Calls for Prime Minister Johnson’s resignation are growing louder

As the broadcaster Sky News reported in the evening, Johnson rejected the request. The previously ultra-loyal Home Secretary Priti Patel, Economics Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng and Building and Housing Secretary Michael Gove are also said to have opposed Johnson.

However, Johnson told his cabinet colleagues that he would not leave, Sky News reported, citing party and government circles. Otherwise, the country will be thrown into chaos and the Conservatives will be punished in the next general election, Johnson reportedly said.

That leaves only a change in Tory party rules to launch another no-confidence vote in Johnson and oust the PM. It is expected that this could happen next Monday

“Enough is enough,” resigned Minister of Health Javid had previously told the Prime Minister in a personal statement in the House of Commons. What was meant by this were the numerous half-truths and untruths with which Johnson had repeatedly saved his head in recent months.

Javid justified his withdrawal by saying that he could no longer bridge the contradiction between loyalty and integrity. “The problem starts at the top.” Javid also indirectly called on other cabinet members to step down in protest at Johnson’s leadership style. His performance was reminiscent of Geoffrey Howe’s famous speech in 1990, with which the former British Chancellor of the Exchequer and Foreign Secretary toppled Margaret Thatcher.

Johnson is unimpressed by the demands

Other members of the government were obviously of Javid’s opinion too: by the afternoon the number of resignations had risen to more than 18, including state secretaries in the finance, justice and education ministries. Deputy Prime Minister Dominik Raab, Secretary of State Liz Truss and Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace want to remain loyal to Johnson for the time being.

The prime minister was not impressed by the wave of resignations: “It is my duty to lead the country through a difficult time. And I will do that,” announced Johnson. Apparently he has tasked his new finance minister, Nadhim Zahawi, with preparing tax cuts.

My duty is to lead the country through a difficult time. And I will. Boris Johnson

The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that he would reconsider his predecessor’s plan to increase corporate income tax from 19 to 26 percent. “When companies invest for the long term, they compare corporate tax rates,” Zahawi said.

The government crisis in London was largely ignored on the financial markets. The British pound hardly moved. However, the currency has been weaker for weeks as the UK economy suffers from low growth and high inflation.

If the government crisis drags on and Johnson tries to ensure his political survival with risky tax gifts, the mood on the markets could change further. Meanwhile, Johnson’s critics are working to bring down the prime minister with another vote of no confidence by the Conservative faction.

Tories push for another no-confidence vote

Johnson only barely survived a vote of confidence in early June. More than 40 percent of their own faction voted against their prime minister. For a new vote, the party committee operating under the label “1922” would have to change its rules.

So far, they have stipulated that no new vote of no confidence can be made in the next twelve months. However, several Tory MPs called for the rules to be changed immediately. “This can’t go on for another year,” Tory veteran Michael Heseltine said.

The committee wants to re-elect its leadership in the coming week, and Johnson’s critics hope to push through a new vote of no confidence then at the latest.

Johnson announced, however, that he would fight any internal party rebellion. The prime minister also had to face the influential House of Commons Liaison Committee after afternoon question time, which wanted to scrutinize the government’s ethical standards.

There are more than enough reasons for this. Johnson was already politically hit by the “Partygate” affair after receiving a ticket for attending a birthday party during the corona lockdown.

However, the current government crisis was sparked by his handling of Christopher Pincher, who was expelled from the party for sexual assault. Johnson promoted Pincher to deputy faction leader in February, even though he was aware of his propensity for sexual assault at the time.

At first, the prime minister denied having known anything at all about the specific allegations. He was later forced to admit the opposite, but claimed he had forgotten. In the Partygate scandal, Johnson had also assured parliament that there had been no celebrations in the government district during the lockdown. A committee of inquiry is now examining whether the prime minister knowingly lied to parliament.

During parliamentary question time, Conservative MPs also urged Johnson to resign. Former Brexit Secretary David Davis said he was asking the Prime Minister to “do the honorable thing and put the nation’s interests ahead of his own.” Tory MP Gary Sambrook said there was nothing left for Johnson to do except take political responsibility and resign.

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What has helped Johnson so far is that no one in the party has come forward as an alternative and had the courage to openly challenge the prime minister. With their resignations, Javid and Sunak have now signaled that they are available as possible successors.

Other candidates are Secretary of State Truss and Secretary of Defense Wallace. However, at the English bookies, the leader is the popular Conservative MP Penny Mordaunt, who is currently Secretary of State for International Trade.

Johnson moved into the seat of government at 10 Downing Street in 2019 and currently has a 73-seat majority in Parliament. However, the Tories lost two key by-elections to Labor and the Liberal Democrats. And in the nationwide polls, the two largest opposition parties together are well ahead of the Tories.

With agency material.

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