Boris Johnson to resign as UK Prime Minister
Words Sarah Adama
The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has agreed to step down from his position, following an exodus of senior ministers, junior ministers and Secretary of state for Wales and Northern Ireland resigning from his Cabinet. In what has been a dramatic two days, the Prime Minister’s political authority has ebbed away as the conservative government disintegrated. More than 50 members of his government have resigned. Johnson will seek to remain as a caretaker Prime Minister while a leadership election takes place in Autumn.
Boris Johnson who won the Conservative party a historic majority in the general election of 2019 - the most electorally successful leader since Marget Thatcher in 1972 - and helped lead the successful Vote Leave Campaign in 2016, has lost the support of his party and closest supporters.
The resignations began on Tuesday with senior members Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, and Health Secretary Sajid David, who departed within ten minutes of each other. 60 MPs resigned within the last 48 hours. The Prime Minister’s most loyal ministers pleaded with him to quit with dignity and “go quietly”. Even his closest allies in the cabinet told him they cannot carry on.
Despite a quick reshuffle of the Cabinet, even those who took up new positions have called upon his resignation. Michael Donelan, who replaced Nadhim Zahawi as education secretary on Tuesday night, has become the shortest-serving minister following her resignation. “I see no way that you can continue in post, but without a formal mechanism to remove you it seems that the only way this is possible is for those of us who remain in Cabinet to force your hand,” she wrote. The final push came from two days old Chancellor, Nadhim Zahawi, who today called for the Prime Minister to “do the right thing and go now”.
No minister defended Johnson publicly in broadcast interviews, with many expressing that he should salvage what is left of his legacy. The likes of Attorney General, Suella Braverman, Home Secretary, Priti Patel and Secretary of State for Defence, Ben Wallace, are unable to leave their posts for National security reasons but publicly called for the Prime Minister to step down. The Home Secretary stated that the Prime Minister no longer commands the support of the party.
Despite these resignations, Johnson responded that he had a “mandate” from the British people and refused to quit. Only yesterday, Michael Gove was sacked following his advice for the PM to step down. His refusal to go quietly led to further resignations on Thursday, with Brandon Lewis, Northern Ireland Secretary and once-loyal Johnson supporter, stating that the government was no longer being run based on “honesty, integrity and mutual respect”. The Welsh secretary, Simon Hart, is amongst those to quit in the last 24 hours. With a lot more resignations and struggling to fill cabinet positions, it seems the Prime Minister has become overwhelmed.
There is currently no clear sign from the Prime Minister as to the nature of his departure. Though, if he remains interim leader until the leadership elections in Autumn, he will need ministers who are willing to return, to allow an orderly transition and good government.
The Prime Minister is expected to deliver a speech today.