Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid resign as Boris Johnson apologises for Chris Pincher ‘mistake’ – UK politics live | Politics
Javid/Sunak resignations – snap analysis
It could all be over for Boris Johnson – although quite how long it will take his enemies to finish him off is not at all clear and his defenestration does not look immediate. The two byelection defeats almost two weeks ago prompted calls for cabinet ministers to mount a coup against Boris Johnson, and it finally it seems to be happening.
We have not had confirmation yet, but it is impossible to believe that the resignations of Sajid Javid and Rishi Sunak were not coordinated. Perhaps there are more to come.
The Sunak resignation is the most serious of the two. Since the spring statement, the chancellor has not been the obvious heir apparent he once was. But he is still a powerful figure in the party. The resignation of Nigel Lawson helped to bring down Margaret Thatcher, although it took just over a year for that to eventually play out.
Even if there are no more resignations, the mood in the Conservative party has already turned against Johnson – perhaps decisively.
Under current rules Johnson is safe from another leadership challenge until next summer. But the executive of the 1922 Committee can change the rules whenever it wants. A new anti-Johnson executive is expected to be elected next week, but even the current executive – more evently split between loyalists and critics – could act now if it felt there was a consensus in the party.
Johnson is famously stubborn, and he is unlikely to quit just because two ministers have decided to go. But increasingly Conservative MPs believe they have no chance of winning the next election under his leadership. Ultimately that assessment should prove decisive.
Key events:
The education secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, has been spotted entering No.10 Downing Street this evening.
Zahawi has yet to publicly show his hand over whether he backs the prime minister.
Nicola Richards MP has also resigned as parliamentary private secretary to the Department of Transport.
I will always remain loyal to my constituents and the Conservative Party. Tonight I’ve made the tough decision to resign as a PPS. pic.twitter.com/XrM8IrzreJ
— Nicola Richards MP (@Nicola4WBE) July 5, 2022
Tory MP for Hastings and Rye, Sally-Ann Hart, who previously backed Boris Johnson in June’s confidence vote, said she is no longer able to support the prime minister.
Considering the further revelations that have come to light, and given that the integrity of Parliament must be upheld, on behalf of my constituents of Hastings and Rye I am no longer able to support Boris Johnson as Leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister.
— Sally-Ann Hart MP (@SallyAnn1066) July 5, 2022
Northern Ireland minister Conor Burns gave his ‘ongoing and full support’ to Boris Johnson from the floor of the House of Commons.
Speaking at the dispatch box while responding to an adjournment debate on issues relating to the Northern Ireland assembly and executive, Burns said: “When the prime minister asked me to serve as minister of state in the Northern Ireland Office last September I became only the second minister in the 50-year history of the Northern Ireland Office to serve who is from Northern Ireland.
“And as someone who is a Catholic, a supporter of the union, from Belfast, I feel passionately about Northern Ireland and her wonderful people.
“And I express tonight my enduring gratitude to the prime minister for that opportunity to serve.
“And as has often been said in the past, the best way to keep a secret is to say something on the floor of the House of Commons, so from this dispatch box tonight I use this opportunity to express my ongoing and full support to my right honourable friend the prime minister as he helps us move to a position where we restore the power-sharing institutions that the people of Northern Ireland need so much.”
My colleague Jessica Elgot’s take on the significance of Jonathan Gullis’s resignation:
Honestly Jonathan Guillis resigning is arguable more damning than Sunak
— Jessica Elgot (@jessicaelgot) July 5, 2022
Work and pensions secretary Thérèse Coffey is not resigning from Boris Johnson’s cabinet, a source told PA.
Two PPSs resign
Saqib Bhatti MP has also announced he has resigned as a parliamentary private secretary, the second so far following that of Jonathan Gullis:
The Conservative party has always been the party of integrity and honour but recent events have undermined trust and standards in public life. It is for this reason that sadly, I must resign.
I will continue working hard for my constituents on the issues that matter to them. pic.twitter.com/oHZzPO285o
— Saqib Bhatti MP (@bhatti_saqib) July 5, 2022
Jonathan Gullis, who is understood to have been a Johnson loyalist, has resigned his role as parliamentary private secretary to the Northern Ireland secretary.
Continuing to call for the prime minister to resign, Conservative MP for North Thanet Sir Roger Gale told Sky News: “I have said for several days now that I believe that we should not change the rules in the middle of the game and that the 1922 Committee rules should remain as they are.
But I’m afraid that this letter from Lord McDonald changes that picture completely.
“If the prime minister still refuses to go without the confidence of the backbench of his party, without the confidence, clearly, of significant members of his cabinet, if that is not enough to persuade him that the time has come for him to step aside, then the 1922 Committee, the backbench, is going to have to do it for him.”
Conservative MP Anthony Browne has reiterated his stance that he has “lost confidence” in Johnson.
Jacob Rees-Mogg has confirmed he will continue to back Boris Johnson as prime minister.
The Brexit opportunities minister told Sky News: “The Prime Minister won a large mandate in a general election, a vote of the British people and that should not be taken away from him because a number of people resign.”
Conservative vice-chair resigns live on TV
Bin Afolami MP has announced his resignation on TalkTV.
He said: “I don’t think the prime minister no longer has not just my support, but the party and the country.
“And for that reason I think he should step down.”
On his own position, he said: “You have to resign, I can’t serve under the prime minister.”
