UK PM Boris Johnson announces resignation

Deutsche Welle

07 Jul 2022, 22:49

Photo: Collected

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to step down after several high-profile Cabinet members left the government due to multiple scandals. Boris Johnson says he will stand down as Conservative leader and prime minister Johnson says will stay on as prime minister until a new Conservative Party leader is elected. Opposition leaders have said he should leave as UK head of government immediately. The decision came after the PM was abandoned by newly-appointed ministers, following dozens of resignations of others. The prime minister had pledged to push through the open rebellion

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Possible caretaker prime ministers?

UK Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab and former senior minister Michael Gove will not run to become the next Conservative leader, according to the right-leaning Daily Mail newspaper. The two both senior figures in the Johnson Cabinet have both been touted as the possible caretaker prime minister if Johnson is forced out before the leader is elected. Anyone taking the temporary prime ministerial role would most likely have to rule themselves out of the leadership race. Gove, who served as secretary of state for leveling, housing and communities, was sacked by Johnson late on Wednesday. As Johnson’s deputy, having led the UK government when the prime minister was incapacitated by COVID-19, Raab is seen as most likely to succeed should there be a caretaker. British former PM Major says Johnson must go now. Former British Prime Minister John Major has said that outgoing Conservative leader Boris Johnson should not remain as prime minister until a new Tory party leader is found. Major, which was Conservative prime minister from 1990 to 1997, said Johnson should go for the overall wellbeing of the country.

The former premier said Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab could take over until a new leader is found. Alternatively, he suggested, the party could change the selection rules to accelerate the process. The proposal for the prime minister to remain in office for up to three months having lost the support of his cabinet, his government and his parliamentary party is unwise, and may be unsustainable, Major said in a public letter.

Major succeeded Margaret Thatcher as Conservative Party leader and UK prime minister after a damaging leadership challenge that left her with little option but to resign.

Irish PM sees opportunity for a reset with UK

The Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin says there is now the chance for Ireland and Britain to repair relations that have become strained because of Brexit. Martin has consistently rejected Johnson’s attempts to make changes to the Northern Ireland Protocol, which is part of the UK Brexit withdrawal agreement with the European Union. Martin said has warned that such a course would represent a unilateral decision to breach international law and threated the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which brought peace to Northern Ireland. In his response to Johnson’s resignation, the Taoiseach offered his best wishes to Johnson and his family. However, he also said there was now an opportunity to repair areas in which relations had become frayed. While Prime Minister Johnson and I engaged actively together, we didn’t always agree, and the relationship between our Governments has been strained and challenged in recent times. We have now an opportunity to return to the true spirit of partnership and mutual respect that is needed to underpin the gains of the Good Friday Agreement. Top Kyiv adviser thanks Johnson for support Ukraine presidential adviser Mikhail Podolyak has thanked Boris Johnson for his support of the country after Russia’s invasion. In a tweet, Podolyak thanked Johnson for being the first to arrive in Kyiv, despite missile attacks. He thanked Johnson for realizing the threat of the RF [Russian Federation] monster and always being at the forefront of supporting Ukraine.

The UK prime minister has been a strong supporter of Ukraine, as it battles Russia, visiting Kyiv twice since the conflict began. During his resignation speech, Johnson listed his support for Ukraine as one of his proudest achievements. Johnson says he will resign as leader Boris Johnson has announced his resignation as Conservative leader and said the reason he fought so hard to remain in the post was a sense of duty. However, Johnson said it was now clearly the will of the Conservative Party that there should be a new party head. He said the herd instinct is powerful in reference to the pressure placed upon him to stand down by fellow Conservatives.

I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world, Johnson said.

Johnson said he had appointed a new Cabinet he will remain as prime minister until a new party chief is chosen. He promised to support the new leader of the party and said the government of the country would be carried on during the handover process. The reason I have fought so hard in the last few days to continue to deliver that mandate in person was not just because I wanted to do so, but because I felt it was my job, my duty, my obligation, to you to continue to do what we promised in 2019. In the last few days, I’ve tried to persuade my colleagues that it would be eccentric to change governments when we are delivering so much and when we have such a vast mandate... And I regret not to have been successful in those arguments and, of course, it’s painful not to be able to see through so many ideas and projects myself.

Podium for PM’s statement appears

The podium from which the prime minister is expected to make his speech has been brought out in front of Number 10 Downing Street. Johnson fills some Cabinet posts Downing Street says British Conservative lawmaker Greg Clarke has been appointed as the country’s new leveling-up secretary, replacing former incumbent of the role, Michael Gove. Johnson on Wednesday sacked Gove from the role, which involves responsibility for local government and the regions. Gove had led the line of ministers urging him to resign. With several of Gove’s Cabinet colleagues having resigned, replacements for other positions were also needed for Johnson to carry on as caretaker prime minister.

The prime minister’s office said James Cleverly, previously junior minister for Europe and North America, takes over the portfolio of education minister. Meanwhile, former justice minister Robert Buckland was announced as the new Secretary of State for Wales. Policing minister Kit Malthouse becomes the new Chancellor of the Dutchy of Lancaster, according to Downing Street. The role, previously also held by Gove, has no departmental responsibilities but is the second-highest-ranking position in the Cabinet after that of prime minister.

Opposition leader threatens no-confidence vote

The leader of the UK opposition Labour Party has said that, if the Conservative Party does not get rid of Johnson as prime minister now, it will call a vote of no-confidence. He needs to go completely, none of this nonsense about clinging on for a few months. He’s inflicted lies, fraud and chaos in the country, said Labour leader Keir Starmer. He needs to go. He can’t cling on in this way. His own party have finally concluded that he is unfit to be prime minister. They can’t now inflict him on the country for the next few months. If they don’t get rid of him then Labour will step up in the national interest and bring a vote of no-confidence.

New caretaker cabinet chosen report

Downing Street has appointed a new Cabinet to take over the business of government until a new Conservative Party leader is chosen, according to the BBC. It’s expected that a Tory leadership race will take place in the coming months, with the victor to replace Johnson in October. Several senior members of Johnson’s Conservative Party say he should be replaced immediately rather than be allowed to remain as a caretaker prime minister until a new party leader is chosen.

Tory members want defense minister as PM-survey According to a survey by opinion pollsters YouGov, Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace would be Conservative Party members favorite to replace Boris Johnson. It will be up to party members to decide between the final candidates after they are whittled down to the last two in voting by Conservative lawmakers. Wallace has called on Johnson to quit but said he would stay in his role leading the UK defense ministry to protect national security. A former soldier, he was security minister from 2016 until taking on his current role three years later. Wallace has won plaudits after his department evacuated British nationals and allies from Afghanistan last year, and for his advocacy of sending weapons to Ukraine. Other possible contenders in the poll included Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, departed finance minister Rishi Sunak, and Jeremy Hunt, who faced Johnson in the last showdown decided by party members.

PM speaks to queen in advance

Boris Johnson has reportedly spoken to Queen Elizabeth as a courtesy ahead of an impending announcement about his plans to stand down, according to a report from the British broadcaster ITV. EU Brexit chair Verhofstadt welcomes end of era The European Parliament’s Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofstadt has welcomed the end of Johnson’s tenure. The former Belgian prime minister compared the British prime minister to former US President Donald Trump, and said he hoped UK-EU relations could improve. Boris Johnson’s reign ends in disgrace, just like his friend Donald Trump, Verhofstadt tweeted.

The end of an era of transatlantic populism?

Let’s hope so. EU - UK relations suffered hugely with Johnson’s choice of Brexit. Things can only get better! Johnson emerged as a figurehead of Brexit, and disputes with the EU have bubbled in the background throughout his tenure. Scotland leader Sturgeon says PM cannot stay on Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said that the idea of Johnson remaining as prime minister until later this year, when a new Tory leader is elected, is not feasible. There will be a widespread sense of relief that the chaos of the last few days, indeed months, will come to an end, though [the] notion of Boris Johnson staying on as PM until autumn seems far from ideal, and surely not sustainable?

Boris Johnson was always manifestly unfit to be PM and the Tories should never have elected him leader or sustained him in office for as long as they have. It’s expected that a leader might not be finally decided upon until October. A day earlier, Johnson told Sturgeon in a letter that now was not the time to revisit the question of a vote on Scottish independence. Sturgeon last week announced plans for a second independence referendum to be held on October 2023. UK stocks and sterling enjoy bounce Reports of Johnson’s planned resignation gave the UK stock market a boost, with the key FTSE 100 index gaining 1.2% after the news. The FTSE 250, which is more exposed to Britain’s domestic economy, rose by 0.9%. The pound sterling, which had been in the doldrums, jumped 0.5% following the media reports. The currency hit two-year lows against the dollar on Wednesday after the resignation of the finance and health secretaries threw Johnson’s tenure into doubt.

Opposition leader Starmer urges change of government Keir Starmer, the leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party, said that news of Johnson’s impending resignation was good news for the country. But Starmer warned that the prime minister’s resignation was not enough. We don’t need to change the Tory at the top we need a proper change of government, Starmer said.

We need a fresh start for Britain.

British media: Johnson agrees to step down British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign as leader of the Conservative Party, British broadcasters BBC and Sky reported on Thursday. The reports follow a slew of scandals that surrounded him and his government, and reports that Michael Gove, one of the most senior ministers in the British government, told Johnson he must go. Johnson had initially refused to resign, despite a succession of resignations, as he faced a grilling from UK lawmakers in parliament on Wednesday. His grip on power was weakened considerably, however, when Rishi Sunak quit as finance minister and Sajid Javid resigned as health secretary within minutes of one another on Tuesday evening. More ministers resigned their posts on Wednesday and Thursday, bringing the total to more than 50 in less than 48 hours. The resignations follow shifting explanations from Johnson’s Downing Street office about a sex scandal that involved a mid-ranking ally of the prime minister. Johnson has faced sharp criticism over his promotion of junior minister Chris Pincher to the role of chief whip a key position that involves enforcing party discipline. The promotion came despite Pincher being accused of drunkenly groping two men, and Johnson having been made aware of the allegations. New Cabinet ministers abandon PM Cabinet member Nadhim Zahawi on Thursday said Johnson must quit despite being appointed by the prime minister as the UK’s finance minister only 36 hours earlier. He replaced Rishi Sunak as Chancellor of the Exchequer on Tuesday evening. This is not sustainable and it will only get worse for you, for the Conservative Party and most importantly of all the country. You must do the right thing and go now. Moments after Zahawi’s intervention, the education minister Johnson appointed at the same time, Michelle Donelan, announced her resignation. With great sadness, I must resign from government, she said. Earlier, Northern Ireland Secretary became the first Cabinet minister of the day to quit, saying the situation was past the point of no return. That resignation was followed by the departure of a succession of junior ministers.

What’s behind the ministerial resignations?

Ministers of Johnson’s Cabinet resigned shortly after he appeared on television to apologize for appointing Pincher to the role despite knowing the allegations. Johnson is alleged to have joked about the claims, referring to the lawmaker as Pincher by name, pincher by nature in 2020.

The prime minister’s office had initially said that it was not aware of any complaints against Pincher, but later changed this to serious specific complaints. This account was refuted by the top civil servant in the UK Foreign Office from 2015 to 2020, who said the complaints about Pincher had been upheld. In a highly unusual move for a civil servant, Simon McDonald publicly claimed that Johnson’s office had repeatedly failed to tell the truth. The revelations are only the latest in a string of scandals involving Johnson, who was been fined by police for lockdown-breaching parties. Last month, he survived a no-confidence vote that saw 41% of Conservative lawmakers vote to topple him.

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