Markus Andrews

Rishi Sunak has resigned as chancellor following the explosive jumping ship of fellow Cabinet minister Sajid Javid.The now former chancellor of the exchequer and health secretary stepped down amid anger over Boris Johnson’s handling of misconduct allegations against Chris Pincher.It comes after No 10 admitted Mr Johnson was aware when promoting Mr Pincher to his role as deputy chief whip that a misconduct complaint had been upheld against him – causing simmering concern among Tory MPs about party standards to boil over.In his resignation letter, Mr Sunak told Mr Johnson that the government “cannot continue like this.” He concluded: “It has become clear to me that our approaches are fundamentally too different.” More

Boris Johnson’s premiership was in peril last night after two cabinet ministers and potential leadership candidates quit the government in protest at Downing Street’s handling of a series of recent scandals.Sajid Javid, the health secretary and Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, walked out of the cabinet after Mr Johnson apologised for promoting Chris Pincher to the role of deputy chief whip in February despite being told of a sexual misconduct complaint against the Tamworth MP in 2019.Further government resignations were expected by the end of the night but Mr Johnson showed no signs of calling it a day himself as a number of loyal ministers – including Nadine Dorries, the culture secretary and Dominic Raab, the deputy PM and justice secretary – backed him to continue in No 10 Downing Street.But what happens if he does decide in a few days’ time that he simply can’t go on? Although Mr Raab was given the title of deputy PM by Mr Johnson, the Conservative Party has no ‘second-in-command’ position.Because the Tories have a majority and still remain as the government, the cabinet could nominate an interim PM before the party holds a proper leadership contest – a process which usually takes several weeks – to choose a permanent successor to Mr Johnson.Any new leader could subsequently face claims by the opposition that they were not personally given a mandate by the British public to govern the country. They may then decide that they need to hold a general election – especially if they struggled to assert their authority over MPs following what would be a divisive leadership contest.At present, the only way, really, that Mr Johnson can leave No 10 is if he decides to quit himself. This is because the Conservative Party held a confidence vote on his leadership in June.He narrowly won that ballot and under current party rules, another contest cannot be triggered for 12 months. There have been reports, however, that Tory rebels who voted against Mr Johnson in the confidence vote plan a takeover of executive positions on the party’s 1922 Committee in a bid to change the rules.The 1922 Committee is made up of a group of influential backbench MPs who decide the rules on leadership contests. It is not clear that Mr Johnson would win a second ballot given the resignations of Mr Javid and Mr Sunak, who followed their colleague Oliver Dowden, the Tory Party chairman, out of government. Mr Dowden quit after the party’s damaging byelection defeats in Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton earlier this month.In the confidence vote, a total of 41 per cent of MPs voted against Mr Johnson. But this included MPs who were on the government payroll and therefore more likely to back the PM to save their jobs.At the time of the vote there were around 160-170 on the government payroll – or nearly half of the party’s 358 MPs.Later on Tuesday, the vice-chairman of the Conservative Party quit live on TV, after saying he could no longer support the PMBim Afolami, the MP for Hitchin and Harpenden, followed the chancellor and health secretary with his resignation after Mr Johnson apologised for his handling of the row over scandal-hit former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher.Mr Afolami said on Talk TV’s The News Desk with Tom Newton-Dunn: “(After) recent allegations about the former deputy chief whip and other things that have happened over recent weeks, I just don’t think the prime minister any longer has, not just my support, but he doesn’t have, I don’t think, the support of the party, or indeed the country any more.”I think for that reason he should step down.”Mr Afolami said he was “probably not” the party’s vice chairman “after having said that”.Confirming he would be resigning, he continued: “I think you have to resign because I can’t serve under the Prime Minister – but I say that with regret because I think this government has done some great things.”I think the prime minister has a strong legacy in a huge range of areas, but I just think that when you’ve lost trust of people, and the prime minister asked at the confidence vote to be given time to instil that trust, I took that as many others did in the party.”But I think it’s become clear, particularly after losing the support of two of his closest cabinet colleagues, that I think the time has come for him to stand down.”Mr Johnson faces Keir Starmer at Prime Minister’s Question on Wednesday. Mr Starmer will seek to inflict maximum damage on the PM after being accused of missing an “open goal” at a previous session, following Mr Johnson’s narrow victory in the confidence vote.Earlier Mr Starmer said the government was “collapsing” because Mr Johnson is “unfit to govern”.”That is dawning on many people across the Conservative Party, but they have to reflect on that, that they have backed him for months and months and months,” he told broadcasters.”Resigning today means nothing against their complicity for all those months when they should have seen him for what he was, they knew who he was.”We need a change of government.” More

Raucous laughter rang through the House of Lords chamber today as a statement on the government’s “robust system for upholding public standards” was read out to peers.Conservative peer Lord True repeated the bulletin issued earlier in the Commons by Cabinet Office minister Michael Ellis as a series of reports emerged of allegations that Chris Pincher had repeatedly made unwanted sexual advances to men.Peals of laughter erupted from peers as a grinning Lord True said: “We are fortunate in this country to have a sophisticated and robust system for upholding public standards.“And the system is multi-faceted; it is made up of interlocking and complementary elements.”Baroness Evans, leader of the House of Lords, also appeared unable to contain her laughter.It comes after Mr Ellis was heckled by opposition MPs throughout his 49-minute appearance in the Commons earlier today as he attempted to explain and defend the government’s handling of Mr Pincher’s alleged misconduct.He faced questions about Boris Johnson’s knowledge of concerns raised against Mr Pincher, the MP for Tamworth who last week quit as the government’s deputy chief whip following claims he groped two men at a private members’ club.The Cabinet Office minister, in his initial reply to an urgent question from Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner, detailed the bodies and institutions in place to try and uphold standards in public life.He added: “No system can replace the fundamental importance of personal responsibility.“We all know this to be true.“Codes and rules and oversight bodies are there to guide us but we all ultimately in public life must choose for ourselves how to act.”Mr Johnson is facing a spiralling backlash from within his party over his handling of the Mr Pincher row after he apparently forgot being told about an official complaint about the former minister’s “inappropriate” behaviour.The prime minister’s spokesman confirmed that Mr Johnson was briefed on the complaint by officials at the foreign office in 2019, a “number of months” after it took place. More

Sajid Javid has dramatically resigned as health secretary in the first of two major blows to Boris Johnson on Tuesday evening. In a tweet, he wrote: “I have spoken to the Prime Minister to tender my resignation as Secretary of State for Health & Social Care.“It has been an enormous privilege to serve in this role, but I regret that I can no longer continue in good conscience.”Mr Javid’s departure was swiftly followed by chancellor Rishi Sunak’s exit from the Prime Minister’s crumbling cabinet. More

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government faced a new crisis Tuesday after two of his most senior Cabinet ministers resigned within minutes of each other. Treasury chief Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid quit, saying the government under Johnson’s leadership was no longer competent or “acting in the national interest.” The apparently coordinated exits came after Johnson was hit by allegations he lied about how he handled claims of sexual misconduct by a lawmaker who was appointed to a senior position. Both Javid and Sunak are key members of the Cabinet and both are seen as potential successors to Johnson, leaving his position perilous. A look at who Sunak and Javid are: ___RISHI SUNAK, TREASURY CHIEFIn his resignation letter, Sunak told Johnson “it has become clear to me that our approaches are fundamentally too different.”“The public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously. I recognise this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning,” he wrote. Sunak was, until recently, widely regarded as the party’s brightest rising star, the best-known of potential leadership contenders — and the bookies’ favorite to succeed Johnson.Sunak, 42, was thrust into the spotlight when he became treasury chief in 2020, tasked with the unenviable job of steering the economy through its worst economic slump on record because of the pandemic. He dished out billions of pounds in emergency spending to help businesses and workers, and his policies have generally been seen in a positive light.But “partygate” changed those fortunes. Like Johnson, he was issued a police fine for attending a lockdown-flouting birthday party at Downing Street in June 2020. He has also come under heavy criticism for being slow to respond to Britain’s severe cost-of-living crisis.Sunak also faced pressure following revelations that his wife, Akshata Murthy, avoided paying U.K. taxes on her overseas income, and that the former investment banker held on to his U.S. green card while serving in government.Born to Indian parents who moved to the U.K. from East Africa, Sunak attended the exclusive Winchester College private school and studied at Oxford.Some see his elite education and past work for the investment bank Goldman Sachs and a hedge fund as a deficit because he seems out of touch with ordinary voters.___SAJID JAVID, HEALTH SECRETARYIn his statement, Javid said he could “no longer, in good conscience, continue serving in this government.”Javid, 52, has been health secretary since June 2021, leading Britain’s COVID-19 response. Before that, he served as treasury chief, but resigned in early 2020 after clashing with Johnson over his order to fire his team of advisers.The fact that Johnson brought him back into the government to handle the coronavirus response reflects his reputation for competence.Javid, a father of four, was first elected in 2010 and has held various positions in government, including serving as home secretary and leading departments for business, culture and housing.He ran in the 2019 Conservative leadership election, but was eliminated in the fourth round and lost to Johnson.The son of Pakistani immigrants, Javid has billed himself as a common-man alternative to his private school-educated rivals — although he had a lucrative career in investment banking before entering politics. More

The Conservative Party’s vice chairman Bim Afolami has resigned from his position live on air, saying Boris Johnson no longer has the support of the country.His comments came just moments after the prime minister suffered a devastating blow with the resignations of the chancellor Rishi Sunak and health secretary, Sajid Javid.Mr Afolami told Talk TV Mr Johnson should also resign from No 10 and said he “can’t serve under the prime minister” after months of turmoil.He said that after recent allegations regarding the former deputy chief whip, Christopher Pincher, and other damaging scandals, Mr Johnson did not have his support.“I just don’t think the prime minister any longer has, not just my support, but he doesn’t have, I don’t think, the support of the party, or indeed the country any more,” he said.“I think for that reason he should step down.”Confirming he would be resigning, he continued: “I think you have to resign because I can’t serve under the prime minister – but I say that with regret because I think this government has done some great things.”Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, also said Mr Johnson is “unfit to government” and said he would support a general election if one were called.Sir Keir told broadcasters: “He is unfit to be prime minister. He is not fit to govern the country. That is dawning on many people across the Conservative party, but they have to reflect on that, that they have backed him for months and months and months.“Resigning today means nothing against their complicity for all those months when they should have seen him for what he was, they knew who he was. We need a change of government.”Asked if he would support an election if one were called in the next few weeks, Sir Keir said: “Yes. We need a fresh start for Britain. We need a change of government.” More

Jacob Rees-Mogg has backed Boris Johnson to remain prime minister, claiming that he is “a big man who is willing to apologise” for his mistakes.The Brexit opportunities minister took to the airwaves on Tuesday evening describing the prime minister’s actions a “a minor mistake”.It comes after the Cabinet and front bench was hit by a slew of resignations including chancellor Rishi Sunak and health secretary Sajid Javid.The prime minister has faced criticism over his handling of the Chris Pincher affair and whether he lied about what he knew of the MP’s behaviour.Mr Johnson appointed the Mr Pincher to deputy chief whip despite having being briefed about previous allegations of inappropriate behaviour by the MP.A previous Downing Street claim that the PM had no knowledge of the allegations was contradicted by senior officials and Mr Johnson has since admitted he was in fact told.”There was a minor mistake that was made,” Mr Rees-Mogg told Sky News on Tuesday night as his boss fought for his political life.”Doesn’t that show you a big man who’s willing to apologise when he makes a mistake? I’m not pretending the Prime Minister didn’t make a mistake. That’s obvious.”The Brexit opportunities minister added that the prime minister had a majority and mandate from the British people, and that it was “a wonderfully 18th century view” to think the PM had to resign because his ministers had quit.But the PM’s untruth was the final straw for many MPs in Mr Johnson’s party, who said he should quit.Mr Sunak said said the public expected “government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously” as he quit over the Chris Pincher affair.And in an incendiary letter, Mr Javid said the British people “expect integrity from their government” but now believed Mr Johnson was neither competent nor “acting in the national interest”.The Prime Minister’s authority had already been damaged by a confidence vote which saw 41 per cent of his MPs vote against him – but he did not quit.Mr Rees-Mogg was joined by Nadine Dorries and Liz Truss in openly backing the prime minister on Tuesday. More

Dominic Raab, Liz Truss and Priti Patel were among Cabinet ministers standing by Boris Johnson on Tuesday night as the government implodes.The prime minister has been hit by a slew of senior resignations including chancellor Rishi Sunak and health secretary Sajid Javid.Mr Sunak said said the public expected “government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously” as he quit over the Chris Pincher affair.And in an incendiary letter, Mr Javid said the British people “expect integrity from their government” but now believed Mr Johnson was neither competent nor “acting in the national interest”.Other MPs to quit government roles so far include Andrew Murrison, Jonathan Gullis and Saqib Bhatti.As Westminster braced for more resignations, several of the prime minister’s colleagues have indicated that they will be standing by him.Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, who is viewed as a potential leadership candidate, said she was “100% behind the PM”, according to the BBC.The Press Association news agency meanwhile quoted a source close to deputy prime minister Dominic Raab who said he was “loyal” to Mr Johnson.And an ally of Home Secretary Priti Patel told the same news agency: “She’s staying”. A source close to Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, who has been tipped as a potential successor to the PM, also said: “The Defence Secretary is not resigning.” An aide to Michael Gove meanwhile told The Sun newspaper that Michael Gove would not be resigning as levelling-up secretary.And Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries, a close ally of the prime minister, said: “I’m not sure anyone actually doubted this, however, I am 100% behind Boris Johnson, the PM who consistently gets all the big decisions right.”Jacob Rees-Mogg took to the airwaves to defend the prime minister, stating that he had made only “a minor mistake”.As of 7pm on Tuesday most of the pledges of loyalty, with the exception of Ms Truss, Mr Rees-Mogg and Ms Dorries, had come through sources close to those MPs rather than emphatic on-the-record statements from them, however.Mr Johnson’s premiership has been rocked by scandal after scandal since the autumn, including the Partygate revelations. But it was the prime minister’s handling of allegations that his deputy chief whip had groped someone in a private members’ club that has put his leadership in danger.Mr Johnson was accused of lying about what he knew about Chris Pincher’s record of allegations before he appointed the Tamworth MP to the senior governemnt role.The Prime Minister’s authority had already been damaged by a confidence vote which saw 41 per cent of his MPs vote against him – but he did not quit. More