Who could replace Boris Johnson as Prime Minister?
Boris Johnson has appointed a new cabinet despite preparing to resign as prime minister soon as he seeks to stay in office until a new Tory leader is elected.
Critics insisted the prime minister must hand over power today after he finally agreed to resign on Thursday morning amid more than 50 resignations.
Michelle Donnellan’s departure as education secretary after just 35 hours in the role made her the fifth cabinet minister to quit, while new chancellor Nadhim Zahaoui publicly called on Mr Johnson to “do the right thing and leave now” and the attorney general Suella Braverman has revealed ambitions to replace him as prime minister.
The dramatic collapse in support came after it emerged that Mr Johnson promoted Chris Pincher to a role in charge of MPs’ welfare despite knowledge of allegations of misconduct against him.
Outgoing ministers and Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer were among those pushing for Mr Johnson to leave Downing Street today after a No 10 source suggested he would stay on until a new Tory leader is elected in the autumn.
Key points
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Cabinet jobs for Clarke, Buckland and Cleverley
Boris Johnson has appointed Greg Clark as equalization secretary, Robert Buckland as Wales secretary and James Cleverley as education secretary as he desperately tries to fill cabinet vacancies in a bid to stay on as caretaker prime minister until the autumn:
Jane Dalton July 7, 2022 12:15 pm
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Secretary of New Northern Ireland appointed
North West Cambridgeshire MP Shailesh Vara was appointed Northern Ireland Secretary and Keith Malthouse Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, the most senior cabinet minister after the Prime Minister.
Jane Dalton July 7, 2022 at 12:13 pm
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The Tories will not “rally” around the Prime Minister in the event of a confidence vote, Starmer has predicted
Sir Keir Starmer has rejected suggestions that the Tories will rally behind Boris Johnson if Labor forces a confidence vote should he refuse to leave Number 10.
“If they don’t get rid of him, Labor will step up in the national interest and table a vote of no confidence because we can’t go on with this prime minister hanging on for months and months to come,” the Labor leader said.
Asked if Tory MPs would “unite” behind the No 10 man, Sir Keir said: “I don’t think anything will unite this particular Conservative Party.”
Andy Gregory July 7, 2022 12:03 pm
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Greg Clarke, James Cleverley and Robert Buckland have been appointed to cabinet posts
Boris Johnson has appointed Conservative MP Greg Clark as his deputy secretary and James Cleverley as education secretary as he scrambles to fill vacant cabinet posts in a bid to stay on as caretaker prime minister until the autumn.
Robert Buckland is appointed Secretary of State for Wales:
Our political correspondent Adam Forrest has more details here:
Andy Gregory July 7, 2022 11:58 am
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Starmer threatens confidence vote as he warns PM must not be allowed to ‘stick to’
Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer said Boris Johnson should not be allowed to “hang on” in Number 10 after resigning as Tory leader and threatened to use a confidence vote to remove him.
Andy Gregory July 7, 2022 11:52 am
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The minister indicated that he could return to the post after Boris Johnson resigns
Former technology minister Chris Philp has indicated he will return to government if necessary now that Boris Johnson is set to step down as leader of the Conservative Party.
Mr Philp, who resigned just hours ago, told Sky News he would not refuse to help the government if it had to push legislation through the House of Commons, but he was not looking for his job back.
He said: “I think all of us in public life are here to serve the country and if I was able to do that in any capacity then obviously I would be happy to serve.
“If I’m asked to help push the Online Safety Bill through Parliament, well, I’ll be ready to help in whatever way I can, in whatever capacity, whoever the leader is.
“I don’t want this (his old post). I don’t expect it. I resigned and when you resign, resign.
He also said he had not thought of the best candidate to replace Johnson.
Andy Gregory July 7, 2022 11:42 am
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Breaking: Boris Johnson to appoint new ministers as he seeks to remain as ‘caretaker’ PM
Boris Johnson is expected to make ministerial appointments soon as he bids to stay in office until a new Tory leader is elected.
“The prime minister will soon make new appointments to his ministerial team,” source No. 10 said.
Our political correspondent Ashley Cowburn has the full story here:
Andy Gregory July 7, 2022 11:36 am
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Watch: Boris Johnson ‘has always been clearly unfit’ to be prime minister, says Nicola Sturgeon
Even before the last few days, Boris Johnson “wasn’t running an effective or properly functioning government” – instead he was “lurching from self-imposed crisis to self-imposed crisis”, Nicola Sturgeon suggested.
“In my view, Boris Johnson has always been clearly unfit to be Prime Minister,” Scotland’s first minister said.
Sturgeon: Johnson ‘has always been clearly unfit’ for PM
Andy Gregory July 7, 2022 11:27 am
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Ben Wallace is the “clear” favorite to become next prime minister among Tory members, the poll suggests
Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has emerged as the “clear” front-runner to replace Boris Johnson among Tory party members, according to YouGov.
While the poll – conducted on Wednesday and Thursday – suggested Mr Wallace (13) was just one point ahead of Penny Mordaunt (12) and just three ahead of Rishi Sunak (10), he emerged as the “clear winner” in ranking in head-to-head competitions with other favourites.
Mr Wallace is ahead of the other candidates, as reported by YouGov:
- Wallace vs. Sunak: 51% vs. 30%
- Wallace vs. Truss: 48% vs. 29%
- Wallace vs. Mordaunt: 48% vs. 26%
- Wallace vs. Hunt: 58% vs. 22%
Andy Gregory July 7, 2022 11:24 am
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The Kremlin says it hopes “more professional” people will come to power in Britain
Russia reacts to the news of Boris Johnson’s resignation.
Speaking on a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “We don’t like him, we don’t like him either.”
While he added that the reports were of little concern to the Kremlin, he was reported to have said: “We would like to hope that one day in Britain more professional people who can make decisions through dialogue will come to power. “
Andy Gregory July 7, 2022 11:13 am
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