A challenging British Prime Minister Boris Johnson fought to stay in power on Wednesday following the resignation of two prime ministers and a host of younger officials, who said they could no longer serve under his plagued leadership. scandals.
A delegation of cabinet ministers had planned to meet with him at his Downing Street office to pressure him to resign, the British news agency reported. Transportation Secretary Grant Shapps and longtime loyalist Brandon Lewis were among those expected to demand his resignation.
Earlier Wednesday, members of the opposition Labor Party dragged Johnson with shouts of “Go! Go!” during the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions ritual in the House of Commons, as critics argued that the leader’s days were numbered after his mishandling of allegations of sexual misconduct against a senior official.
But more condemningly, members of Johnson’s own Conservative Party, tired of the many scandals he has faced, also challenged his leader, and one asked him if there was anything that could lead him to resign.
“Frankly, the prime minister’s job in difficult circumstances, when he has been given a colossal mandate, is to move on,” Johnson replied, with the bragging he has used to defend critics for nearly three years in office. “And that’s what I’ll do.”
Conservatives offer little support
His fellow conservatives listened in silence, offering little support.
Johnson is known for his ability to get out of difficult circumstances, managing to stay in power despite suggestions that he was too close to party donors, protected supporters from allegations of harassment and corruption, and deceived Parliament. about the parties in government offices that broke COVID-19. confinement rules.
He held out even when 41 percent of Conservative lawmakers voted to oust him in a censure vote last month and former loyal lieutenants urged him to resign.
Former British Health Secretary Sajid Javid is leaving his home in south-west London on Wednesday, a day after his resignation. (Beresford Hodge / PA / The Associated Press)
But recent revelations that Johnson knew about allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct against a lawmaker before promoting the man to a high position in his government have pushed him to the limit.
Many of his fellow conservatives are concerned that Johnson no longer has the moral authority to govern at a time when difficult decisions are needed to address rising food and energy prices, rising COVID infections. 19 and the war in Ukraine. Others worry that a leader recognized for his ability to win elections may now be a responsibility at the polls.
Former Health Secretary Sajid Javid, who helped trigger the current crisis when he resigned Tuesday night, captured the mood of many lawmakers when he said Johnson’s actions threatened to undermine the Party’s integrity. Conservative and the British government.
‘Enough is enough’
“At some point we have to conclude that enough is enough,” he told his colleagues. “I think that point is now.”
Johnson’s grid in Parliament was the first of two Wednesdays. He was also questioned by a committee of senior lawmakers.
Months of discontent over Johnson’s trial and ethics in the Conservative Party government erupted with the resignations of Treasury chief Rishi Sunak and Javid, just minutes away from each other on Tuesday evening.
The two heavyweights in the cabinet were responsible for addressing two of Britain’s most important issues: the cost of living crisis and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
In a scathing letter, Sunak said that “the public rightly expects the government to conduct itself properly, competently and seriously. I think it is worth fighting for these rules and that is why I am resigning.”
Javid said the party needed “humility, grip and a new leadership”, but “it is clear that this situation will not change under your leadership”.
Waiver chair
Aware of the need to build trust, Johnson quickly replaced the two ministers, promoting Nadhim Zahawi of the Department of Education to head the Treasury and installing his chief of staff, Steve Barclay, as health secretary.
But a series of resignations on Tuesday afternoon and early Wednesday by younger ministers, both from the Liberal branch and the right wing of the Conservative Party, showed that the danger to Johnson was far from over.
As Johnson delved deeper, critics have accused him of refusing to accept the inevitable and behaving more like a president than a prime minister by referring to his “mandate.” In the UK political system, voters choose a party to govern, not directly the Prime Minister.
In this image taken from the video of the House of Commons in London on Wednesday, Johnson, in the center, hears former health secretary Sajid Javid speak, top left. The British Prime Minister received little support from his party colleagues. (House of Commons / The Associated Press)
Former International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell said Tuesday afternoon that Johnson’s time was finally over.
“It’s a bit like Rasputin’s death. He’s been poisoned, stabbed, shot, his body has been dumped into an icy river and he’s still alive,” he told the BBC. “But this is an abnormal prime minister, a brilliantly charismatic character, very funny, very funny, great, great. But I’m afraid he has neither the character nor the temperament to be our prime minister.”
The last drop for Sunak and Javid were the Prime Minister’s shifting explanations about his handling of allegations of sexual misconduct against a senior Conservative lawmaker.
Last week, Chris Pincher resigned as Conservative deputy director following complaints he palpated two men at a private club. This triggered a series of reports of previous allegations against Pincher and questions about what Johnson knew when he used Pincher for a senior job to enforce party discipline.
The prime minister forgot the briefing, his office says
Johnson’s office initially said it was unaware of previous allegations when it promoted Pincher in February. On Monday, a spokesman said Johnson was aware of the allegations, but that “they were resolved or did not move forward toward a formal complaint.”
When a senior Foreign Ministry official contradicted him, saying Johnson was informed of a 2019 complaint that led to a formal complaint, Johnson’s office said the prime minister had forgotten. of an information session on the subject.
It was too much for ministers who have been sent to radio and television to defend the government’s position, just to see it change.
Johnson’s opponents in the party expect more cabinet ministers to resign. (Justin Tallis / The Associated Press)
Bim Afolami, who resigned as vice chairman of the Conservative Party on Tuesday, said he had been willing to give Johnson the benefit of the doubt, right down to the Pincher affair.
“The difficulty is not generally the government’s program. The government has done many positive things that unite the Conservative Party,” he said. “The problem is the character and integrity on Downing Street, and I think the people in the Conservative Party and the people in the country know that.”
Paul Drexler, president of the International Chamber of Commerce, warned that rising food and energy prices are reaching crisis proportions and a leader needs to not be distracted.
“I would say the most important thing to do is to feed people who are hungry,” he told the BBC. “I mean, this is a burning platform right now. The poorest in our society will starve to death in the second half of this year. That needs to be addressed.”