UK Politics

Boris Johnson will “never” resign and thinks he has a “God-given right to rule in perpetuity”, the prime minister’s ex-girlfriend has said.Petronella Wyatt, who had a four-year affair with Mr Johnson while working at the Spectator magazine, said government would grind to a halt and “every minute of the day will be devoted to saving Boris”.It comes as over a dozen Tory MPs, including the chancellor Rishi Sunak and health secretary Sajid Javid, quit the government urging the prime minister to step down over his conduct.Mr Johnson has refused to resign despite a litany of claims that he has misled the country over the handling of an alleged sexual abuse case involving a top Tory.The PM narrowly avoided being forced out in a vote of no confidence last month after being fined for breaking lockdown rules, and was thought to be safe from ousting for another year under Tory rules.But frustrated Conservative MPs are now set to meet on Wednesday evening to change no confidence procedures to allow another vote to take place immediately. If this goes ahead Mr Johnson could be forced out by the summer recess or as early as next week – but calls for him to do the right thing and quit on his own accord continue. Yet in a post on social media Ms Wyatt, now a writer and broadcaster, warned that the prime minister was certain to remain in post for as long as possible.”Boris will never resign. He thinks he has a God given right to rule in perpetuity,” she said.”This is going to be long, drawn out and very bad for the Tory Party and the country. There will be no government, as every minute of the day will be devoted to saving Boris.”As her ex-boyfriend faced a no-confidence vote from MPs last month Ms Wyatt said claimed that Mr Johnson was “surprisingly thin-skinned” and would be in “absolute hell” after Tory MPs turned on him.Mr Johnson was sacked from the Tory front bench in 2004 for lying about his affair with Ms Wyatt, which happened when he was married to his second wife Marina Wheeler.He had dismissed the allegations of an affair as an “inverted pyramid of piffle” and assured his boss, then Tory leader Michael Howard they were untrue.But the relationship became public knowledge after Ms Wyatt’s mother revealed that her daughter had become pregnant by Mr Johnson, and terminated the pregnancy. Mr Johnson was reported to have paid for the abortion.It was the second time the now prime minister had been sacked for lying, having previously lost his job at the Times newspaper for inventing a quote.Today, Mr Johnson faces losing his job as prime minister for not telling the truth about how he handled allegations of sexual abuse by a Tory MP.Downing Street had claimed that the PM was unaware of specific serious allegations against Chris Pincher before he appointed the Tamworth MP deputy chief whp.But No 10 was contradicted in a sensational intervention by Lord McDonald, a former top civil servant, who said Mr Johnson had in fact been personally briefed on the specific allegations. The prime minister later accepted he had been briefed and said his claims to know nothing were a mistake. More

Treasury minister John Glen and Home Office minister Victoria Atkins are among a group of six ministers to quit Boris Johnson’s government on Wednesday, citing the PM’s “poor judgement” and lack of integrity.In a scathing resignation letter, Mr Glen said he could “no longer reconcile my commitment to the role” with “the complete lack of confidence I have in your continuing leadership of our country”.Resigning as justice minister, Ms Atkins told Mr Johnson that “integrity, decency, respect and professionalism” had been “fractured” under his leadership, adding that the party “must be better than this”.Jo Churchill quit as health minister shortly after Mr Johnson rose to speak at PMQs on Wednesday, attacking the PM’s “jocular, self-serving approach” in her resignation letter.Stuart Andrew also quit as housing minister during PMQs, saying he could “in all good conscience” tolerate Tory party members still having to “defend the indefensible”.Earlier on Wednesday, Robin Walker resigned as schools standards minister. And Will Quince quit as children and families minister, saying he could not accept being sent out to defend the PM on television with inaccurate information over the Chris Pincher row.They are the latest in more than a dozen resignations which have followed the exit of Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid from cabinet. Mr Glen, a close ally of Mr Sunak, added: “The country deserves better.”The prime minister faces the biggest leadership crisis of his premiership after his handling of the row over scandal-hit ex-deputy chief whip Mr Pincher sparked outrage.It comes as a growing number of Tory MPs demand an immediate rule change to the 1922 Committee of backbenchers’ rulebook in order to force Mr Johnson from office.Simone Hoare, Chris Skidmore and Anthony Browne said they had written to the chair of the committee, Sir Graham Brady, requesting a rule change in order to force a fresh confidence vote in Mr Johnson.As the steady drip-feed of resignation letters from junior ministers and ministerial aides continued on Wednesday, new Tory MPs declared their opposition to Mr Johnson carrying on at No 10.Robert Halfon, who has been critical but remained loyal, said: “If there is a vote for a change in leadership, I will now vote for that change”.Lee Anderson, a 2019 red wall Tory, also questioned the prime minister’s integrity and withdrew support, saying the PM’s decision to give Mr Pincher a job was “not a good appointment”. Tom Hunt MP also submitted a new letter of no confidence in Mr Johnson to the committee. “Events of the past week have been the last straw that has broken the camel’s back,” he said.West Dorset MP Chris Loder told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I think he does need to go. I think if he chooses not to, I think the 1922 Committee should act and I certainly would support that approach in the forthcoming 1922 elections.”However, Mr Johnson has insisted he will not leave No 10. He is understood to have told allies that he is “not going anywhere” and his critics should “calm down”.Earlier on Wednesday Laura Trott resigned as a parliamentary private secretary, saying trust in politics “has been lost”, while Felicity Buchan also stood down as an aide, calling for “fresh leadership”.Following PMQs, Selaine Saxby, Claire Coutinho and David Johnston each said they were quitting their posts as PPSs, officials who assist ministers in their role.Their resignations followed a string of departures from the government on Tuesday evening, led by Mr Sunak and Mr Javid, who delivered broadsides at Mr Johnson as they quit their cabinet posts. More

Sajid Javid has called on his former cabinet colleagues to oust Boris Johnson, telling the Commons he had quit because he had concluded that the PM was “the problem” and would not change.Having resigned as health secretary on Tuesday evening, Mr Javid told MPs that the prime minister’s “reset button” would no longer work, adding: “Something is fundamentally wrong.”The ex-minister, who insisted that he was not “one of life’s quitters”, said: “I have concluded that the problem starts at the top and that is not going to change.”Calling on his former colleagues to act, Mr Javid said: “They will have their own reason [for staying]. But they have a choice … Let’s be clear, not doing something is an active decision.”Mr Javid said he had continued to give Mr Johnson the benefit of the doubt during the Partygate scandal – having been assured no rules were broken “from the most senior level of the prime minister’s team”.After saying that “enough is enough”, he added: “I do fear that the reset button can only work so many times. There’s only so many times you can turn that machine on and off before you realise that something is fundamentally wrong.”The prime minister faces the biggest leadership crisis of his premiership after his handling of the row over scandal-hit ex-deputy chief whip Chris Pincher sparked outrage.Six ministers resigned on Wednesday – Treasury minister John Glen, Home Office minister Victoria Atkins, health minister Jo Churchill, housing minister Stuart Andrew, schools standards minister Robin Walker and children and families minister Will Quince all quit.They are the latest in almost 20 resignations of ministers, aides and envoys which have followed the exit of Mr Javid and Rishi Sunak from cabinet.Unlike Mr Javid, Mr Sunak did not make a statement in the Commons explaining his exit, but said in his resignation letter that Britain deserved a government that is run “properly, competently and seriously”.At PMQs, Mr Johnson did not deny using the phrase “Pincher by name, pincher by nature” about the ex-minister now threatening to end his time at No 10.Labour leader Keir Starmer ripped into Mr Johnson and the multiple Tory resignations – ridiculing it as “the first case of the sinking ship fleeing the rat”.Senior Tory MP Gary Sambrook received a round of applause from the Labour benches after calling on Mr Johnson to resign at PMQs.The executive secretary of the party’s 1922 committee, accused Mr Johnson of attempting “to blame other people for mistakes”, and told him directly: “Take responsibility and resign”. More

Boris Johnson has not denied he used the phrase “Pincher by name, pincher by nature” about the ex-minister now threatening to end his premiership within days.The prime minister also refused to apologise for a Tory whip who allegedly told one of Chris Pincher’s alleged victims that it would not be “straightforward” to pursue a complaint if he was gay.It came as Keir Starmer ripped into a government apparently disintegrating after multiple resignations – ridiculing it as “the first case of the sinking ship fleeing the rat”.As the storm clouds gather – and the Tory party expected to change the rules to allow a fresh no-confidence vote as early as tonight – Mr Johnson was asked if there are ‘any circumstances” in which he would resign.But he insisted the “job” of a prime minister with a large Commons majority “is to keep going and that is what I am going to do”.Earlier, there was laughter as Mr Johnson told MPs “today is a big day”, as many contemplated whether it will be the one when he is forced to quit.He also claimed he had “acted immediately” to strip the Tory whip from Mr Pincher when the alleged scandal broke last week – although there was a gap of nearly one day.The Speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, criticised Mr Johnson for saying Mr Pincher is being “investigated” by the Commons complaints service, when the process is confidential.Sir Keir told the prime minister he is “a pathetic spectacle”, adding: “As for those who are left, only in office because no-one else is prepared to debase themselves any longer –the charge of the lightweight brigade. Have some self-respect.“For a week he’s had them defending his decision to promote a sexual predator … anyone with anything about them would be long gone from his frontbench.“In the middle of a crisis, doesn’t the country deserve better than a Z list cast of nodding dogs?”But Mr Johnson replied: “It’s exactly when times are tough and when the country faces pressures on the economy and pressures on their budgets, and when we have the biggest war in Europe for 80 years, that is exactly the moment that you’d expect a government to continue with its work, not to walk away, and to get on with our job and to focus on the things that matter to the people of this country.”He also claimed there is “a ready supply of skilled labour” to replace the growing tally of MPs who are quitting his government. More

MEPs in the European Parliament have slammed Boris Johnson’s “Fawlty Towers approach to politics” and urged him to stop violating international law.Parties from across the EU political spectrum gathered in Strasbourg on Wednesday to slam the UK’s plan to tear up parts of the Brexit deal.As the prime minister faced a mutiny from his own government at home MEPs after MEP stood up to slam the prime minister’s approach. Speaking for the bloc’s largest centre-right political group, Irish MEP Seán Kelly said: “Breaching international law is not acceptable and defies logic, because the protocol is working””I appeal to Boris Johnson and the British government to give over this Fawlty Towers-like approach to politics. “Because if they don’t, there is a danger that Basil will be confused with Boris. “Regardless of the outcome of the volatile situation in No 10 there is only one solution: put this bill aside, come and negotiate and we can reach an agreement. That is what democrats always do.”Natalie Loiseau, a close ally of Emmanuel Macron spoke for the parliament’s liberal Renew group, simply said: “The name if the problem is Brexit and the type of Brexit which was chosen by the current British government.”And senior Green MEP Terry Reintke warned: “What the UK Government is doing right now looks unfortunately more like a group of reckless, privileged people trying to distract from their own mistakes by breaking international law rather than serious governing.”She added that she understood the difference between the UK governemnt and the British people and that there were “millions of people in the UK who want to have a close and strong relationship with the European Union… We will continue to put all our efforts into making that possible.”From the parliament’s centre-left, Thijs Reuten, speaking for the party’s socialists group said: “I thought the Prime Minister ‘got Brexit done’, but instead it looks like he himself may be done.”His domestic misdeeds are one thing, but is he really willing to break international law, to jeopardise the Good Friday Agreement, and to axe the trust between the UK and its most important trading partner – and all that at a time of huge economic turmoil?”The government’s Northern Ireland Protocol Bill effectively give UK ministers powers to change parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol without consulting the EU – which the UK negotiated the agreement with.The protocol was introduced to keep the border open between Northern Ireland and the Republic, in line with the Good Friday Agreement – but to do so it introduces new checks on trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.While the protocol has broad public support in Northern Ireland, it has angered some unionists who want it scrapped or significantly changed. Boris Johnson has characterised the changes as minor, but sat the Wednesday session of the European Parliament, European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic said the approach had “no political or legal justification whatsoever”.He said that it was “legally and politically inconceivable that the UK decides” how the EU’s trade border was enforced. More

A Conservative MP has received a round of applause from the Labour benches after calling on Boris Johnson to resign from No 10 at prime minister’s questions.Gary Sambrook, the Tory MP and executive secretary of the party’s 1922 committee, accused Mr Johnson of attempting “to blame other people for mistakes”, and told him directly: “Take responsibility and resign”.Citing an example, Mr Sambrook told colleagues that in “an attempt to boost morale in the tearoom” on Wednesday, the prime minister referred to misconduct allegations against the former chief whip Christopher Pincher.He said “there were seven people, MPs, in the Carlton Club last week and one of them should have tried to intervene to stop Chris from drinking so much”.Mr Sambrook added: “As if that wasn’t insulting enough to the people who did try and intervene that night. And then also to the victims that drink was the problem.“Isn’t it the example that the prime minister constantly tries to deflect from the issue, always tries to blame other people for mistakes and that at least nothing left for him to do other than to take responsibility and resign?”His comment was met with an applause by the opposition benches, which was immediately scolded by Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle.Mr Johnson replied: “There is a very simple reason why they want me out, and that is because they know that otherwise we are going to get on and deliver our mandate and win another general election.”During the session, the Conservative MP Tim Loughton also asked the prime minister: “Does the prime minister think there are any circumstances which he should resign”.And former cabinet minister David Davis, who has previously called on Mr Johnson to resign, urged him to put the “interests of the country” first.He said: “Six months ago I called on the prime minister to resign because even then it was clear that his approach to leadership and integrity was already creating a pipeline of problems that will paralyse proper government.“Today I ask him to do the honourable thing, to put the interests of the nation before his own interests and before, in his own words, it does become impossible for government to do its job.” More

Months of rising tension within the Tory party came to a head last night as two senior ministers, Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid, decided they had had enough. Boris Johnson has been plagued by ever-insentifying scandals since November when No 10 attempted to rip-up anti-sleaze rules to save veteran MP Owen Paterson. However, questions about Mr Johnson’s premiership insentified after the Tories lost two crucial by-elections, leading to the resignation of party chairman Oliver Dowden, and gropping allegations emerged against MP Chris Pincher.Last night, both the chancellor and the health secretary decided that they could no longer prop up a prime minister who they felt was degrading the political office. Their interventions – barely nine minutes apart – came after a top civil servant made a rare public intervention to question the truthfullness of the Downing Street operation. Sir Simon McDonald, a civil servant of 40 years’ standing, had revealed that an internal investigation into allegations of sexual harassment by Chris Pincher was carried out in 2019. The investigation upheld a complaint against the Tory MP Mr Pincher and Mr Johnson was briefed in person about “the initiation and outcome of the investigation”. Sir McDonald pointed out that briefings by No 10 that Mr Johnson had not known about these details of Mr Pincher’s behaviour were untrue. It was this revelation that pushed Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid over the edge. More

Steve Barclay, Boris Johnson’s former chief of staff, was promoted to the role of health secretary last night as the prime minister was forced into a mini-reshuffle following the resignations of two high profile cabinet ministers in another night of high drama at Westminster.Mr Barclay replaced Sajid Javid, and Nadhim Zahawi took over from Rishi Sunak as chancellor, after Mr Johnson apologised for promoting Chris Pincher to the role of deputy chief whip – despite being told of a sexual misconduct complaint being made against the Tamworth MP.In a statement after he was appointed, Mr Barclay said it was an “honour” to take on the health brief. “Our NHS and social care staff have showed us time and again – throughout the pandemic and beyond – what it means to work with compassion and dedication to transform lives,” he said.Mr Barclay fought elections in Manchester Blackley (1997) and Lancaster and Wyre (2001) before eventually being elected to parliament as MP for North East Cambridgeshire in 2010, when the Conservatives formed a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats. He was on then-PM David Cameron’s ‘A-list’ of candidates and has increased his majority at each general election since.He landed his first government job in 2015 when he was appointed assistant chief whip at the Treasury. He held two other posts there before being promoted to minister of state for the department he now leads in 2018. More