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HIGNFY: Ian Hislop says ‘entire Tory party’ should resign for supporting Boris Johnson amid partygate scandal

‘They supported him, why don’t they leave now? They’re the party of law and order,’ panellist asked

Isobel Lewis
Saturday 16 April 2022 12:29 BST
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Ian Hislop says 'entire Tory party' should resign over partygate scandal

Ian Hislop was met with cheers on Have I Got For You as he said that the “entire Tory party” should resign for defending Boris Johnson amid the partygate scandal.

This week, the prime minister and chancellor Rishi were given fines for breaking lockdown to attend illegal parties at Downing Street.

Johnson is the first sitting prime minister ever found to have broken the law. Johnson’s wife Carrie was also fined.

Appearing on HIGNFY on Friday (15 April), Hislop pointed out that voters had previously been told it was too soon to call for Johnson’s resignation before the Sue Gray report was released, and now were being told it was “too late”.

“He thinks everyone has forgotten about it and that they don’t care anymore,” Hislop said, curling his lip as he added: “Maybe by the time we go out, the party will have come to its senses and he will have resigned.”

“We’ve got another six parties to go. All the attention’s on this one and everyone’s going, ‘Oh god, woke BBC lefties, can’t you get over it?’

“And I’m thinking, ‘Yeah woke BBC lefty Lord Wolfson, the Tory justice minister who’s just resigned. I mean, there’s a snowflake. Tory QC, member of the House of Lords, pathetic.’”

Hislop was met with applause on ‘Have I Got News For You' (BBC)

Justice minister Lord Wolfson quit the government in protest at the prime minister’s failure to resign over breaking the law, saying the “repeated rule-breaking and breaches of the criminal law” in Downing Street could not be allowed to be treated with “constitutional impunity”.

Hislop continued: “He’s resigned. Why hasn’t Boris? Why hasn’t Rishi? Why hasn’t Carrie? Are you allowed to resign as his wife?

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‘And why hasn’t the entire Tory party resigned, all of them? They supported him, why don’t they leave now? They’re the party of law and order.”

While Johnson and Sunak have apologised and paid their fixed penalty notices, it is yet to be seen if they will resign.

A number of celebrities have backed calls for the prime minister to step down, including Dan Stevens.

The Downton Abbey star elicited gasps from presenters on The One Show as he seemed to discuss his new show Gaslit, describing “a criminal for a leader who is wrapped in a messy war, embroiled in a stupid scandal and surrounded by ambitious idiots and really should resign”.

“No, I’m sorry that’s the intro to Boris Johnson,” he then added.

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