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Two of Britain's most senior Cabinet ministers have quit, a move that could spell the end of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's leadership after months of scandals.
Treasury chief Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid resigned within minutes of each other after a day in which the Prime Minister was forced to acknowledge he had to change his story on the way he handled allegations of sexual misconduct by a senior member of his Government.
And UK Soclitor General Alex Chalk has also resigned, saying "it is time for fresh leadership".
With great sadness I am resigning as Solicitor General. I won’t be doing media interviews. pic.twitter.com/8kr9ecRECg
Javid said in his resignation letter "it is with enormous regret that I must tell you that I can no longer, in good conscience, continue serving in this Government".
"I am instinctively a team player but the British people also rightly expect integrity from their government.''
Sunak said "the public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously".
"I recognise this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning," he added.
Sunak and Javid have been seen as possible leadership contenders within the Conservative Party if Johnson is forced out. Their departures were a huge blow to the Prime Minister, because both were in charge of two of the biggest issues facing Britain — the cost of living crisis and the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.
Their exits were followed yesterday by Bim Afolami, who quit as the party's vice-chairman live on TV, and Andrew Murrison, who resigned as a trade envoy to Morocco.
Other senior Cabinet ministers, including Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, indicated they would be staying.
Johnson's authority had already been shaken by a series of scandals and a vote of no confidence last month. He survived, but 41 per cent of Conservatives voted to remove him from office.
The PM's shifting responses to months of allegations about lockdown-breaking parties in government offices that ultimately resulted in 126 fines, including one levied against Johnson, fuelled persisting concerns about his leadership.
Two weeks later, Conservative candidates were badly beaten in two special elections to fill vacant seats in Parliament, adding to the discontent within Johnson's party.
Johnson has been hit by allegations he failed to come clean over what he knew about previous sexual misconduct allegations against a lawmaker who was appointed to a senior position.
The public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously.
I recognise this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning.
The lawmaker, Chris Pincher, resigned as deputy chief whip Thursday amid complaints that he groped two men at a private club.
Minutes before the resignations of Javid and Sunak were announced, Johnson told reporters that Pincher should have been fired from the Government after a 2019 incident.
Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak resigned this morning, saying government should be run competently and seriously. Photo / AP
"I think it was a mistake [to appoint him] and I apologise for it. In hindsight it was the wrong thing to do.
"I apologise to everybody who has been badly affected by it. I want to make absolutely clear that there's no place in this government for anybody who is predatory or who abuses their position of power," Johnson said yesterday.
Keir Starmer, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, said "it's clear that this Government is now collapsing".
"Only a real change of government can give Britain the fresh start it needs," Starmer said.
The Government's explanation shifted repeatedly over the past five days. Ministers initially said Johnson wasn't aware of any allegations when he promoted Pincher to the post in February.
On Monday, a spokesman said Johnson knew of sexual misconduct allegations that were "either resolved or did not progress to a formal complaint".
Been there. Done that. Purchased the t shirt. “I’m sorry. I will listen. I will learn” then joke behind closed doors “I don’t see any problem etc”. It won’t wash any more. That tactical ship has sailed (and sunk) https://t.co/IuRrC95JXd
That account didn't sit well with Simon McDonald, the most senior civil servant at the UK Foreign Office from 2015 to 2020. In a highly unusual move, he said Tuesday that the prime minister's office still wasn't telling the truth.
McDonald, in a letter to the parliamentary commissioner for standards, said he received complaints about Pincher's behaviour in the summer of 2019, shortly after Pincher became a Foreign Office minister. An investigation upheld the complaint, and Pincher apologised for his actions, McDonald said.
McDonald disputed that Johnson was unaware of the allegations or that the complaints were dismissed because they had been resolved or not made formally.
"The original No. 10 line is not true, and the modification is still not accurate," McDonald wrote, referring to the prime minister's Downing Street office. "Mr Johnson was briefed in person about the initiation and outcome of the investigation.
It is time for cabinet colleagues to recognise the appalling damage that the Prime Minister is doing to the party, government and country.
It isn’t good enough and each day that passes those who sit in cabinet will be more complicit with this farcical situation.
Time4change.
— Anthony Mangnall MP (@AnthonyMangnal1) July 5, 2022
Hours after McDonald's comments came out, Johnson's office changed its story again, saying the prime minister forgot he was told that Pincher was the subject of an official complaint.
The latest revelations have fuelled discontent within Johnson's Cabinet after ministers were forced to publicly deliver the prime minister's denials, only to have the explanation shift the next day.
The Times of London yesterday published an analysis of the situation under the headline "Claim of lying puts Boris Johnson in peril".
When Pincher resigned last week as deputy chief whip, a key position in enforcing party discipline, he told the prime minister that he "drank far too much" the previous night and had "embarrassed myself and other people".
Britain's Health Secretary Sajid Javid resigned within minutes of Rishi Sunak, publicly questioningJohnson's integrity and competence. Photo / AP
Johnson initially refused to suspend Pincher from the Conservative Party, but he relented after a formal complaint about the groping allegations was filed with parliamentary authorities.
Critics suggested Johnson was slow to react because he didn't want to be in the position of forcing Pincher to resign his Parliament seat and setting up the Conservatives for another potential special election defeat.
Even before the Pincher scandal, suggestions were swirling that Johnson may soon face another no-confidence vote.
In the next few weeks, Conservative lawmakers will elect new members to the committee that sets parliamentary rules for the party. Several candidates have suggested they would support changing the rules to allow for another vote of no confidence. The existing rules require 12 months between such votes.
Senior Conservative lawmaker Roger Gale, a long-standing critic of Johnson, said he would support a change of the rules of the Conservative 1922 Committee.
"Mr Johnson has for three days now been sending ministers — in one case a Cabinet minister — out to defend the indefensible, effectively to lie on his behalf. That cannot be allowed to continue," Gale told the BBC. "This prime minister has trashed the reputation of a proud and honourable party for honesty and decency, and that is not acceptable.″
In a highly critical resignation letter, Javid wrote: "The tone you set as a leader, and the values you represent, reflect on your colleagues, your party and ultimately the country. Conservatives at their best are seen as hard-headed decision-makers, guided by strong values.
I have spoken to the Prime Minister to tender my resignation as Secretary of State for Health & Social Care.
It has been an enormous privilege to serve in this role, but I regret that I can no longer continue in good conscience. pic.twitter.com/d5RBFGPqXp
"[The confidence vote] was a moment for humility, grip and new direction. I regret to say, however, that it is clear to me that this situation will not change under your leadership - and you have therefore lost my confidence too."
Parliamentary private secretary to the Northern Ireland secretary Jonathan Gullis has also resigned, saying for "too long we have been more focused on dealing with our reputational damage rather than delivering for the people of this country and spreading opportunity for all".
Fellow parliamentary private secretary Saqib Bhatti MP has also resigned, saying "recent events have undermined trust and standards in public life".
And Conservative MP for Hastings and Rye, Sally-Ann Hart, a previous supporter of Johnson, says she is "no longer able to support Boris Johnson as leader of the Conservative party and Prime Minister".
Chris Pincher resigned as deputy chief whip after a drunken incident, which turned out not to be an isolated case. Photo / AP
Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted to say the resignations felt like the end for Johnson.
Feels like end might be nigh for Johnson - not a moment too soon. Notable tho that the resigning ministers were only prepared to go when they were lied to - they defended him lying to public. The whole rotten lot need to go. And 🏴 needs the permanent alternative of independence
