UK government crisis deepens, Boris Johnson reportedly on the verge of declaring his withdrawal, as the BBC reports. His office announced an address from the prime minister: he would address the nation later in the day. According to the BBC, Johnson will announce that he is stepping down as leader of the Tory party but will remain in office as prime minister until the autumn.
British Finance Minister Nadhim Zahawi, who was appointed to office on Tuesday, had previously publicly called on Johnson to resign. “Prime Minister, in your heart you know what is right. Go now,” Zahawi wrote in a letter to Johnson published on Twitter on Thursday. The crisis the government finds itself in is only getting worse. “This is unsustainable and will only get worse for you, for the Conservative Party and most importantly for the country.” British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has also called on his party colleagues to oust Prime Minister Boris Johnson. “The party has a procedure for replacing top leadership that colleagues should use,” he wrote in a tweet.
The prime minister had previously lost other cabinet members. Kicked off on Thursday morning Secretary of Education Michelle Donelan and Northern Ireland Minister Brandon Lewis from their posts, as they explained on Twitter; Donelan, too, had only been in office for two days. Health Minister Sajid Javid and Finance Minister Rishi Sunak left on Tuesday, and late Wednesday evening Simon Hart, the British Minister for Wales, announced his resignation. Johnson also fired his Minister for Works and Housing, Michael Gove. Total have in the past few days more than 50 government employees gave up their posts.
“Decent and responsible government is based on honesty, integrity and mutual respect”, Lewis wrote on Twitter as a reason. Since he no longer believed that these values would be upheld, he had to leave the government, although he deeply regretted it.
Former Wales Minister Hart praised the Prime Minister on Twitter for his “energy, vision, determination and humour”, but then went on to write: “I was desperately hoping to avoid writing this letter, but unfortunately it seems to me no other way to stay.” He has never been a “big fan” of the idea that ministerial resignations are the best way to force change. Colleagues would have done their best, privately and publicly, to help Johnson “turn the ship around.” Unfortunately, he feels the point has been passed where this is possible.
On Wednesday, Johnson rejected calls for his resignation
According to media reports, Conservative Prime Minister Johnson had previously rejected calls by a number of cabinet members to resign. Among them is said to have been Finance Minister Zahawi, who was only appointed to his post on Tuesday. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, the previously ultra-loyal Home Secretary Priti Patel, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng and Building and Housing Secretary Michael Gove are said to have also belonged to the delegation.
Late on Wednesday evening, Johnson then fired his longtime companion Gove, who was considered one of the heavyweights in the cabinet and has held various posts in government in recent years. He had already campaigned alongside Johnson in the 2016 election campaign for the Brexit referendum. The relationship between him and Johnson was always characterized by competition.
Attorney General Braverman expresses interest in Johnson’s successor
Meanwhile, the candidates for a possible successor to Johnson as party and government leader are warming up. While resigning ministers such as Javid and Sunak, as well as Secretary of State Liz Truss, have long been traded as candidates for Johnson’s legacy, Attorney General Suella Braverman is now also expressing interest in the post. She was previously seen as a supporter of Johnson, but said in an interview with broadcaster ITV that the prime minister had to resign. You can imagine running for office.