UK’s Boris Johnson Fighting To Stay in Office as Top Ministers Quit

In the face of a mounting number of resignations from his administration over displeasure with his leadership, Boris Johnson is fighting to hold onto his position.

Following the resignations of his predecessor, the health secretary, and a number of junior ministers, the new chancellor, Nadhim Zahawi, has called for unity.

However, the prime minister has been slammed with a further five resignations, bringing the day’s total to 15.

The resignations come as he gets ready for PMQs and a grilling by senior MPs.

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The abrupt resignations of Health Secretary Sajid Javid and Chancellor Rishi Sunak have cast Mr Johnson’s premiership into disarray.

The duo resigned on Tuesday just minutes apart following a disagreement over the prime minister’s choice to name Chris Pincher deputy chief whip earlier this year.

On Wednesday, there were five further resignations, including those of the ministers of education Will Quince and Robin Walker, the minister of the Treasury John Glen, and the ministerial assistants Laura Trott and Felicity Buchan.

Despite being aware of the charges of wrongdoing against Mr Pincher, Mr Johnson has acknowledged it was a “bad mistake” to appoint him.

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It came after days of inconsistent statements from No 10 regarding the precise information the PM had about Mr Pincher’s prior behavior when he hired him.

In talks with the media two days ago, Mr Quince, who had been assigned to defend the PM, claimed that Downing Street had provided him with “inaccurate” material.

After surviving a no-confidence vote among Conservative MPs last month, he is exempt from any challenges for a year under the party’s present rules.

Liz Truss, the foreign secretary and prospective challenger to the prime minister’s position, has gathered support from several important cabinet members.

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However, dissident Conservatives want to use a forthcoming vote to the 1922 committee to abolish the one-year break between elections, opening the door for him to face another challenge later this year.

Johnson is prepared for additional resignations, possibly not from the government but from the position below the cabinet.

Over the past two months, Johnson’s leadership has been dogged by scandals and gaffes, with the prime minister receiving a fine from the police for violating COVID-19 lockdown restrictions and a devastating report detailing the conduct of staff members at his Downing Street office who broke lockdown laws.

Additionally, there have been policy reversals, an unsuccessful defense of a lawmaker who violated lobbying laws, and criticisms that he has not done enough to address the cost of living crisis, which is causing many Britons to struggle to keep up with rising fuel and food prices.

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In the most recent incident, Johnson was forced to issue an apology for assigning a lawmaker to a position involving pastoral care and party discipline despite being informed that the politician had been accused of sexual misconduct.

A snap YouGov poll found 69% of Britons thought Johnson should step down as prime minister but for the time being the remainder of his top ministerial team offered their backing.