It seems like this question has been asked hundreds of times over the course of Boris Johnson’s premiership, but have cabinet ministers finally had enough of the mounting scandals?
On Tuesday, Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Sajid Javid, the health minister, resigned from their positions in Johnson’s cabinet. In his resignation speech to Parliament, Javid said that “enough is enough” and that the “problem starts at the top.” The resignations came after the most recent scandal involving a former Conservative party lawmaker Christopher Pincher. In February, Johnson appointed Pincher deputy chief whip, giving him responsibility for the wellbeing of other Conservative lawmakers. Last week, Pincher was suspended from the party after acknowledging he had made other people uncomfortable during a drunken night out. It then emerged that Pincher had been the subject of past sexual harassment allegations. Johnson’s office initially said the prime minister had been unaware of specific past allegations against Pincher. However, on Monday, senior former civil servant Simon McDonald wrote a letter saying he had investigated the allegations in 2019 and had upheld the complaints.
And lets not forget about “Partygate”, a series of parties and other gatherings held at Downing Street during COVID lockdowns in 2020 and 2021. There was also the Owen Patterson Affair and the investigation into Downing Street renovations. A senior ally of the prime minister told the BBC: “It’s now a question of how he exits,” adding the situation was “not sustainable”. There are two ways for Johnson to leave his position as prime minister. Either he resigns or faces a no-confidence vote in Parliament. He survived a no-confidence vote last month, and under the current rules he would be immune from another challenge for a year. However, some Conservatives are calling for a rule change to allow another vote to occur.
This situation will be continuously evolving over the coming days and weeks. There are likely to be more cabinet ministers and Conservative MPs calling for Johnson’s resignation. You will also see his loyal supporters continue to defend him and stress the need for continuity of government in the face of crises like the economic situation and the War in Ukraine.
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