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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is fighting to stay in office amid a growing wave of resignations from his government.
Johnson insists on continuing as prime minister despite a growing rebellion within the Conservative Party against his leadership.
Johnson said in Parliament he had a “huge mandate” from the 2019 election and that it would “continue”.
This comes at a time when there are successive resignations from government or party positions, and other deputies from the ruling party withdrew their support for the prime minister.
Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition Labor Party, said those who remained were “blindly obedient” and “defending the indefensible”.
Finance Minister Rishi Sunak and Health Minister Sajid Javid tendered their resignations by ten minutes on Tuesday, and a series of resignations within the government followed.
In his resignation statement, Javid said “trying to balance loyalty with integrity” has become “impossible in recent months”. “At some point we have to conclude that this is enough. I think that is the point now,” he added.
Gary Sambrook, a Conservative MP, accused the prime minister of blaming other people for his mistakes, and won standing applause after calling for Johnson to resign.
But Johnson has defied calls to resign, adding that he will “continue to carry out the mandate he has received.” He added: “The task of the prime minister in difficult circumstances, when he has a huge mandate, is to continue, and this is what I will do.”
New Finance Minister Nazim Zahawi urged his colleagues to “unite” and said Johnson was focused on getting results.
Opposition party leaders urged other cabinet ministers to follow the lead of those who resigned, while the Labor leader said he was ready for an early general election.
Conservative MP Andrew Mitchell told the BBC that Johnson’s role is over, adding: “He has neither the character nor the merits to be our prime minister”, and the only question is how long this situation will continue.
A Cabinet member called on Johnson to step down to resign from his position.
Michael Gove spoke to Johnson on Wednesday morning to tell him he must resign, and he and the third cabinet minister is asking him to.
Johnson faces a threat from conservative rebels who want to change the party’s rules to allow a vote of no confidence in him.
Johnson survived a similar vote last month and, under the rules as they currently stand, will be immune from any further challenge to his power for a year.
How can Boris Johnson leave office?
- If party chiefs change the one-year rule for any confidence vote, rebellious Tory MPs may try again to oust him later this summer or in the fall.
- If Johnson loses a vote of no confidence in Parliament, he will have to resign or call an election.
- He may have to resign, perhaps in the face of increasing pressure from the government, like Margaret Thatcher, or after a new wave of ministerial resignations.
political drama
Against the resigning ministers, other ministers lined up around Johnson, including Secretary of State Liz Truss, a candidate to succeed him as party leader.
Truss said she stood by Johnson fully, while ministers including Dominic Raab, Michael Gove, Theresa Coffey and Ben Wallace confirmed their intention to remain in the government.
And the features of the political drama unfolded on Tuesday evening, minutes after the BBC interview with the prime minister, in which he admitted that he had made a mistake by appointing Chris Pincher as deputy chief of party discipline in February of this year despite knowing that there were accusations against him of misconduct. the behavior.
This crisis was the latest in a series of issues that are prompting Conservative MPs to question the leadership of the Prime Minister and the direction of the government.
Johnson’s government has been at the center of a series of contentious issues in recent months, including a police investigation into practices at the Prime Minister’s Residence during the coronavirus lockdown.
Some Conservative MPs complained about the tax hike.
Sunak mentioned the tension over the economy as one of the reasons for his resignation, and directed his speech to the Prime Minister: “While I was preparing my speech on the state of the economy, it became clear to me that there are fundamental differences between us in attitudes.”
Sunak’s resignation led to a series of resignations from the following ranks of Conservative Party officials.
Pressure mounted on the prime minister last month over electoral losses in some areas and the resignation of Conservative Party Secretary General Oliver Dowden.
Johnson recently survived a vote of no confidence within his own party, which means he is safe from facing a similar measure until June next year, according to party regulations.
Conservative MP Andrew Breggen told the BBC that the prime minister should resign, and if he didn’t, the party should force him to do so.
He added, “The 1922 Committee will deal with this whirlwind prime minister, and that was the reason for its formation.”
Meanwhile, Labor leader Sir Kiir said he welcomes early elections as the country needs a change of government. “After all this failure, it is clear that this Conservative government is on the verge of collapse,” he added.
It is assumed that the next elections will be organized in 2024, but it may be organized before that if Johnson uses its powers and calls for early elections.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davy told the BBC that the Conservatives should do their patriotic duty and “get rid of Boris Johnson today”.
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said “all this rot” in Johnson’s government must go, and accused ministers of lying to the people.