The spectacular unraveling of Johnson’s political career could now be hours from completion. While he has so far refused to budge, Conservative lawmakers may quickly rewrite their party rules and vote to overturn him if necessary. “At some point, we have to come to the conclusion that enough is enough,” former health secretary Sajid Javid, the first of several ministers to quit in the past 24 hours, told Johnson in parliament on Wednesday. “I’ve come to the conclusion that the problem starts at the top, that’s not going to change.” Five ministers resigned in one move on Wednesday afternoon and as the working day drew to a close, Johnson had lost more than 30 members of his cabinet. His longtime ally and senior cabinet minister Michael Gove also urged him Wednesday afternoon to accept that his time is up, two senior advisers with knowledge of the situation confirmed to CNN. This news was first reported by Mail+, the Daily Mail’s digital platform. Gove’s office had no official comment on the matter and the sources spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting was held behind closed doors. “Citizens rightly expect the government to behave properly, competently and seriously,” Chancellor Rishi Sunak said in his resignation letter on Tuesday night. “I recognize that this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth striving for and that is why I am stepping down.” “The Prime Minister is constantly trying to deflect from the issue, he is always trying to blame other people for mistakes … (there is) nothing left for him to do but take responsibility and resign,” Conservative MP Gary Sambrook added in parliament. eliciting cheers and applause from lawmakers.
An endless series of scandals
Many Prime Ministers have been sidelined by sudden and deadly rebellions within their own parties, with leaders usually opting to resign when the writing is on the wall. But the speed with which Johnson’s government has fallen towards the precipice echoes few episodes in British political history. Less than three years ago, Johnson secured a landslide election victory and then enacted Brexit, a political revolution that many in his party had been clamoring for for decades. Even late last year, Johnson was healthy in the polls. While the UK has the highest death toll from Covid-19 in Europe, Johnson was boosted by a popular vaccine launch, but then scandal after scandal damaged his public image. He tried to overturn the suspension of an ally accused of misconduct. was fined by the police for attending one of the many parties held in Downing Street during the lockdown. lost two MPs due to sex scandals and then failed to regain their seats in the by-elections. and this week, he admitted he had been told of an allegation against Pincher before promoting him to deputy chief whip, despite ministers and aides initially claiming otherwise. This Pincher saga eventually caused Johnson’s base to retreat. Johnson narrowly survived a no-confidence vote in early June, but rebels have threatened to amend the party’s rules and allow a new vote in the near future if Johnson does not resign — and he would now be expected to lose. A sulking Johnson struggled with the Prime Minister’s questions in Parliament and then fielded questions from MPs at a caucus meeting, during which even more of his allies called for their support. Johnson’s efforts to cling to power were described as “pathetic” by opposition leader Keir Starmer, who also turned his attack on the few allies in his cabinet who still support him. “In the middle of a crisis doesn’t the country deserve better than a Z-list of beckoning dogs?” Starmer asked the House. If Johnson quits, a Conservative leadership campaign would begin and the winner would become prime minister. That person will have to deal with domestic issues, such as a cost-of-living crisis that has hit British households, and inherit a host of foreign pressures. Johnson has developed good relations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and has been a leading figure in Europe’s response to Russia’s invasion. CNN’s Luke McGee contributed reporting.
