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LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is in deep trouble — again — with more than 40 members of his government resigning in the past two days.
Ministers and aides, including senior members of his cabinet, say they no longer have faith in his leadership after a series of scandals, the latest involving an ally accused of sexual misconduct.
But Johnson vowed to stay.
Boris Johnson is fighting for a political life amid mass resignations from his government
Johnson came to power on a promise to “make Brexit happen”. He secured a huge parliamentary majority for his Conservative Party in the general election in December 2019. At times during his almost three years at 10 Downing Street, as the British Prime Minister’s Office is known, he was popular with much of the public and even more popular in his party. But he has lost public trust: In a new YouGov poll, 69 percent of Britons said Johnson should resign, and many members of his party agreed.
So how did it get here? Here’s what you need to know.
Who are Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid – and why do their resignations matter?
Senior cabinet ministers Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid resigned on Tuesday within minutes of each other, expressing a lack of confidence in Johnson’s leadership.
They appear to have been overcome by the latest scandal to engulf Johnson and his government — involving allegations that the prime minister promoted Chris Pincher, a political ally he knew had been accused of misconduct, to a key government position and then wrongly characterized what he knew of it.
Resigning a senior cabinet member is a big deal in British politics, and Sunak and Javid were in particularly important positions. Sunak, as Chancellor of the Exchequer, was essentially Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, responsible for tackling the cost of living crisis facing millions of Britons. Javid was Britain’s health and social care secretary, leading the response to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Both are seen as potential replacements for Johnson and had strong words for him in their resignation letters. Sunak said: “The public rightly expects the government to be properly, competently and seriously run. I recognize that this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for, and that is why I am resigning.
He also hinted that Johnson was unwilling to be honest with the public about the cost of stabilizing Britain’s economy, which is facing runaway inflation.
In his own resignation letter, Javid wrote that although Johnson survived a no-confidence vote last month, the Conservative Party no longer demonstrated competence or acted in the national interest.
“It is clear to me that this situation will not change under your leadership,” he wrote to Johnson, “and therefore you have lost my confidence.”
Boris Johnson’s latest scandal has led to the resignation of senior ministers
What is the Chris Pincher scandal?
In February, Johnson promoted Pincher, a Conservative MP, to the position of deputy chief whip in the House of Commons, a leadership role that includes keeping Conservative Party members voting in line with the government’s legislative agenda.
But Pincher resigned from that post last week amid a scandal after it was widely reported in the British press that he had tried to grope several men while drunk in a bar. Pincher wrote in a letter to Johnson that he had “drank too much” and had “embarrassed myself and other people” at a gathering.
Pincher has been accused of inappropriate behavior at least twice before. He resigned as government whip in 2017 after a Conservative Party activist accused him of making unwanted advances towards him. And in 2019, after Johnson brought Pincher back into government, Pincher was again accused of similar misconduct.
But the key issue for Johnson centers on what he knew and when. Johnson’s official spokesman initially said the prime minister was not aware of any previous instances of alleged misconduct by Pincher. Several cabinet ministers also defended Johnson, saying they were confident he was unaware of the earlier allegations.
Simon Macdonald, the former head of the British Foreign Service, then posted a letter on Twitter accusing the government of misleading the public – a highly unusual move for a British public servant. “Mr. Johnson was personally informed of the initiation and outcome of the investigation,” McDonald said.
Johnson’s cabinet was then forced to back down, saying the prime minister had failed to remember the briefing earlier. In an interview with the BBC on Tuesday, Johnson admitted he had been told of the allegation against Pincher since 2019 and said he had made a “bad mistake” by promoting him despite the complaints. “I’m sorry about that,” he said.
What other scandals has Johnson faced?
It is just the latest in a series of scandals he has faced – although it appears to represent one of the biggest challenges to his leadership yet.
Johnson has been criticized for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. A public inquiry concluded in October 2021 that the pandemic was “one of the most significant public health failures the UK has ever experienced”.
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It was made worse by “Partygate”, a scandal stemming from a dozen drunken government gatherings in Downing Street when lockdowns and social distancing were imposed during the worst of the pandemic. In April, Johnson was fined by police – making him the first sitting British prime minister to be found to have broken the law – for his attendance at a birthday party during the lockdown in June 2020.
He also faces allegations that he tried to secure a government job for his then-girlfriend Carrie Johnson (now his wife) when he was foreign secretary. And he has been criticized for the growing cost of living crisis in the UK
Allies began to withdraw their support, with one condemning the “culture of casual law-breaking” in Downing Street. He faced a vote of no confidence from his party last month – and although he survived, more than 40 percent of his fellow Conservatives voted against him.
Johnson said he has no intention of giving up. But he is under intense pressure from other members of his cabinet to step down.
He also faces the prospect of another vote of no confidence. Current Conservative Party rules insulate him from further party challenges for a year. But there is pressure from Parliament’s Conservative Private Members’ Committee, informally known as the 1922 Committee, to change the rules. That would allow Johnson’s fellow party members to vote again, earlier, on whether to keep him as their leader.
The committee met on Wednesday and decided to delay any changes until new members are elected next week. A new wave of lawmakers who oppose Johnson and are committed to changing the rules could tip the balance.
In addition to the fallout from the Pincher scandal, Johnson still faces a parliamentary inquiry into whether he lied to MPs in the context of Partygate.
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Adela Suliman and Adam Taylor contributed to this report.
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