Snap polling reveals half of Brits think Boris should quit over No10 Xmas party

8 December 2021, 16:07 | Updated: 8 December 2021, 20:51

Over half of Brits say that Boris Johnson should resign over the alleged No10 Christmas party which was held in breach of coronavirus restrictions, according to a snap poll.

Fifty-four per cent of those polled said Mr Johnson should resign, with a third of Conservative voters (33%) also saying the Prime Minister should quit.

It comes after No10 aides were seen laughing about a Christmas party, alleged to have been held on December 18 last year.

The footage, obtained by ITV News, shows Mr Johnson's senior aides laughing about a "cheese and wine" evening sparking a furious backlash from the public.

Read more: ‘He has to go’ - Tories turn on PM as he tries to defend Xmas party vid leak

Mr Johnson has since issued a grovelling apology in the House of Commons, insisting "disciplinary action" would be taken against staff if needed, as he faced accusations of being caught "red-handed".

He has been repeatedly accused of not telling the truth about the alleged event, and said he was "sickened" by the footage - but has again denied there was a party at No10 last year.

The Metropolitan Police has said it will examine the leaked footage.

Amid the backlash, a Savanta ComRes poll asked 1,036 UK adults whether Mr Johnson should resign.

Read more: Covid 'Plan B' could be announced as early as today after Cabinet talks

ITV Exclusive: No10 Downing Street staff joke about Christmas party

Almost three in five said party attendees should resign (58%), while just one in five said they should not (22%).

The poll also asked whether Allegra Stratton, who was filmed making the remarks about the No10 Christmas party, should apologise.

Of those polled, 79% said the PM's former press secretary should say sorry, and 76% said Mr Johnson should also issue an apology.

Over eight in ten (83%) say the government has let the public down.

While three in ten say they are less likely to follow Covid rules as a result (29%).

Read more: PM issues grovelling apology as he’s accused of ‘taking public for fools’

Jackie's mum died of Covid on the day of the alleged No 10 party

The Prime Minister is expected to announce a raft of new Covid restrictions on Wednesday afternoon, as cases of the Omicron variant spread across the UK.

The plans - which would affect Christmas - were being finalised on Wednesday by senior Cabinet Ministers.

If the government's 'Plan B' is given the go ahead, it could include a return to working from home and the introduction of vaccine passports for mass events.

Read more: 'Game over': LBC listeners pile in on PM over No10 Christmas party footage

Read more: Met Police to examine leaked footage of No10 aides joking about Christmas party

'489 people died of Covid on the day of the Downing Street party.'

Mr Johnson is reportedly set to introduce the measures as early as this week with some reports suggesting they could even come into effect from tomorrow.

They have already introduced mandatory face masks in shops and on public transport in England and, on November 27, promised to review the measures after three weeks.