LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was fighting for his political life on Wednesday as more ministers and aides continued to quit his government and a former top cabinet minister launched a blistering criticism of Johnson’s leadership. Johnson was trying to distance himself from Tuesday’s dramatic events, which saw the bombshell resignations of two of his most senior ministers – chancellor Rishi Sunak and health secretary Sajid Javid – both of whom have their own power bases in the party and are believed to they are future leadership candidates. Johnson’s attempt to fill top roles quickly did not stem the tide of further – albeit more junior – resignations. In the space of 24 hours, at least 21 Conservative politicians resigned from their posts in protest at Johnson’s leadership. The resignations, which followed a series of scandals, have raised many questions: How long can Johnson survive? Is this the end game for Johnson? Is there a way to get rid of him? In a fiery weekly Prime Minister’s Questions session, Johnson dismissed those calling for his resignation. Asked by a Conservative peer if there were circumstances in which he should stand down, Johnson said he would stand down if the government could not continue. “Frankly, the job of a prime minister in difficult circumstances when you’ve been given a colossal mandate is to keep going, and that’s what I’m going to do.” In a sign of the mood of the meeting, at one point a group of opposition Labor MPs waved at Johnson, shouting “Goodbye”. Javid, the former health secretary whose resignation led to the defection, issued a scathing criticism of the prime minister, telling parliament that “the tightrope between loyalty and integrity has become impossible in recent months”. He said that at the end of last year, he was told by senior officials that there had been no Downing Street parties during the pandemic lockdown. A police investigation into “Partygate” ended with 126 fines, including one for Johnson. UK ‘Partygate’ probe ends with 126 fines, no further mention of Boris Johnson Javid added that “this week again, we have reason to question the truth and integrity of what we have been told,” he said, referring to a separate scandal involving Chris Pincher, who had recently resigned as deputy captain after charges that he assaulted two men while intoxicated. Downing Street initially said Johnson was unaware of any previous allegations of misconduct when the prime minister gave Pincher a key government post, but later backtracked to acknowledge Johnson was aware of an investigation that confirmed similar allegations in 2019. The resignations of top UK ministers and the woes of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government dominated the headlines of British newspapers on July 6. (Video: Reuters) “The problem starts at the top,” Javid said. As Javid spoke, another minister resigned. Boris Johnson’s latest scandal prompts top ministers to resign The majority of the British public believe that Johnson should throw in the towel. A YouGov poll published on Tuesday showed 69 percent of Britons said Johnson should resign — including a majority of Conservative voters (54 percent). Only 18 percent of the British public say Johnson should stay. Johnson has made it clear that – if it’s up to him – he’ll stay where he is. And under current Conservative Party rules, there is no official way for Johnson’s critics to get rid of him quickly. Since Johnson narrowly survived a no-confidence vote by his party last month, he is officially barred from further party challenges for a year. Rob Ford, a politics expert at the University of Manchester, drew parallels with 2016, when, after the Brexit vote, there were mass resignations from the opposition Labor Party’s shadow cabinet in a bid to pressure Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn. . While some leaders may have read the chamber and decided to quit, Ford said, Corbyn did not and remained leader until spring 2020. “Similarly, with Johnson, there is widespread opposition to his leadership. You have a leader who won’t bow to informal pressure to leave, and the only formal mechanism you have is unavailable. So you’re in a vacuum,” Ford said. Boris Johnson survives but weakened by no-confidence vote There has been a lot of talk in recent days about how the party rules could be changed. And in the coming days, conservative lawmakers will elect new members to the powerful 1922 Commission, which sets the rules. Some of those running for roles have suggested they would support allowing another vote of no confidence. Meanwhile, the number of resignations, including former loyalists, continued to rise. Analysts say Johnson is lucky in that the cited reasons for the loss of confidence appear to be varied – his critics do not coalesce around a single issue, as did those who helped get rid of Theresa May, Johnson’s predecessor , when she was fired. . Ford said that while Johnson could step aside until another confidence vote is held, the chances of him leading the Conservative Party into the next general election, scheduled for 2025, looked slim. “At the very least, another vote of confidence is possible 11 months from now. What exactly will change between now and then to regain confidence in Johnson?” Ford asked. “At this point, I think it would take something close to a biblical miracle. Nothing can be ruled out with the luckiest politician in British politics, but it would take something extraordinary.”
