’Time to go’: Boris Johnson’s party calls for UK PM’s resignation

Members of Boris Johnson’s party are determined to see the UK PM resign within the month after scandals stack up against him.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been put on two weeks’ notice by his own party after further scandals forced the shock resignationm of two senior British ministers.

On Tuesday evening UK time, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and health secretary Sajid Javid stepped down from their respective posts. Each sent stinging letters to Mr Johnson, one declaring the government “cannot continue like this”.

Fellow Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said their sudden resignation was the “icing on the cake” on top of a list of scandals surrounding Mr Johnson.

“It’s time for Boris to go,” Mr Bridgen told Sky News.

“He can drag this out for a few more hours if he wants to, but I and a lot of the party now are determined that he will be gone by the summer recess (starting on July 22): the sooner the better.”

However loyal cabinet ally and Minister for Brexit, Jacob Rees-Mogg, dismissed the resignations as “little local difficulties”.

“Losing chancellors is something that happens,” he said on Sky News, pointing to past Tory leaders.

One ally of Mr Johnson told the BBC “It will all be over by this time tomorrow.”

“No PM can survive the resignation of two senior cabinet ministers like that.”

Nonetheless, a bevy of ministers loyal to Mr Johnson have backed the leader despite the unfolding crisis.

Speaking on Tuesday afternoon in London, Mr Johnson was effusive in praise of the pair and said he would “miss working with” Mr Sunak.

The resignations come just weeks after Mr Johnson won a stinging no-confidence motion among Conservative Party MPs following the scandal of multiple parties in Downing Street while the rest of the country was in lockdown.

But almost 150 of his own MPs voted against their own leader.

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The latest drama to hit the embattled PM was the revelation he promoted one of his MPs, Chris Pincher, to a plum government role despite knowing there were allegations of sexual misconduct against him. Previously the PM had denied he knew of the complaints.

Mr Johnson said on Tuesday he made a “bad mistake” by appointing the MP to the role. Mr Pincher denies the allegations.

Britain's Health Secretary Sajid Javid resigned on Tuesday. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)

Shock resignations

On Tuesday afternoon, UK time, health secretary Sajid Javid resigned. In a letter to Mr Johnson he said the PM had lost his confidence and British people were questioning the competence of the Government.

“We [the Conservative party] may not have always been popular, but we have been competent in acting in the national interest.

“Sadly, in the current circumstances, the public are concluding that we are now neither.

“The vote of confidence last month showed that a large number of our colleagues agree.

“I regret to say, however, that it is clear to me that this situation will not change under your leadership and you have therefore lost my confidence too,” Mr Javid said.

I have spoken to the Prime Minister to tender my resignation as Secretary of State for Health & Social Care.

It has been an enormous privilege to serve in this role, but I regret that I can no longer continue in good conscience. pic.twitter.com/d5RBFGPqXp

— Sajid Javid (@sajidjavid) July 5, 2022

Minutes later Chancellor of the Exchequer (finance Minister) Rishi Sunak also stepped down from his ministerial role.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson with Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak. (Photo by Daniel LEAL / AFP)

He said Britain was facing “immense challenges” and he and the PM were not on the same page.

“Our people know that if something is too good to be true then it’s not true. They need to know that while there is a path to a better future, it is not an easy one,” said Mr Sunak.

The public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously.

I recognise this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning.

My letter to the Prime Minister below. pic.twitter.com/vZ1APB1ik1

— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) July 5, 2022

It’s over.
Thank God for that. Amen and Alleluia

— Chris Bryant (@RhonddaBryant) July 5, 2022

“In preparation for our proposed joint speech on the economy next week, it has become clear to me that our approaches are fundamentally too different.

“I am sad to be leaving government but I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that we cannot continue like this”.

Along with the two ministers, several MPs who acted as parliamentary secretaries also resigned.

Mr Johnson thanked both former ministers for their letters and commended their work.

“You will be greatly missed, and I look forward to your contribution from the backbenches,” he said of Mr Javid.

The PM said Mr Sunak had given “outstanding service to the country through the most challenging period for our economy in peacetime history”.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during the weekly Cabinet meeting at Downing Street on July 5 just hours before two of the senior Minister at that table resigned. (Photo by Justin Tallis – Pool/Getty Images)

Opposition: ‘Thank God it’s over’

Senior opposition Labour MP Chris Bryant simply tweeted, “It’s over. Thank God for that. Amen and Alleluia”.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called on Tory MPs to now dump Mr Johnson.

“The Tory party is corrupted, and changing the man at the top won’t fix it. We need a real change of government and a fresh start for Britain,” he told the BBC.

Johnson supporters speak up

Mr Johnson has been backed by several of his ministers. Culture secretary Nadine Dorries said she was “100 per cent behind Boris”. Influential Brexit backer Jacob Rees-Mogg said the Tory’s majority in parliament should mean he can continue in place.

Mr Johnson does indeed have a large majority in the House of Commons. At the last election, in 2019, he increased the number of Conservative seats to 365, comfortably a majority. He was credited within winning over Labour voters who backed Brexit.

Yet since the election, Mr Johnson has been forced to navigate numerous controversies including accusations of an initial lack of urgency over Covid-19 and the “Partygate” scandal where he was fined by London’s Metropolitan Police for his role in a series of alcohol-fuelled parties in Downing St which were held when the nation was in strict lockdown restrictions.

It made him the first serving British prime minister to have been found to have broken the law.