Walsall residents have their say as Boris Johnson faces no confidence vote
People on the high street have been strong in their opinions on Prime Minister Boris Johnson, with many believing it is time for him to go.
Partygate still lives in the memory for those who say they simply cannot keep forgiving the Prime Minister.
It comes ahead of a no confidence vote called after scores of Tory MPs said the PM should be replaced.
And on the streets of the Black Country many people held little hope that a change of leadership will make much difference to the political landscape, with many expecting more of the same.
Mick Webster, aged 77, has lived in Walsall all his life and said it was time for Mr Johnson to go.
He said: “My opinion on Boris is he is a liar, he is a cheat, he is a philanderer and he is corrupt, do I need to say anymore?
“We need a change of Government, let alone a change in leadership quite honestly.
“It is all corruption; Partygate is just part of the corruption.
“He has lied, he knows he has lied, but because he has apologised he thinks it is OK.
"If that isn’t corruption I don’t know what is.”
Partygate was certainly a sticking point for many locals, including Margaret Taylor, 85, who didn’t see her family for months during lockdown.
She said: “He was the one telling us the rules that he wanted us to follow and yet he did the opposite.
“My family wouldn’t come so they could protect me, while he was doing that.
“It was disgusting and it is time for him to go.”
Joe Curtis, 71, from Bentley agreed with both of Mrs Taylor’s points and delivered a scathing assessment of the Prime Minister's leadership.
He said: “Boris has turned into a bit of a clown, how can you have Partygate and whatever else?
“It is time for him to go, though I don’t think anything will change if we do."
There was some support for Mr Johnson on the streets, but many did not wish to speak on the record.
One man who played down the importance of partygate was Pete Turner, a 74-year-old from Essington.
He said: “You can sack all the Tories and all the Labour, and what do you do then, because they are all at it?
"You can’t just blame Boris can you, he is just one of the rest of them isn’t he? If they get him out I won’t vote Tory again, I will vote Labour and say ‘If you want Starmer you can have him’.
"I am sick of hearing about Partygate. So he broke the rules for 10 minutes, what is the matter with that?
“There’s more important things than that going on now.”
Jackie Richards, 59, from Walsall, said Partygate should not be "played down".
She said: I didn’t see my mom for months on end, because we agreed only one person will go and do the shopping and everything.
"My mom is elderly and living on her own while they were partying.
"It is time for him to go, but I don’t think Labour are any good anyway. There is no alternative at the moment.”
