LONDON, July 6 (R) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson clung to power on Wednesday, badly wounded by the resignation of ministers who said he was unfit to govern and a growing number of lawmakers calling for his resignation .
Johnson’s finance and health secretaries resigned Tuesday, along with several in more junior positions, saying they could no longer remain in government after the latest in a series of scandals tainted his administration. Continue reading
Amid mounting calls for Johnson’s resignation, he showed his determination to remain in office by appointing businessman and education minister Nadhim Zahawi as his new finance minister and filling some of the other vacancies. Continue reading
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Zahawi told reporters he will explore all options to rebuild and grow the struggling economy and tame rising inflation when asked if he would cut taxes like the corporate income tax. Continue reading
The extent of the animosity Johnson faces within his party will be revealed later on Wednesday when he appears for his weekly Question Time in Parliament and before the chairs of select committees at a scheduled two-hour barbecue.
“I suppose we’ll have to drag him kicking and screaming out of Downing Street,” a Conservative lawmaker told R on condition of anonymity. “But if we have to do it like this, then we will do it.”
Johnson, a former journalist and Mayor of London who became the face of Britain’s exit from the European Union, won a landslide election victory in 2019 before adopting a combative and often chaotic approach to governing.
His leadership has been mired in scandal and missteps in recent months, with the Prime Minister being fined by police for breaching COVID-19 lockdown laws and releasing a scathing account of the behavior of officers at his Downing Street office who had broken their own lockdown rules. Continue reading
There were also policy U-turns, an ill-fated defense of a lawmaker who broke lobbying rules, and criticism that he had not done enough to deal with a cost-of-living crisis that has left many Britons struggling with soaring fuel, oil and food prices .
The Times of London newspaper said Johnson’s “serial dishonesty” was “absolutely corrosive” to effective government.
“Every day he stays deepens the sense of chaos,” it said. “For the good of the country he should go.”
The latest drama at the heart of British power comes as the economy is deteriorating rapidly, with some economists warning the country could slide into recession.
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In the latest scandal, Johnson apologized for appointing a lawmaker to a role related to the welfare and discipline of the party, even after being informed that the politician had been the subject of sexual misconduct complaints .
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson addresses the start of a cabinet meeting at Downing Street in London, Britain July 5, 2022. Justin Tallis/Pool via R
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The Downing Street narrative changed several times depending on what the Prime Minister knew about the past behavior of this politician who was being forced to resign and when he knew it.
This prompted Rishi Sunak to resign as Chancellor of the Exchequer – the Minister of Finance – and Sajid Javid as Minister of Health, while ten others resigned their junior ministerial or envoy posts.
“I realize that this situation will not change under your leadership – and you have lost my confidence as a result,” Javid said in his resignation letter.
Several of the ministers cited Johnson’s lack of judgement, standards and inability to tell the truth.
A quick YouGov poll found 69% of Britons thought Johnson should step down as Prime Minister, but for now the rest of his top team offered their support.
“I fully support the Prime Minister,” said Scottish Foreign Secretary Alister Jack. “I’m sorry that good colleagues are resigning, but we have a lot to do.”
A month ago, Johnson survived a vote of confidence from Conservative lawmakers, and party rules mean he cannot face another such challenge for a year.
But some lawmakers are trying to change those rules while he is also being investigated by a parliamentary committee for lying to parliament about breaches of the COVID-19 lockdown.
Nominations for the executive branch of the so-called 1922 committee, which sets the rules for leadership’s vote of confidence, are expected to open on Wednesday. Johnson critics hope to vote enough people to change the rules to allow another such vote before the 12-month grace period allows.
If Johnson were to leave, the process of replacing him could take a couple of months.
Just two and a half years ago, the ebullient Johnson won a huge parliamentary majority by promising to handle Britain’s exit from the European Union after years of bitter wrangling.
But since then its initial handling of the pandemic has been widely criticized and the government has stumbled from one predicament to another.
Although Johnson received broader praise for his support of Ukraine, his personal poll ratings did not continue to rise. His Conservatives are behind the opposition Labor Party and his own popularity ratings are at an all-time low.
Johnson’s dovish approach to the European Union has also weighed on the pound, exacerbating inflation, which is expected to top 11%.
“After all the filth, the scandals and the failures, it is clear that this government is now collapsing,” said Labor leader Keir Starmer.
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Writing by Michael Holden and Kate Holton, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien
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