That call was echoed by a number of former ministers as well as senior Tories, who said Johnson’s behavior over the past 24 hours had made it impossible for him to stay. Major, the former Conservative prime minister, released a letter saying it was “unwise and perhaps unsustainable” for Johnson to remain in office for up to three months. He said Raab could become deputy prime minister if Johnson quits — a move that would have no constitutional precedent. However, he said the other option to speed up Johnson’s exit would be to eliminate the party members’ vote and leave only MPs to decide who becomes the next prime minister. The 33 hours Boris Johnson drove – in three minutes “In such a circumstance, the prime minister retains the power of patronage and, even more worryingly, the power to make decisions that will affect the lives of those in the four nations of the UK and further afield,” he wrote to committee chairman Sir Graham Brady. “Some will argue that his new cabinet will hold him back. I’m just noting that the previous cabinet didn’t – or couldn’t – do it.” Major said neither option was “ideal,” but they were necessary. “The interests of the country must be prioritized above all else and, with so many long-term and critical issues before us, an imaginative response – even at the risk of some bruised feelings within the party – is surely in the national interest. .” Nick Gibb, a former minister, said the prime minister should stand down. “Having lost so many ministers, he has lost the confidence and authority needed to continue,” he said. George Freeman, who resigned as science minister on Thursday morning, agreed, saying: “We need ministers back at their desks. Now the Prime Minister has finally done the decent thing to hand over the seals of office, to apologize to Her Majesty, to allow her to appoint a minister that ministers can serve under, so that the Conservative party can properly elect a new leader”. Another former minister said: “He has to go tonight. Raab must take over.” Simon Hoare, MP for the base, tweeted: “Ministers quit because of the PM. The party lost confidence because of the prime minister. It is beyond belief that Mr. Johnson can remain in office… New constitutional territory, but he must go and gone means to go.’ Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST A very senior Tory source who has been with Johnson in recent days said his “reckless and erratic” behavior meant it was dangerous for the country to stay. “He cannot be trusted to lead the country until the fall. God knows what he will do.” A former government adviser said it was “dangerous” for Johnson to stay in office. Another former minister called him a “disgrace”.
