The most immediate controversy facing Johnson is Downing Street’s handling of last week’s resignation of deputy leader Chris Pincher, who stepped down last Thursday amid allegations he had molested two guests at a private dinner the night before . Although he did not directly admit to the charges, Pincher said in a letter to Johnson that “last night I drank too much” and “embarrassed myself and other people.” “Citizens rightly expect the government to function properly, competently and seriously,” Sunak said in his resignation letter. “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.” “In preparation for our proposed joint speech on the economy next week, it has become clear to me that our approaches are fundamentally very different,” Sunak added in the letter. “I’m sorry to be leaving the government, but I’ve reluctantly come to the conclusion that we can’t go on like this.” Javid wrote that “it has been a tremendous privilege to serve in this role, but I regret that I can no longer continue in good conscience.” Javid added that last month’s vote of confidence in the prime minister “was a moment of humility, reservation and new direction”. “I regret to say, however, that it is clear to me that this situation will not change under your leadership — and therefore you have lost my trust as well,” Javid wrote. Downing Street has struggled to explain why Pincher was in government in the first place amid a wave of revelations about his past alleged behaviour. When these reports emerged, Downing Street initially denied that the Prime Minister knew anything specific about them. Afterward, Johnson’s team said it was aware of the historical allegations but that they had been “resolved.” When it was revealed that one of the previously unreported allegations against Pincher had been upheld, Johnson’s spokesman explained that “resolved” could mean it had been upheld. Then on Tuesday morning, Simon McDonald, the former senior civil servant at the Foreign Office, revealed that Johnson had been personally briefed on the outcome of an inquiry into Pincher’s conduct. Minutes before Sunak and Javid announced their resignations, Johnson admitted it “was a mistake” to appoint Pincher to his government. For months Johnson has faced a barrage of criticism over his and his government’s behaviour, including illegal lockdown-breaking parties in his Downing Street offices for which he and others have been fined. Last month, he survived a confidence vote, but the final tally of MPs rebelling against him was higher than his supporters expected: 41% of his own parliamentary party refused to support him. This is a developing story.
