Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, in April last year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.