Can the Queen sack the Prime Minister?
12.04.2022 - 18:49
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing a new wave of pressure to resign after it was revealed that he and Chancellor Rishi Sunak will be fined as part of the police probe into allegations of No 10 lockdown parties.
Carrie Johnson, the Prime Minister's wife, will also be receiving a fixed-penalty notice, a spokesperson confirmed. It comes as the Metropolitan Police announced an additional 30 fines to be handed out as part of Operation Hillman which is examining breaches of Covid-19 rules at the top level of government.
A No 10 spokeswoman said: “The Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer have today received notification that the Metropolitan Police intend to issue them with fixed penalty notices. We have no further details, but we will update you again when we do.”
Read more: How much are Covid fixed penalty notice fines?
The incident has caused outrage among MPs with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer saying: "Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have broken the law and repeatedly lied to the British public. They must both resign. The Conservatives are totally unfit to govern. Britain deserves better.”
While there is mounting pressure from all Parliamentary parties for Boris Johnson to resign, it is ultimately his choice. This has led to many people considering other ways the Prime Minister could be booted from power.
Constitutionally, the Queen is required to remain strictly neutral in Britain's political affairs, but she has a 'special relationship' with the prime minister and has meetings with him on a regular basis. Once a general election has concluded, the monarch appoints a prime minister who has the confidence of a majority of the House of Commons.
Despite most of her powers being ceremonial, it is understood that