The chancellor, and the health secretary, have resigned from the government saying that they don’t have faith in Boris Johnson as leader of the country.
Rishi Sunak, Chancellor, stated that the public expects government to be run “properly”, competently, and seriously.
Sajid Javid, Health Secretary, echoed these sentiments, claiming that the government wasn’t “acting in national interest”.
Minutes after PM Chris Pincher resigned, the PM apologized for his appointment to a government position.
Johnson acknowledged that he made a mistake in appointing Mr Pincher as deputy chief whip, even though he was aware of previous allegations against the MP.
Johnson stated that it was wrong to do so in a BBC interview. I am sorry for any and all who were adversely affected.
His handling of the row was harshly criticized by the opposition as well as some MPs.
Along with Mr Sunak, Mr Javid, Bim Alfolami quit as Tory vice chair live on TV. Andrew Murrison resigned from his role as trade envoy. Jonathan Gullis, Saqib Bhatti, and Saqib Bhatti, were also dismissed.
The BBC believes that Liz Truss, Levelling up Secretary Michael Gove, and other cabinet ministers support the prime minister while he evaluates the scale of rebellion against him leadership.
Loyal allies, Nadine Dorries, Culture Secretary, and Jacob Rees Mogg, minister for Brexit Opportunities, publicly supported Mr Johnson. They insisted that Johnson was the “right man” for the job.
Two cabinet ministers have resigned, putting Mr Johnson in a new leadership crisis just weeks after he had survived a no confidence vote.
After he has won 59% of votes, the PM is exempt from any Conservative leadership challenge up to June next year.
Sir Keir Starmer, Labour leader, said that he was open to a snap election as the country required a change in government and that he would be happy to accept resignations.
He stated that “After all of the sleaze and all the failures, it’s evident that this Tory government has now collapsed.”
Although the next general election will be in 2024, it could also be earlier if Johnson uses his power to call one.
Sir Ed Davey (leader of the Liberal Democrats) said that the prime minister’s “government in chaos has failed our nation” and demanded that he be fired.
Nicola Sturgeon, Scottish First Minister and leader of the SNP, said that “the whole rotten bunch” in Johnson’s government must go. She also accused ministers of lying to the public.
Boris Johnson is at the end of his career?
During the day, prominent PM critics called for government ministers pressure on the prime Minister to resign.
Rishi Sunak, a chancellor, and Sajid Javid (an ex-chancellor), have done exactly that.
Both men view their resignations as necessary in order to push out the PM.
Both could be positioned for a future leadership contest.
Downing Street hopes to prevent this, but not yet.
Boris Johnson has his foreign secretary.
Remember that Gordon Brown, who was beleaguered, survived a ministerial resignation. The rest of his cabinet remained loyal to him, even though he was Number 10.
It seems now more likely that Mr Sunak or Mr Javid will be followed by other junior ministers who have privately criticized Boris Johnson.
Theresa May was the last Conservative prime minister to face a party election on their leadership. She won the vote, but she resigned six years later for her Brexit approach.
Johnson’s government has been plagued by a series controversies over the past months. Some Tory MPs called for Johnson’s resignation.
Since a critical report on lockdown parties in and around Downing Street during the Covid-19 pandemic, published earlier this year, discontent among Tory MPs have grown.
The police fined the PM for violating the Covid rule at Number 10.
Johnson was sanctioned by the fine for violating the law.
Some Tory MPs also voiced disapproval over tax increases, the government’s response towards rising living costs, and its policy direction.
The prime minister was under more pressure after the June by-elections in Tiverton, Honiton, and Wakefield. This prompted Oliver Dowden to resign as chairman of the Conservative Party.
On Tuesday evening, Mr Javid posted his resignation letter via Twitter just after 18:00 BST. This was minutes after Prime Minister David Cameron spoke to Downing Street reporters.
Javid, who was health secretary from June 2021, said that he could not “in good conscience” continue to serve in the government.
He wrote, “I am instinctively a player in a team but the British people rightly expect integrity form their government.”
“The leadership tone and values you set reflect on your peers, your party, and ultimately, the country.”
Just a few minutes later, at 18:10, Mr Sunak sent out his resignation tweet, leaving Mr Johnson with two vacant top positions.
Sunak, who is being viewed as a potential leader of the Conservative Party in the future, wrote to the prime minister saying that the standards in government were worth fighting for.
Since his February 2020 appointment as chancellor, Mr Sunak has not been in complete agreement with the prime minister regarding economic policy and public expenditure.
In his letter, Mr Sunak stated that he had been loyal to him. “I supported you to be the leader of our party, and I encouraged others to do the same.
“I am grateful that you have entrusted me to stewardship over the nation’s economy, finances and I have served as your chancellor.”
However, Mr Sunak stated that he couldn’t support Mr Johnson anymore, suggesting that their differences cannot be reconciled.
He stated: “In preparation of our proposed joint speech about the economy next week it has become obvious to me that our approaches have been fundamentally too different.
“It is a sad time to leave government, but I reluctantly came to the conclusion that this cannot continue.”
