Image source: Getty Images
Boris Johnson has resigned as leader of the Conservative Party and plans to remain prime minister until a new party leader is chosen by the autumn.
Mr Johnson appointed a new cabinet after the wave of resignations from his government that led to his resignation.
Our political correspondent David Wallace Lockhart answers some of your questions about the turbulent events at Westminster:
“Boris Johnson has just resigned and is forming a new government. How exactly does this work? (John Fitzsimmons)
Boris Johnson is still Prime Minister and it looks like that will be the case until we have a new leader of the Conservative Party.
He has the right – and the duty – to keep the government running.
This means there is a need for new ministers (remember many of them resigned recently). Some of them may only be in office for a few weeks as a new party leader will look to appoint his own top team.
“Will these interim appointments get ministerial allowances when they have to resign as a new leader is elected?” (Mark Bolney)
For that we go to the Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991.
If a minister ceases to hold office – and is not reappointed to the government within three weeks – he is entitled to compensation.
The law states that they must receive a quarter of their annual ministerial salary on leaving office. It does not specify a minimum period of time they must spend on the job to receive the payment.
“Isn’t Dominic Raab our Deputy Prime Minister and therefore there to step in and cover up now?” (Shelley Duck)
The simple answer is that he is, but he won’t step in because there is no vacancy – Boris Johnson is still Prime Minister.
As deputy prime minister, Dominic Raab has stood in for Mr Johnson in the past – for example, at Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) when Mr Johnson was out of the country – but that did not automatically make him prime minister when Boris Johnson announced that stepped down as Conservative leader.
This is not unusual. David Cameron and Theresa May continued as prime ministers after announcing they were leaving.
Image source Reuters
“Will Boris Johnson be answering questions at PMQs next week?” (John Q)
Unless there is a new prime minister, yes.
Some voices (such as former prime minister Sir John Major) are calling for Mr Johnson to step down and a short-term replacement appointed. Under his proposals, they would remain in place until the leadership contest takes place. But that doesn’t seem likely right now.
Barring a major development, Boris Johnson will be answering questions at PMQs next week.
“Why should we accept a leader appointed by the gray suits of 1922?” (Barry Tuck)
The 1922 Committee is the group that represents backbench Tory MPs. They will set the rules for the leadership contest, but the new leader will ultimately be appointed by the members of the Conservative Party (estimated to be around 180,000).
Their vote is likely to come after Tory MPs whittled the numbers down to two candidates.
The general public will have their say at the next general election, due in January 2025 at the latest.
“Could Mr Johnson be nominated as leader again?” (Colin Fuller, Cheltenham)
That would be a very controversial move and doesn’t seem likely.
Under current Conservative leadership rules, a leader who resigns is ineligible to run in the next leadership contest.
Image copyright UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor
Can someone like Theresa May be Prime Minister again? (John Starbuck)
She had to run again for leader of the Conservative Party and win the upcoming contest.
That would be an unusual move and highly unlikely, but there is no rule preventing her from taking the top job again.
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