LONDON, May 30 (Reuters) – Conservative lawmaker Jeremy Wright, a former British cabinet minister and attorney general, said on Monday he believed Prime Minister Boris Johnson had undermined the authority of government and should resign.

He joins several of Johnson’s lawmakers who have withdrawn their support for the British leader since a damning official report released last week detailed a series of illegal parties at his Downing Street office during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

Wright said he found it impossible to accept that Johnson did not take personal responsibility for setting the tone for Downing Street, which he said had shown a “routine disregard for the spirit, and often the letter of the Covid rules”.

“I am also concerned that these events have caused real and lasting damage to the reputation not only of this government, but of the institutions and authority of government generally,” Wright said in a statement.

Wright said restoring accountability and trust in good government required more than an apology, and that Johnson remaining in office would hamper crucial government goals.

“I have therefore concluded with regret that, for the good of this government and the future, the Prime Minister should resign,” he said.

More than 20 Tory lawmakers have publicly called on Johnson to step down since reports of parties breaking the lockdown began to leak steadily into the media. At least 54 are required to formally request a vote of confidence for a vote to be triggered.

Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Kate Holton

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