Home ›› 07 Jul 2022 ›› Front
At least 32 ministers and aides have resigned from the Tory government till now after former health minister Javid and Chancellor Rishi Sunak quit the cabinet on Tuesday.
The resignation comes as the MPs are angry at Johnson’s handling of sexual misconduct claims against former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher - and what he said about what he knew, reports BBC.
Pincher, one of the closest allies of Boris, is accused of groping two men in a private members’ club.
He quit his government job in a letter, saying he had “drunk far too much” and “embarrassed myself and other people”.
Boris Johnson faces criticism for not suspending him sooner.
Before Johnson acted, he was told by senior Conservative MPs and opposition parties that Pincher’s position was untenable.
Earlier, Downing Street had suggested the prime minister considered the matter closed after Mr Pincher’s resignation as deputy chief whip.
While commenting on the issue, MP Paul Holmes, who resigned as PPS (parliamentary aide) in May following the publication of Sue Gray’s report into Partygate, tells the BBC Boris Johnson could be gone “in days”.
He says “time’s up” for the prime minister and the country needs “fresh leadership”.
Holmes says he voted for Boris Johnson to be leader in 2019, but the issue is one of integrity - Tory MPs can’t look their constituents in the eye and tell them what’s gone on is acceptable.
Earlier, after the resignation of Sunak and Javid, Johnson appointed his chief of staff Steve Barclay as his next health minister and Nadhim Zahawi, previously the education minister, as his new finance minister.
Michael Gove, a senior member of the cabinet and a close one to Boris, tells Boris to step down as the number of ministers resigning grows. In another development, former justice secretary Robert Buckland, who has repeatedly defended Boris Johnson until now, has joined other Conservatives colleagues in calling for the PM to step down.
The South Swindon MP told BBC Radio Wiltshire “the PM must resign”.
Former health secretary Sajid Javid, who quit as yesterday, told MPs at lunchtime that “treading the tightrope between loyalty and integrity” had become impossible.
After having a frenetic day as the numbers of ministers resigning from the cabinet are going higher with the time, Boris Johnson is about to face more questions from MPs shortly - this time from the Liaison Committee of select committee chairmen and women.
The Liaison Committee chaired by Sir Bernard Jenkin MP, has the job to ask the PM questions about policy.
The liaison committee is a kind of super-committee made up of the MPs who chair all the other select committees (health, education, defence etc).
The sessions usually last for around two hours and give MPs the chance to question Boris Johnson on all sorts of issues.
The focus of this committee hearing is expected to be on the impact of the war in Ukraine on the UK, the government’s response to the rising cost of living, integrity in politics, and the rule of law.
