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Pressure is mounting on Johnson from within his own party
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce his resignation today from the leadership of the Conservative Party, following a series of resignations that rocked his party and government.
A government spokesman said Johnson would speak to his countrymen later on Thursday.
“Boris Johnson will resign as Conservative leader today – and continue as prime minister until autumn,” said Chris Mason, BBC political editor, adding that the Tory leader’s election would take place this summer and the winner would replace Johnson by October.
Commenting on the announcement, Labor opposition leader Keir Starmer said it was “good news (but) we don’t need a change in the leadership of the Conservative Party. We need a real change in government.”
This comes while regarding 60 members of the government have announced their resignation since Tuesday, including five ministers, in a collective movement unprecedented in British political history, while anger has been rising for months over the scandal of parties in Downing Street during the quarantine.
The resignations of Finance Minister Rishi Sunak and Health Minister Sajid Javid on Tuesday night signaled Johnson’s downfall following a new sex scandal involving the MP appointed by Johnson in February despite knowing he had been previously accused of harassment.
On Thursday, ministers from the first row joined Johnson’s call to resign due to the difficult situation, including Home Secretary Priti Patel and Nazim Al-Zahawi, less than 24 hours following his appointment as Finance Minister. But the prime minister says he has a “huge mandate” from the 2019 elections and will “continue” and that leaving office for now would be an “irresponsible” move.
Newly appointed Education Minister Michelle Donlan joined the resignations, saying Johnson had “put everyone in an impossible position”.
The wave of resignations began on Tuesday evening when the Minister of Health and Finance, Sajid Javid and Rishi Sunak, announced their resignations from the government without prior warning, followed by other lower-ranking members of the government.
Boris Johnson is mired in several scandals and is accused of lying repeatedly, but he has ignored all calls for his resignation, some of which were issued by those close to him, saying Wednesday evening Michael Gove, Minister of Housing Affairs, who earlier appealed to him to resign.
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.
