Markus Andrews

Sajid Javid quit as health secretary as the NHS marked its 74th birthday.Just five hours before resigning from the top health job in the country, Mr Javid praised the NHS as the “greatest national institution”.“We all have a reason to be grateful to the health service so, from everyone across the country, happy 74th birthday to the NHS,” he said.Hours later he published his explosive resignation letter, declaring that he had lost confidence in prime minister Boris Johnson.The Bromsgrove MP joined the Department of Health and Social Care in June 2021, after his predecessor Matt Hancock resigned from his Cabinet role for breaking social distancing rules by kissing and embracing an aide in his office.Mr Javid faced a baptism of fire, taking the job in the middle of a pandemic.He was appointed on June 26, just days before the UK’s so-called “freedom day”, when remaining Covid-19 restrictions were lifted.Mr Javid stressed that he was keen to help the NHS resume usual activity and tackle the backlog of care while setting out ambitions to modernise the service.But his plans were waylaid in the autumn as the Omicron wave came to the UK and the national focus returned once more to Covid-19.The national booster programme was extended to all adults and the NHS braced for another challenging winter grappling with coronavirus.It was not until March 2022 that Mr Javid finally gave his first major speech as health secretary, when he set out his priorities for the service – “the four Ps”: prevention, personalisation, performance and people.Commenting on Mr Javid’s resignation, Saffron Cordery, interim chief executive of NHS Providers, said: “Trust leaders thank Sajid Javid for his service, particularly in seeing through the biggest health reforms in a decade in the shape of the new Health and Social Care Act and his initiation of the Messenger review of leadership in the NHS.“All eyes will be on how the new health and social care secretary addresses major challenges, including serious workforce shortages right across the NHS, the forthcoming NHS pay award amid the cost of living crisis, and the government’s New Hospitals Programme, which promises to give the NHS much-needed capital investment to benefit patients and the quality of care.“More support for an underfunded and overstretched social care system is also desperately overdue to help to ease mounting pressure in the whole health and care system.”Mr Javid often said that he held a unique perspective on government business, having served in a number of ministerial roles.He left behind a career in finance and became MP for Bromsgrove in 2010.He held roles in the Treasury from 2012 until he was made culture secretary in April 2014, becoming business secretary in May 2015 and housing secretary in July 2016.After being made home secretary in April 2018, Mr Javid talked openly about how he experienced racism at an early age and “could have had a life of crime” after growing up on “Britain’s most dangerous street”.His appointment to the role made him the first British Asian to hold one of the great offices of state.In July 2019 he was appointed to Mr Johnson’s first cabinet as chancellor.But he was just six months into his role, and less than a month away from delivering his first Budget, when he quit, after being told he must sack all his advisers if he wanted to keep his job.Some 16 months later Mr Javid returned to Cabinet as health secretary, making him the 31st person to hold the post since the inception of the NHS on July 5, 1948.He is the son of a bus driver who arrived in England from Pakistan in the 1960s with just a pound in his pocket.To colleagues, he is The Saj.Born in Rochdale and raised in Bristol, he went to a state school and studied economics and politics at Exeter University.Mr Javid made it to the final four in the contest to replace Theresa May as Tory leader in 2019, but dropped out and subsequently endorsed Mr Johnson.Carrie Symonds, the prime minister’s wife, was once a special adviser to Mr Javid during his tenure as communities secretary. More

The resignations of Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid from Boris Johnson’s Cabinet tonight come just hours ahead of the prime minister reaching a symbolic milestone in his time in Downing Street.Mr Johnson is currently on the 1,077th day of his premiership: almost level with the 1,078 days spent in office by Neville Chamberlain, who was Conservative prime minister between 1937 and 1940.Mr Chamberlain’s tenure in the top job came to an abrupt end in May 1940, nine months into the Second World War, after he lost the support of many of his backbenchers who were critical of his style of leadership and his handling of the conflict.During a debate on the conduct of the war in the House of Commons on May 7 1940, the Tory MP Leo Amery quoted at Chamberlain some words originally spoken by the 17th century politician and general Oliver Cromwell, who led the armies of parliament against the monarchy during the English Civil War: “You have sat too long here for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go.”The speech hastened Chamberlain’s downfall and three days later, after only narrowly winning a vote of confidence but failing to get support from other parties to lead a new coalition government, he resigned as prime minister.The same quotation was directed at Mr Johnson by Conservative MP David Davis in the Commons on January 19 2022, in response to Mr Johnson’s involvement in the partygate scandal. More

Rishi Sunak has resigned as chancellor in a destablising blow to Boris Johnson’s premiership, just moments after Sajid Javid announced he had also quit the government.Mr Sunak said “the public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously”, adding: “I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning.”The chancellor, who had been preparing a joint speech on the economy with Mr Johnson, said on Tuesday: “It has become clear to me that our approaches are fundamentally too different”. He added: “I am sad to be leaving government but I have relcutantly come to the conclusion that we cannot continue like this”.Just minutes before the chancellor posted his resignation letter on social media, Mr Javid, the health secretary, also announced his departure from government.In an incediary letter, the cabinet minister said the British people “expect integrity from their government” but voters now believed Mr Johnson’s administration was neither competent nor “acting in the national interest”.“The tone you set as a leader, and the values you represent, reflect on your colleagues, your party and ultimately the country,” he wrote.The resignations will increase the pressure on Mr Johnson to resign after months of damaging headlines over the Partygate scandal, a double by-election defeat, and narrowly surviving a confidence vote in June.The move also came moments after the prime minister ended his silence on his handling of complaints regarding the former deputy chief whip Christopher Pincher conduct, apologising for the “mistake” of giving him a government role.Speaking on Monday, however, the prime minister, denied lying to aides about his knowledge of allegations against Mr Pincher, who resigned last week after fresh claims emerged about his conduct in the Carlton Club.But other senior ministers, including the foreign secretary Liz Truss, the deputy prime minister Dominic Raab, and the defence secretary Ben Wallace, made clear they were standing by the embattled prime minister.An ally of Ms Truss, viewed as a potential leadership candidate, said she was “100% behind the PM”. A source close to Mr Raab said he was “loyal” to Mr Johnson, while an ally of Priti Patel, the home secretary, said “she’s staying”.Responding to the resignations Sir Keir Starmer has said “it’s clear that this government is now collapsing” and said cabinet ministers who have resigned have been “complicit” as the prime minister “disgraced his office”.The Labour leader said in a statement: “After all the sleaze, the scandals and the failure, it’s clear that this government is now collapsing. Tory cabinet ministers have known all along who this prime minister is.” More

A bookmaker has suspended betting on Boris Johnson resigning as prime minister after two cabinet ministers quit the cabinet on Tuesday night.Mr Johnson was dealt a double hammer blow when Sajid Javid, the health secretary and Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, walked out in protest at Downing Street’s handling of a series of recent scandals.Mr Sunak said “the public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously”, adding “I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning.”In an incendiary letter, Mr Javid said the British people “expect integrity from their government” but voters now believed Mr Johnson’s administration was neither competent nor “acting in the national interest”.The resignations came as Mr Johnson was forced into a humiliating apology over his handling of the Chris Pincher row after he claimed he had forgotten about being told of previous allegations of “inappropriate” conduct.Bookmaker Coral said it had suspended betting on the PM quitting this year following the resignations.“In what has been a fast-moving dilemma for Boris Johnson, we’ve pulled the plug on our betting on his future, as it is hard to see a way forward for the PM now,” said Coral’s John Hill.“Betting is available on Johnson’s successor, and it is Penny Mordaunt who is the early favourite,” added Mr Hill.Mr Pincher quit as deputy chief whip last week following claims that he groped two men at a private members’ club, but Mr Johnson was told about allegations against him as far back as 2019.The PM acknowledged he should have sacked Mr Pincher when he was told about the claims against him when he was a Foreign Office minister in 2019, but instead Mr Johnson went on to appoint him to other government roles.Asked if that was an error, Mr Johnson said: “I think it was a mistake and I apologise for it. In hindsight it was the wrong thing to do.”I apologise to everybody who has been badly affected by it. I want to make absolutely clear that there’s no place in this Government for anybody who is predatory or who abuses their position of power.”The PM’s authority had already been damaged by a confidence vote which saw 41 per cent of his MPs vote against him.The loss of crunch by-elections in Tiverton and Honiton and Wakefield in June triggered the resignation of party chairman Oliver Dowden.But the resignations of Mr Javid – a former leadership contender – and Mr Sunak, viewed as a potential successor to the PM, mean Mr Johnson’s position is now perilous.Mr Sunak, who had been due to make a joint economic speech with Mr Johnson next week, said “it has become clear to me that our approaches are fundamentally too different”.”I firmly believe the public are ready to hear that truth,” he said.Mr Javid said: “I am instinctively a team player but the British people also rightly expect integrity from their fovernment. The tone you set as a leader, and the values you represent, reflect on your colleagues, your party and ultimately the country.”Conservatives at their best are seen as hard-headed decision-makers, guided by strong values. We may not have always been popular, but we have been competent in acting in the national interest.”He added: “Sadly, in the current circumstances, the public are concluding that we are now neither. The vote of confidence last month showed that a large number of our colleagues agree. It was a moment for humility, grip and new direction.”I regret to say, however, that it is clear to me that this situation will not change under your leadership – and you have therefore lost my confidence too.”Further cabinet resignations were expected on Tuesday night. More

Boris Johnson admitted “it was a mistake” to give scandal-hit former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher a role in government and said: “I apologise for it.”His remarks come amid mounting Tory anger after No 10 confirmed the prime minister was briefed on complaints relating to Mr Pincher in 2019 while he was serving as a minister at the Foreign Office.The cabinet office minister Michael Ellis told MPs that Mr Johnson did not “immediately recall” the exchange when fresh allegations emerged about Mr Pincher’s conduct last week at the Carlton Club.But just moments after Mr Johnson’s first public remarks on the issue, Sajid Javid, the health secretary, resigned from the government, saying the prime minister had lost his confidence.In letter to the prime minister, Mr Javid said that following last month’s vote of confidence “it is clear to me that this situation will not change under your leadership” in an explosive intervention.Speaking to the BBC on Tuesday evening, the prime minister, however, denied lying to aides about his knowledge of allegations against Mr Pincher, who resigned as deputy chief whip last week.No 10 spokespeople and ministers have given a series of differing explanations about what Mr Johnson’s knowledge of the situation had been.Asked if he lied to them, Mr Johnson said: “No and let me explain what happened. We are talking about a series of appointments over seven years.“Chris Pincher came into government as deputy chief whip before I became Prime Minister, he was move to the Foreign Office, he then went on to be a minister for housing and we then moved him back to be deputy chief whip.“About two and a half years ago I got this complaint, it was something that was only raised with me very cursorily but I wish that we had, I in particular, had acted on it and that he had not continued in government because he then went on, I’m afraid, to behave, as far as we can see, according to the allegations that we have, very, very badly.“I’m sorry for those who have been badly affected by it.” More

Sajid Javid has resigned as health secretary, telling the scandal-hit Boris Johnson the Conservative party is “bigger than any one individual”.As Tory MPs pleaded with the cabinet to bring down the prime minister, Mr Javid walked out, saying: “I regret that I can no longer continue in good conscience.”The resignation came moments after Mr Johnson ended his silence on the Chris Pincher scandal, apologising for promoting him despite having evidence of his sexual misconduct.“The tone you set as a leader, and the values you represent, reflect on your colleagues, your party and ultimately the country,” Mr Javid wrote.Moments later, the chancellor Rishi Sunak also quit – appearing to bring the end of the Johnson premiership within sight“The public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously,” Mr Sunak said, adding: “These standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning.”The dual resignations came after the cabinet was captured with pale, gloomy faces at its weekly meeting – prompting speculation that a revolt was near.Senior Tories had urged Mr Johnson’s top team to pull the plug on his premiership – after No 10 admitted he knew a misconduct complaint was upheld against the man he made deputy chief whip.“Backbenchers have done all they can. It is up to the cabinet to decide if they will put up, or if they will continue to shut up,” the former health minister Steve Brine told The Independent.William Wragg, chair of the Commons public administration committee, urged ministers to follow their “common sense of decency”, while John Penrose, who quit as Mr Johnson’s anti-corruption tsar, suggested they would reach a point of not being able to “defend this anymore”.And Nick Gibb, the respected former schools minister, likened the situation to the crisis in the US where “you worry whether democracy is safe”, as he also urged the cabinet to act.“We have to make sure that doesn’t happen in this country. We have to get rid of the rot in our political system,” he told BBC Radio 4.The coordinated resignations followed a devastating intervention by a former head of the Foreign Office – who revealed Mr Johnson was briefed about the complaint against Mr Pincher, in 2019.Simon McDonald said he was speaking out because the account given by Downing Street – which first claimed the prime minister was unaware of any allegations – was “not true”.In a letter to the parliamentary standards commissioner, the retired mandarin said the 2019 allegations “were similar to those made about his behaviour at the Carlton Club” – where Mr Pincher has been accused of groping two men.“Mr Pincher deceived me and others in 2019. He cannot be allowed to use the confidentiality of the process three years ago to pursue his predatory behaviour in other contexts,”But the prime minister’s spokesman had continued to insist the information about Mr Pincher’s behaviour was no reason to bar him from the job as deputy chief whip, with responsibility for Tory MP’s welfare.The respected Institute for Government hit out at dishonesty in No 10, calling on Cabinet Secretary Simon Case to step in and saying: “The prime minister’s official spokesman cannot double as a liar.” More

Chris Pincher allegations do ‘huge damage’ to trust in parliament, says Tory ministerBoris Johnson’s “defence has been completely blown apart”, Labour’s Angela Rayner has said, as Downing Street admitted the prime minister was aware that a misconduct complaint against Chris Pincher had been upheld when he promoted him to the whips’ office.But Mr Johnson’s spokesperson denied that No 10 “lied” when it claimed last week that the PM was unaware of “specific allegations” against Mr Pincher, insisting that he did not originally “recall” hearing of the complaint, which he said was “a brief conversation that took place around three years ago”.The admission comes after the former permanent secretary at the Foreign Office Lord McDonald accused No 10 of “not telling the truth” about allegations received about Chris Pincher’s conduct.He said in a letter to the parliamentary standards commissioner that Mr Johnson was briefed “in person” about an investigation into Chris Pincher’s conduct as a Foreign Office minister.Sir Keir Starmer accused the PM of showing “bad judgement” in appointing Mr Pincher to the whips’ office, while justice secretary Dominic Raab says he found Mr Pincher “on the whole very professional.”Show latest update

1657032202Tory MPs lined up in the House of Commons to publicly condemn Boris Johnson’s handling of the Chris Pincher affair, with senior figures urging ministers to consider their positions.On Tuesday, Labour was granted an urgent question in Parliament to address the growing scandal over the past behaviour of Mr Pincher and what the prime minister knew about the allegations.As Cabinet Office minister Michael Ellis kept defending the appointment of the MP for Tamworth as deputy chief whip, it soon became clear that disquiet among Tory MPs is growing, with several venting their anger and frustration in the lower chamber.Conservative former minister John Penrose asked Mr Ellis when he would finally say “enough is enough” and no longer defend the government, whilst the Conservative chairman of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, William Wragg, urged ministers to consider their position.Thomas Kingsley5 July 2022 15:431657030319Chris Pincher: Who is the former deputy chief whip at the centre of Westminster’s latest sleaze scandal?-Boris Johnson’s government once again finds itself mired in scandal in the wake of the resignation of deputy chief whip Chris Pincher last week after he allegedly groped two colleagues at a social event while drunk.The 52-year-old MP, who has represented Tamworth in Staffordshire since 2010, was the subject of two complaints over his conduct at a 30th anniversary reception for the Conservative Friends of Cyprus at the Carlton Club, a historic private members club. Read the full story below: Thomas Kingsley5 July 2022 15:111657028716Watch: Boris Johnson was briefed in person about Chris Pincher allegations, Lord McDonald saysBoris Johnson was briefed in person about Chris Pincher allegations, Lord McDonald saysThomas Kingsley5 July 2022 14:451657027961Labour’s Jess Phillips (Birmingham Yardley) challenged Cabinet Office minister Michael Ellis to say whether the MP for Tamworth (Chris Pincher) “would have been able to get” a job if she had been deciding about appointments.She said: “There’s always something that is meant to be for the standards for the public, that a minister stands there and leans on to try and get out of – basically telling untruths to public, allowing sycophancy rather than morality to be the reason why people are given their jobs.“My final question to the minister is, if it had been me giving out those jobs, does he think the MP for Tamworth (Chris Pincher) would have been able to get one?”Responding, Cabinet Office minister Michael Ellis said: “I would expect (her) perhaps more than she would expect of me, and by that I mean, that I would expect her to act fairly. So I hope that answers her question. If she was in that position of responsibility to make decisions about appointments I would expect her to act fairly, full stop.”Thomas Kingsley5 July 2022 14:321657026902Ministers should ‘consider positions’ in government after Pincher response, Tory MP suggestsMinisters should “consider their positions” in Boris Johnson’s government amid mounting anger over No 10’s response to misconduct complaints against Christopher Pincher, a Tory MP has suggested.The remarks from William Wragg came just minutes after minister Michael Ellis admitted the prime minister was “made aware” in late 2019 of concerns relating to Mr Pincher – then a minister at the Foreign Office.Prompting laughter in the Commons, the Cabinet Office minister, however, insisted Mr Johnson did not “immediately recall” the exchange when fresh allegations emerged about Mr Pincher’s conduct last week.Read the full story below: Thomas Kingsley5 July 2022 14:151657026002Boris Johnson needs to show ‘honesty and accuracy,’ former head of Civil Service saysThe former head of the Civil Service has called for “honesty and accuracy” from Boris Johnson over Chris Pincher’s appointment as deputy chief whip and said there is a pattern of Number 10 trying to “mislead and confuse stories”.Lord Kerslake told Radio 4’s World at One programme: “There must be a complete openness and transparency from No 10 and the prime minister.“We do need to understand why action was taken to appoint Chris Pincher to be a deputy chief whip, a role that is, after all, about the wellbeing of MPs as much as anything.“Why was that appointment made and, if needs be, an apology”.The cross-bench peer also said it is “inconceivable” that those around the prime minister were unaware of sexual misconduct claims.“I cannot believe that they weren’t aware of previous allegations and indeed substantiated allegations,” he said, adding that No 10’s handling of the story in recent days demonstrates a “pattern of constantly trying to mislead, confuse stories and not come clean when the issue arises”.Thomas Kingsley5 July 2022 14:001657024980Zelensky holds talks with Boris Johnson amid Pincher rowUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said he has held further talks with Boris Johnson about the latest situation in Ukraine.Mr Zelensky tweeted: “Thanked (Mr Johnson) for the unwavering support of – the recent decision to provide £1 billion in security aid and today’s – £100 million.“Talked about food security for the world and security guarantees for Ukraine.”Thomas Kingsley5 July 2022 13:431657023857Minister also admits Boris Johnson knew Chris Pincher complaint was upheldSpeaking in the Commons shortly after No 10 admitted that Boris Johnson knew that a complaint against Chris Pincher had been upheld, paymaster general Michael Ellis said the same.Officials raised concerns with the permanent secretary concerning Mr Pincher in October 2019 and the permanent secretary at the Foreign Office “commissioned work to establish facts”, undertaken by the Cabinet Office, he said. Mr Ellis added: “The exercise established that while the minister meant no harm, what had occurred caused a high level of discomfort … the minister apologised and those raising the concern accepted the resolution. “The prime minister was made aware of this issue in late 2019, he was told that the permanent secretary had taken the necessary action. No issue therefore arose about remaining as a minister.“And last week when fresh allegations arose the prime minister did not immediately recall the conversation in late 2019 about this incident. As soon as he was reminded, the No 10 press office corrected their public lines.”PM knew that Pincher complaint was upheld in 2019, minister revealsAndy Gregory5 July 2022 13:241657023404No 10 admits Boris Johnson knew misconduct complaint was upheld against Chris PincherOur deputy political editor Rob Merrick has this breaking update:Boris Johnson knew a misconduct complaint had been upheld against Chris Pincher when he promoted him to the whips office, No 10 has admitted.But the prime minister’s spokesman denied Downing Street “lied’ when it claimed, last week, that he was unaware of any “specific allegations” against the minister.Mr Johnson did not originally “recall” being told about the complaint, he said, adding it was “a brief conversation that took place around three years ago”.The spokesman also conceded the prime minister was told of a separate allegation – when Mr Pincher was promoted in February – but argued that was “unsubstantiated”.Andy Gregory5 July 2022 13:161657023285Government ‘paralysed by scandal’, Angela Rayner saysLabour’s Angela Rayner has described Boris Johnson’s government as being “paralysed by scandal”.In a Commons debate forced by Labour in response to the Chris Pincher allegations – amid a row over Mr Johnson’s handling of the claims – the party’s deputy leader said: “What message, Mr Speaker, does this send about the standards of this government and what they set? “What message does this send to the British people facing a cost of living crisis while this government is paralysed by scandal? When will this minister [Michael Ellis] stop defending the indefensible and say ‘enough is enough’.”Rayner: ‘Government is paralysed by scandal’ after Pincher revelationsAndy Gregory5 July 2022 13:14 More

Ministers should “consider their positions” in Boris Johnson’s government amid mounting anger over No 10’s response to misconduct complaints against Christopher Pincher, a Tory MP has suggested.The remarks from William Wragg came just minutes after minister Michael Ellis admitted the prime minister was “made aware” in late 2019 of concerns relating to Mr Pincher – then a minister at the Foreign Office.Prompting laughter in the Commons, the Cabinet Office minister, however, insisted Mr Johnson did not “immediately recall” the exchange when fresh allegations emerged about Mr Pincher’s conduct last week.It also follow an explosive letter from the former head of the Foreign Office, Sir Simon McDonald, who accused No 10 of not telling the truth over whether the prime minister was warned about the alleged behaviour of Mr Pincher.Speaking in the Commons, Mr Wragg said minister should ask themselves “if they can any longer tolerate being part of a government which, for better or worse, is widely regarded of having lost its sense of direction”.He said government frontbenchers should “consider what they are being asked to say in public which changes seemingly by the hour”.“It is for them to consider their positions, this is not a question of systems, it is a question of political judgement and that political judgement cannot be delegated,” the Tory MP added during an urgent question.John Penrose, a Conservative MP who resigned as the government’s anti-corruption tsar just last month, also asked Mr Ellis when he would finally say “enough is enough” and no longer defend Mr Johnson’s government.“One of the seven Nolan principles is honesty. Number 10 was previously accused without rebuttal of lacking leadership by Sue Gray in her report over what went on over Partygate,” he added.“How many more of the seven principles are they going to have to breach before he will stand up and say ‘enough is enough?”’Another Tory MP, Caroline Johnson, also asked the Cabinet Office minister why Mr Pincher was not sacked in 2019, if the allegations made against him were “similar” to those made about “bad behaviour” at the Carlton Club last week.She said: “What he said is that the prime minister knew the allegation in 2019. He said that discomfort was caused, and he said that the right honourable member for Tamworth apologised.“The allegations as reported from the time at the Carlton club included sexual assault. Can he confirm if the allegations made back in 2019 were of sexual assault?“And if they were, and they were upheld and apologised, why the police weren’t involved? Why wasn’t he sacked at the time, never mind given another job?” The Cabinet Office minister said he is unable “to speak to that”, adding: “We must do everything we can to protect the confidentiality of those who make complaints. I’m very concerned that the way in which this matter has been processed by some individuals means that it opens up a risk of a breach of confidentiality.” More