Defiant Johnson says he won’t change despite election woes

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is resisting calls from his Conservative Party to change direction after two thumping special election defeats. Johnson dismissed the defeats as predictable mid-term blues, and said he was not going to have “some sort of psychological transformation.” Simmering concerns about Johnson’s ethics and judgment have been brought to a boil by Conservative defeats in special elections for districts in southwest and northern England. Conservative Party chairman Oliver Dowden quit after the election results Friday, saying the party “cannot carry on with business as usual.” Two former Conservative leaders also said it was time for Johnson to go. Johnson is defiant, but party opponents are plotting new attempts to oust him.