Boris Johnson in rising peril as two top ministers quit

Boris Johnson was forced into a snap reshuffle after his Chancellor of the Exchequer and Health Secretary resigned with stinging rebukes over his leadership.

Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has quit, citing Boris Johnson’s leadership. Picture: AFP.

In shock political moves that have left Boris Johnson fighting for his survival, British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid, two of the most senior members of Boris Johnson’s cabinet, have resigned.

In what has put huge stresses upon Mr Johnson’s government, both men, either of whom could mount a leadership challenge if the Conservative party rules are changed to allow a fresh vote of no confidence in the prime minister, resigned their Cabinet posts with stinging rebukes about his leadership.

Mr Sunak said: “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.”

Almost simultaneously Mr Javid resigned saying:”I am instinctively a team player but the British people also rightly expect integrity from their government.”

He said that the recent vote of confidence, held last month, was a moment for “humility, grip and new direction”. But he believed “this situation will not change under your leadership – and you have therefore lost my confidence too.”

Britain's Health Secretary Sajid Javid cited integrity as his reason for resigning. Picture: AFP.

Hours later Alex Chalk, the Solicitor General, also quit, saying in his resignation letter that public trust in the government had “broken down.”

The resignations of two of the government’s top ministers were quickly followed by those of the vice-chair of the Conservative Party Bim Afolami, and four parliamentary private secretaries, including Mr Javid’s PPS, who also cited the lack of honour and integrity in the government. Virginia Crosbie, PPS to the Welsh Office, said in her resignation letter that the government was “broken at the top.”

Mr Afolami quit live on television, calling on Mr Johnson to go, after losing “the support of the party and the country”.

BREAKING: Tory vice chair @BimAfolami has just resigned his position live on @TheNewsDesk. pic.twitter.com/ZJaXtvlW3A

— The News Desk (@TheNewsDesk) July 5, 2022

Theo Clarke, the PM’s trade envoy to Kenya, resigned later on in the evening, telling Mr Johnson in her resignation letter that she had lost confidence in his leadership.

Sources close to Mr Javid and Mr Sunak insist the resignations were not co-ordinated, but the developments have now led to fresh turmoil within the Tory party as a possibly fatally wounded Mr Johnson attempts to maintain control of his cabinet.

Within hours of the resignations, Mr Johnson appointed Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi as Chancellor of the Exchequer, while Steve Barclay, former chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, was appointed Health Secretary.

Other big names in the Cabinet, such as Liz Truss, Michael Gove, Ben Wallace and Priti Patel, have indicated they will stay in place.

A snap YouGov poll showed 60 per cent of Britons now want Mr Johnson to resign, while 54 per cent of those who supported him in 2019 also believe he should quit.

The resignation of Mr Sunak and Mr Javid impact the two departments that are dealing with the cost of living crisis and the fallout of Covid-19, adding to the sense of crisis facing 10 Downing Street.

Last week the leader of the Conservative party, Oliver Dowden resigned after two dreadful by-election results, saying: “Our supporters are distressed and disappointed by recent events, and I share their feelings.

“We cannot carry on with business as usual. Somebody must take responsibility and I have concluded that, in these circumstances, it would not be right for me to remain in office.”

The catalyst for the latest upheaval was Mr Johnson’s knowledge of sleazy behaviour of the former deputy chief whip Christopher Pincher, who resigned last week accused of groping two men in a private members club.

Similar to the changing stories about Partygate – the drinking and parties of government officials in Downing Street during the coronavirus lockdown – the latest furore involved muddled and confusing messages from 10 Downing Street and senior MP’s about what Mr Johnson knew about Mr Pincher being investigated for similar sleazy conduct three years ago.

Early on Tuesday a former Foreign Office permanent secretary Lord McDonald revealed that Downing Street was “changing their story and are still not telling the truth”.

That prompted Mr Johnson to publicly apologise saying it “was a mistake” and “in hindsight the wrong thing to do” to make the Pincher appointment.

He apologised to “everybody who has been badly affected” adding, “I just want to make absolutely clear that there is no place in this government for anybody who is a predator or who abuses their position of power”.

Backbencher Andrew Bridgen has urged other MPs to “get a backbone and move against the Prime Minister” because “we have lost faith, lost confidence and had enough”.

He told Sky News: “he can drag it out for a few more hours, but we are determined he will be gone by the summer recess (when parliament rises on July 21)”.