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‘Rain’ of resignations in the British government

LAST UPDATE: 17:20

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is fighting to stay in office amid a “rain” of resignations from his government in protest at his leadership.

The new finance minister, Nadeem Zahawi, called for unity after his predecessor, the health minister, and several other ministers left.

Johnson’s position is in crisis following the dramatic resignations of former finance minister Rishi Sunak and former health secretary Sajid Javid.

They resigned within minutes on Tuesday after a row over Johnson’s decision to appoint Chris Pincher to a cabinet post.

Their departures prompted a wave of resignations from other MPs, a trend that continued on Wednesday.

It is noted that six more departures took place earlier today. In particular, Will Queens and Robin Walker, Under Secretary for Justice Victoria Atkins, John Glenn, Minister responsible for Financial Services and MPs Laura Trott and Felicity Buchan have left the Ministry of Education.

More resignations followed. By 5 pm (Greece time) they had reached 27, while according to information, more are expected to follow during the day.

Among others, Kemi Badenoch, Neil O’Brien, Alex Burghardt, Lee Rowley, Julia Lopez and Mimi’s Davis submitted their resignations.

All those who resigned said they no longer trusted the British prime minister, with analysts in London stressing that it is no longer a question of if Boris Johnson will resign but when.

According to press reports, even Michael Gove, one of the most prominent members of the Conservative Party, who has great influence within the party, has asked Boris Johnson to resign.

Mr Johnson admitted it was a “bad mistake” to appoint Pincher, despite being aware of allegations of misconduct on his part.

Queens, who had undertaken to defend the prime minister in media interviews two days ago, said Downing Street had given him “inaccurate” information. In his resignation letter, he added that he had “no choice” but to resign.

The row over Pincher’s appointment comes after Johnson’s relationship with his MPs has been hit by the Partygate scandal and discontent over tax rises.

It is recalled that Johnson survived a censure motion among Tory MPs last month, which means that under current party rules he is “protected” from another censure motion for a year.

Several key cabinet ministers, including foreign secretary and potential leadership contender Liz Truss, have rallied around the prime minister.

Boris Johnson is prepared for further resignations, perhaps not from the cabinet, but from the next “step” on the cabinet ladder.

Source: Capital

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