Boris Johnson clung to power on Tuesday night after Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid dramatically resigned from the UK prime minister’s office within minutes of each other.
A number of junior government members have also quit, with many Tory MPs believing the ministerial revolt could signal the beginning of the end for Johnson.
But there was relief in Downing Street when a number of other senior figures – including Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace and Equalization Secretary Michael Gove – indicated they were staying.
Johnson immediately began making changes to his cabinet. Steve Barclay, former Chancellor of the Exchequer and currently Johnson’s chief of staff, will replace Javid as Health Secretary.
Many Conservative MPs believe Johnson’s premiership is nearing its end. Last month, more than 40 percent of MPs expressed no confidence in their leader and cabinet unity was disrupted.
Sunak and Javid criticized the Prime Minister’s conduct, with Sunak saying in a reprimanded resignation letter: “The public rightly expects the government to be run properly, competently and seriously.”
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On a day when Johnson’s honesty was called into question, Sunak suggested the prime minister was prepared to deceive voters because of the poor state facing the economy and the need for “tough decisions”.
“I believe the public is ready to hear the truth,” he said, adding that he and Johnson “fundamentally” disagree on economic policy. “Our people know that if something is too good to be true, it isn’t.”
Loyal Tory MPs said Johnson had told them he was now more likely to offer early tax cuts, a policy popular with the Tory right but which Sunak fears could fuel inflation as prices rise targets two-digit numbers.
Johnson also wants to reverse a planned rise in corporate tax from 19% to 25% next year, a move opposed by Sunak, who believes the increase is needed to restore public finances.
Sunak’s resignation came minutes after his old friend Javid quit. In his letter, Javid said: “The tone you set as a leader, the values you represent, reflect on your colleagues, your party and ultimately the country.”
The resignations of Sunak and Javid followed the forced departure of disgraced former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher last week following allegations he groped two men while drunk at a private members’ club.
Downing Street insisted for days that Johnson had not been made aware of “specific allegations” of wrongdoing by Pincher in the past. On Tuesday, Johnson acknowledged that he had been informed of the allegations in 2019 but had forgotten about it. “It’s an absolute disgrace,” said one minister.
With ministers unwilling to defend him publicly, the prime minister gave a BBC interview before the resignations in which he apologized for appointing Pincher as deputy chief whip in February. “In hindsight, it was the wrong thing to do,” he said.
But as Johnson’s belated apology aired, Javid announced he was leaving. The health secretary, who previously resigned as chancellor in 2020 after a power struggle with No 10, believes he can be a unifying figure as the next Tory leader.
Javid said in his resignation letter: “Last month’s vote of confidence showed that a large number of our colleagues agree. It was a moment of humility, grip and a new direction. I regret to say, however, that it is clear to me that this situation will not change under your leadership.
Sunak’s allies insisted the twin resignations were not co-ordinated, but their departures from the cabinet now mean Johnson has two potential leadership rivals sitting on the backbenches.
The former chancellor said he and Johnson took approaches to the economy that were “fundamentally too different”. The proposed joint economic speech by the two men proved impossible to agree on.
One ministerial ally of Sunak said the main difference between the outgoing chancellor and the prime minister was that “one is sane, the other is a clown”.
On Tuesday, Johnson finalized his choice to replace Sunak as chancellor, with speculation that Nadhim Zahawi, the education minister, could move to the Treasury.
Markets will be watching for signs of what the chancellor’s change will mean for future economic policy, including the possibility of a looser fiscal regime that could force the Bank of England to raise interest rates faster.
A number of Conservative MPs called on Johnson to quit on Tuesday night. Next week, the party will elect a new executive director of the 1922 committee, which sets the rules for leadership contests.
A range of anti-Johnson candidates are expected to push for a change in party rules to allow another early vote of no confidence in the prime minister. The current rules state that such a vote can only take place every 12 months.
Sir Keir Starmer, the Labor leader, said: “After all the sloppiness, scandal and failure, it is clear that this government is now collapsing.” Sir Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, said: “A house of cards built on lies and deceit, collapses.’
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