Lauren Sanderson
Health Secretary Sajid Javid and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak have announced their resignations from Government, citing a loss of confidence in government conduct and PM Boris Johnson.
In a letter posted to Twitter, Mr Javid said that the British people ‘rightly expect integrity from their Government’.
The public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously.
I recognise this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning.
My letter to the Prime Minister below. pic.twitter.com/vZ1APB1ik1
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) July 5, 2022
Despite Johnson’s ‘seeing off the threat of Corbynism, and breaking the deadlock on Brexit’, Javid criticised the values represented by Johnson given his handling of the Chris Pincher scandal. He stated that ‘the country needs a strong and principled Conservative Party, and the Party is bigger than any one individual’.
Rishi Sunak’s resignation swiftly followed. He wrote ‘To leave ministerial office is a serious matter at any time. For me to step down as Chancellor while the world is suffering the economic consequences of the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and other serious challenges is a decision that I have not take lightly’.
Sunak said that in preparation for his joint speech on the economy with Johnson, ‘it has become clear to me that our approaches are fundamentally too different’.
The resignations come after a former senior FCO official said Boris Johnson had been previously briefed on the alleged sexual misconduct by Tory MP and ex-deputy chief whip Chris Pincher. Lord McDonald said that Number 10 was ‘not telling the truth’, after Johnson denied his awareness of the previous allegations against Pincher.
Pincher faced a slew of new allegations over the weekend, following his resignation and removal of the Conservative Party whip.
This comes after two by-election defeats almost two weeks ago also prompted calls for cabinet ministers to mount a coup against the prime minister.
Last month’s no-confidence vote, which Javid called a ‘moment for humility, grip and new direction’, also saw Backbench MPs turn against Johnson due to his handling of the Partygate scandal.
The former Cabinet ministers’ resignations may herald the downfall of Johnson’s leadership. More ministers are expected to resign in their wake.
The resignation of Sunak, previously considered by many to be heir to the Conservative leadership, could be an especially damning blow to Johnson’s future as PM. The resignation of Nigel Lawson, who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer under Margaret Thatcher, helped to bring about Thatcher’s downfall.
BBC’s Nick Watt’s reports that one of Boris Johnson’s closest allies has said ‘It will all be over by this time tomorrow. No PM can survive the resignation of two senior cabinet ministers like that.’
Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer said ‘it’s clear that this government is now collapsing’, and accused Javid and Sunak of being ‘complicit’ as Johnson ‘disgraced his office’.
Dominic Raab and Priti Patel are amongst those expected to remain loyal to Johnson, Sky’s Sam Coates reports. An ally of Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, viewed as a potential leadership candidate, said she was ‘100% behind the PM’.
However, even if no more resignations follow, the climate of the Conservative party seems to be turning against Johnson. The belief that the Conservative party will not be carried to victory in the next general election under Johnson’s leadership appears to be growing.
Featured image courtesy of Number 10 via Flickr. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
Lauren Sanderson
Lauren is a freelance journalist, Editor In Chief at Empoword Journalism, and Journo Resources Fellow 2023/24. She is ex-Features Editor at Epigram. She has bylines in Journo Resources, Bristol 24/7, Epigram, and more.