Boris Johnson

Last month Mr Johnson survived a no-confidence vote by Tory MPs on his leadership. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid ...

The resignations of Mr Javid and Mr Sunak, two of the government's most senior cabinet ministers, came just a month after Mr Johnson survived a confidence vote by Conservative MPs in the wake of the "partygate" scandal. He thanked Mr Sunak for his "outstanding service to the country through the most challenging period for our economy in peacetime history" and said he was looking forward to Mr Javid's "contribution from the backbenches". In separate letters to Mr Sunak and Mr Javid, the Prime Minister said he would miss working with them. Mr Javid said many MPs and the public had lost confidence in Mr Johnson's ability to govern in the national interest. Mr Sunak, who had reportedly clashed with the prime minister in private about spending, said: "For me to step down as Chancellor while the world is suffering the economic consequences of the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and other serious challenges is a decision that I have not taken lightly." Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced their decisions as Mr Johnson was apologising for appointing a former minister to a job in government despite knowing there was a sexual misconduct complaint against him.

Two of Britain's top cabinet ministers have quit, sending a shockwave through Prime Minister Boris Johnson's embattled leadership that could spell the ...

The resignations began when UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid told the prime minister that he had lost confidence in him over his handling of the latest sex ...

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, widely considered to be gathering support to make a tilt, is backing the prime minister. Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Johnson appointed his chief of staff, Steve Barclay MP, to replace him and promoted Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi to be chancellor. Johnson said the manner that the complaint was raised with him was “only cursory” but that he regretted not acting at the time. One senior MP told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that it was “the beginning of the end” for Johnson. “We may not have always been popular, but we have been competent in acting in the national interest,” Javid said.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was dealt a huge blow on Tuesday when two of his top ministers announced their resignations, saying they could no ...

Javid added that the vote of confidence in the prime minister last month "was a moment for humility, grip and new direction." Johnson has faced numerous other scandals that have hit his standing in the polls -- despite his 80-seat landslide victory just two-and-a-half years ago. Backing him when he mocked the sacrifices of the British people," the Labour Party leader said in a statement released after the two resignations. "In preparation for our proposed joint speech on the economy next week, it has become clear to me that our approaches are fundamentally too different," Sunak added in the letter. The most immediate controversy facing Johnson is Downing Street's handling of last week's resignation of deputy chief whip Chris Pincher, who stepped down from his post last Thursday amid allegations he had groped two guests at a private dinner the night before. "The public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously," Sunak said in his resignation letter.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is clinging to power after two of his most senior Cabinet ministers quit, saying they had lost confidence in Johnson's ...

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, literally actor-turned-politician, cannily co-opted his acting and presentational instincts into a legitimate political wartime leadership ...

With a solid chunk of his backbench having already pushed for his departure, and a continuing stream of ministerial defections, it’s clear even his own party understands that Johnson is an agenda-less disaster who will drag the party to defeat in 2024. And the lack of substance leads to an inability to understand what is genuinely important. The spark for the latest crisis to beset Johnson — the resignations of his chancellor and health minister, along with a slew of parliamentary secretaries and party officials — lies in his mishandling of the scandal of his now-former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher, who is accused by a number of men of being a long-term serial sexual harasser and predator. The lack of substance and the obsession with image leads to governing by announcement and media release, while the actual skills required to govern competently are left to wither. This makes the urgings by right-wing UK media outlets to “let Boris be Boris” — which have cropped up routinely during various crises in his prime ministership — particularly silly. A serial fabulist in life, his “journalism” was a litany of invented stories, his “literature” a glib facsimile of popular history and biography, and his carefully honed television brand that of a self-deprecating, bumbling, classically educated clown — a stupid person’s idea of a smart person — that he rode all the way to No. 10.

After limping along in the wake of the Partygate investigation, multiple sex scandals and successive policy failures, Boris Johnson is approaching the endgame ...

Declaring … I’m now free to cut taxes”. The headline: “Boris fights on! Its headline is: “Johnson hanging by a thread as Sunak and Javid walk out” and publishes prominently scathing quotes from their resignation letters.

Two of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's senior cabinet ministers resign over his handling of a sexual misconduct scandal that has rocked UK politics.

must bear responsibility" for a culture that allowed events to take place. In hindsight, it was the wrong thing to do." "It's a bit like the death of Rasputin. He's been poisoned, stabbed, he's been shot, his body's been dumped in a freezing river and still he lives," Mr Mitchell told the BBC. - Former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt finished second in the 2019 leadership contest and would offer a more serious and less controversial style of leadership after the turmoil of Mr Johnson's tenure. In December, the Conservative Party was fined $32,920 by the electoral watchdog for failing to accurately report a donation of roughly $200,000 that helped renovate Mr Johnson's Downing Street flat. "A decisive result and what it means is that, as a government, we can move on and focus on the stuff that I think really matters to people." The Conservative Party successfully sought a vote of no confidence on Mr Johnson, which would have required a simple majority for him to be removed. "I think it's a convincing result," Mr Johnson said at the time, despite 148 colleagues wanting to boot him from the top job. This prompted a senior public servant to say Mr Johnson had been aware of Mr Pincher's behaviour in the summer of 2019. Mr Johnson then said: "I think it was a mistake, and I apologise for it. It comes after Mr Johnson survived a vote of no confidence, a report in which he was blamed for government parties during COVID lockdown and a range of scandals involving MPs and staff in his party. He apologised, saying he "drank far too much" and "embarrassed myself and other people, which is the last thing I want to do, and for that I apologise to you and to those concerned".

Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid led succession of resignations after PM admitted making 'mistake' over appointment of Chris Pincher.

The resignations of Javid and Sunak, both considered potential future leadership contenders, come at a moment of significant danger for the prime minister. The first thing we’ve got to do is make sure we’re really careful, whether that’s public sector pay, that we don’t deepen inflation.” Johnson attempted to recover his authority by swiftly appointing Nadhim Zahawi as his chancellor and Steve Barclay as health secretary. Neither explicitly mentioned the sexual misconduct and Partygate scandals that have dogged the government for months. He’s then asked about the possibility of raising corporation tax. The whole rotten lot need to go.” Responding to the resignations last night, Labour leaderSir Keir Starmer said: “If they [ministers] had a shred of integrity they would have gone months ago. Echoing Starmer’s comments from last night, she says: “This is [about] much more than changing the person at the top of the Conservative party. And I, personally, just couldn’t think I could defend that sort of behaviour any longer. Next, Zahawi is pressed on teachers’ pay, energy prices and tax cuts. That means we’re the mainstream ... About a month ago we had the no confidence vote.

Already beset by various scandals and electoral setbacks, Prime Minister Boris Johnson suffered even greater body blows on Tuesday with the resignation of both ...

The most compelling strength of the UK economy is employment. It’s not peaches and cream by any stretch but all the main parts of the economy are in reasonable shape when you consider the whole world shut down and then dramatically restarted. The banking sector has been at pains — under the steely eye of the Prudential Regulation Authority — not to leave itself exposed to potential non-performing loans. What matters is that the Bank of England has renewed confidence to continue its rate-hiking cycle to combat inflation. That potential fiscal splurge is hard to model into economic estimates, so be careful when listening to some of the more apocalyptic forecasts. Britain certainly feels fragile at the moment with runaway inflation, war in Ukraine and all manner of local difficulties plaguing the UK body politic.

London: Boris Johnson's premiership is in free-fall, and it is now a case of when, not if, he leaves Downing Street with his suitcase, wife Carrie, ...

Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Others in cabinet have pledged their loyalty publicly – perhaps knowing they mightn’t survive a change of leadership. Under existing party rules he technically has 11 months to turn it round since beating a no-confidence vote last month. It is clear that Johnson’s instinct will be to hold on. Finally, and rather dramatically, it is all falling apart. “Depart, I say, and let us have done with you.

His most senior ministers are getting off the carousel of chaos because they just don't see him governing the country.

He wants a wife and he wants a mistress, responsibility and freedom, power and popularity. The latest scandal is over the appointment to a senior parliamentary position—responsible for enforcing party discipline—of a Tory lawmaker named Christopher Pincher, who had been accused of sexual impropriety. Now Britain is back to where it was only a few years ago, when, riven by Brexit and the failure to implement the result of the referendum, the country seemed utterly ungovernable. On the way up, Boris was a mocking, disdainful jester able to poke fun at the British political class, which had been failing for years even as it patted itself on the back. The U.K. today is a country without direction, without an idea, and without a government capable of governing. What Britain has is a prime minister with instincts, sometimes good, sometimes bad, who almost as a point of principle refuses ever to temper or abrogate them in any way.

UK's Boris Johnson fights for his political survival after top resignations and scandals · U.K. · British Finance Minister Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid ...

Only a real change of government can give Britain the fresh start it needs." It has since emerged that Johnson appointed him to the role despite knowing of previous misconduct allegations against him. As a number of senior Tories called for Johnson to quit, the government's former Brexit negotiator David Frost also joined the fray, calling on the prime minister to step down without delay. As he faced such a vote only last month, a new challenge would require a rule change to allow another vote within the next 12 months. - But despite calls to resign, the prime minister shows no signs of being ready to stand down. Health Secretary Sajid Javid, likewise, resigned in protest against Johnson's leadership, which has been beset by controversy and scandal in recent months.

UK media react to the resignations of Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid, and where that leaves the PM.

His will to win is his greatest weapon, and he will relish the challenge of defying those who think him finished. Mr Johnson is nothing if not a fighter and may try to dig in and recast his top team, although who would want to join it at the moment is anyone’s guess. Facing them requires not just the ability to talk about a vision but the determination and steeliness to establish a credible pathway to it. He has lost the confidence of his party and the country. Less than three years ago, Boris Johnson led the Conservative Party to a landslide victory on a message of hope and One-Nation optimism. A string of sleaze scandals and regicidal plots in recent months had already destabilised Mr Johnson and the country at the worst possible time.

The resignations of Sunak and Javid would have knocked out any other prime minister. This one's still standing.

The result is a barrel-scraped cabinet and a prime minister clinging on by his fingertips. But the old adage that “he who wields the knife never wears the crown” — and the knowledge that many lightweight loyalists around Johnson are unlikely to see high office under another Tory prime minister — ensured that ranks remained unbroken. Remembering the cabinet revolt that heralded the downfall of Margaret Thatcher — Britain’s toughest, most successful prime minister — Tory dissidents have recently been begging senior ministers in public and private to send Johnson packing. Another sucker punch came from Javid the health secretary, who told Johnson in his farewell missive that “you have lost my confidence too” and boldly questioned the prime minister’s integrity. In other words, the prime minister wants to buy off voters’ enraged by tax rises and inflation while the chancellor has nightmares about the mounting deficit. But the chancellor was frustrated by the air of permanent crisis hanging over government and contradictory policy-making: his resignation letter declared he had been prepared to compromise and accept collective responsibility for decisions he didn’t agree with, but his differences with the prime minister were now too great to continue in office.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson on June 24, 2022. (CNN) Boris Johnson's Conservative government is in deep crisis, engulfed once more in a ...

The government's poor handling of Pincher's resignation means the scandal is now tied to Johnson personally. "The biggest threat to this government is its own staggering incompetence," said one senior government official. While he did not admit the allegations directly, Pincher said in a letter to Johnson The details of how Downing Street got itself into such a mess bear laying out. But that was overtaken within minutes by the resignation of the two Cabinet members. Finance minister Rishi Sunak also resigned, saying that people "rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously."

The prime minister's sense of entitlement will mean he has to be dragged kicking and screaming from Downing Street, says Guardian columnist Martin Kettle.

This is why there is a second and even larger question lurking behind the visceral drama of Johnson’s attempt to stay in power. Their aim will be to rekindle a form of low-tax, low-regulation Conservatism that most of those who grew up in the Thatcher era, or in its shadow, see as the route to prosperity and government. It will be as though the pandemic, the cost of living squeeze, the climate crisis and the war in Europe can be forgotten along with Johnson himself. This sense of limitless entitlement is what unifies all the successes, failures and the sheer chaos of Johnson’s career. This is a code for spending cuts and choices that Johnson, concerned more with popularity, seems unwilling to endorse. It has little connection with the low tax, small state, globally liberal Toryism that preceded it and which the party cast aside when it rushed to embrace Johnson as the answer to its problems. If and when Johnson goes, his form of Toryism may go too. The cabinet refused to move against Johnson in June when it should have done, and the departures of Sunak and Javid have not yet been followed by significant other senior ministers. The loss of a couple of ministers will not have dented his narcissism one bit. Westminster will be in turmoil today, and it will not take much for fresh momentum to build against Johnson’s attempt to continue with business as usual. The revolt of MPs in the confidence vote last month, meanwhile, was botched by being both badly timed and unsuccessful. The other would be a revolt of the parliamentary party of the kind that eventually did for Theresa May three summers ago.

A month ago, battered by a previous wave of controversies over Downing Street parties, Tory MPs called a confidence vote in the prime minister, which he won, ...

This would, in some ways, be the most straightforward solution, even if it would require an interim PM to keep the seat warm while a new Conservative leader is selected. For many leaders as embattled as Johnson, this would be the obvious way out. This would see Johnson, like May, offered a deal by leading backbenchers: announce an imminent date for your departure, or we will change the party rules and get rid of you anyway. Losing a confidence vote closes the argument for a Tory leader – they are out. A month ago, battered by a previous wave of controversies over Downing Street parties, Tory MPs called a confidence vote in the prime minister, which he won, albeit with 41% of parliamentary Tories wanting him out. By any normal metric it is fair to say Boris Johnson is doomed, given the scale of ministerial resignations and the number of backbench MPs publicly withdrawing their support.

From Jaws to The Thick of It, a roundup of some of the best satire as the prime minister fights for survival.

Footage of Tuesday morning’s grim cabinet meeting – why did Johnson let in the cameras? This isn’t a meme really, but it probably meets the definition of satire. The latest iteration of a popular meme format of the comedy gameshow.

LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday was fighting for his political life as more ministers and aides continued to quit his government, ...

One of the lawmakers to resign his post on Wednesday was Will Quince, children and families minister. The majority of the British public think that he should throw in the towel now. Analysts say that Johnson is lucky insomuch as their reasons for losing faith in Johnson seem to be varied — his critics aren’t coalescing around a single issue, the way that those who helped to get rid of Theresa May, Johnson’s predecessor, did when they ditched her. While some leaders may have read the room and decided to call it quits, Ford said, Corbyn did not and remained leader until the spring of 2020. And under the current Conservative Party rules, there’s no formal way for Johnson’s critics to quickly get rid of him. The resignations, which have followed a string of scandals, have prompted numerous questions: How long can Johnson survive?

One of Boris Johnson's allies claimed that Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid had failed to "tap up" support from other cabinet ministers, before announcing their ...

The chairman of the 1922 committee, Sir Graham Brady, could go to No 10 with - metaphorically - a pile of no confidence letters under his arm. I don't want this to go on until the Autumn." This includes an MP who prominently supported him in the last leadership contest. And what is striking is that I have spoken to a number of Conservative MPs who backed Boris Johnson in the last confidence vote, who would not support him in the next one. If Boris Johnson were to be defeated in a confidence vote, then nominations would be open for a new leader - with MPs potentially whittling the candidates down to the final two before the summer recess. After a wave of high profile resignations, Number 10 will be keen to say they have stabilised the ship - there is a new chancellor, with a new approach, a new health secretary and a new education secretary.

Resignations are a feature of the constitution of the United Kingdom, and not a bug. When a minister resigns, a noise is made that usually catches the ...

What is missing is the soothing green light of a change of prime minister. The first is the power of patronage which derives from the royal prerogative, and this enables a prime minister to hire and fire cabinet ministers and to set the agenda for the government. The constitution of the UK is used to prime ministers being got rid of between general elections. And current Prime Minister Boris Johnson appears to have lost the confidence of both. Resignations are a feature of the constitution of the United Kingdom, and not a bug. The prime minister of the United Kingdom has surprisingly few formal powers.

The latest bout of drama at the heart of British power comes as the economy deteriorates rapidly, with some economists warning the country could tip into ...

Although Mr Johnson won wider plaudits for his support of Ukraine, a lift in his personal poll ratings did not last. "Every day that he remains deepens the sense of chaos," it said. "I fully support the prime minister," Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said. Several of the ministers cited Mr Johnson's lack of judgment, standards, and inability to tell the truth. Mr Johnson, a former journalist and London mayor who became the face of the UK's departure from the European Union,before taking a combative and often chaotic approach to governing. Mr Johnson's finance and health secretaries quit on Tuesday following the latest scandal to hit the government, triggering the departure of around 15 lower-ranking politicians and the withdrawal of support of once loyal politicians

The string of resignations began on Tuesday after treaurer Rishi Sunak and health secretary Sajid Javid suddenly quit; Mr Johnson is facing renewed calls to ...

"Loyalty and unity are traits that I have always endeavoured to provide for our great party. In his resignation letter to the prime minister, financial services minister Mr Glen said that he could "no longer reconcile" his commitment to the role with "the complete lack of confidence" in Mr Johnson's leadership. In his parting speech to the UK parliament, the former health secretary said the public expects members of government to "maintain honesty and to maintain integrity" and warned of the precarious position it was now in.

Two top ministers and a slew of more junior officials resigned this week, saying they could no longer serve under Johnson's scandal-tarred leadership.

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Minister reportedly told Johnson before PMQs that he should quit, and was absent from frontbench.

In a further blow to Johnson, the influential backbencher Robert Halfon announced on Wednesday he could no longer support the prime minister, saying he felt “the public have been misled” over the resignation of Pincher after further allegations of groping, the catalyst for the escalation of the crisis. Felicity Buchan, a junior aide in the business department, also stepped down, telling Johnson he had “lost the confidence of my constituents and me”. Earlier, in a punchy resignation speech, Javid urged cabinet ministers to follow him in abandoning Johnson’s administration, saying: “Enough is enough”.

LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is in serious trouble — again — with more than 25 members of his government resigning in the past day.

It was made worse by a series of scandals — dubbed “Partygate” — over several parties being held at Downing Street when lockdowns and social distancing were in place during the worst of the pandemic. And he has been criticized over the mounting cost-of-living crisis in the U.K. “Mr. Johnson was briefed in person about the initiation and outcome of the investigation,” McDonald said. Johnson was criticized for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. The committee is set to meet Wednesday and could decide to elect new members next week. But since then, he has lost the public’s confidence: In a new YouGov poll, 69 percent of Britons said Johnson should resign, and many of his party members agree. Johnson says he has no plans to quit. But Pincher last week resigned from that post amid a scandal, as the British press widely reported that he had allegedly tried to grope several men while intoxicated at a bar. At first, as the scandal broke and Pincher resigned, Johnson’s official spokesman said the prime minister did not know of earlier incidents of Pincher’s alleged misconduct. He resigned from his post as government whip in 2017 after a Conservative Party activist accused him of making unwanted advances toward him. Sunak said: “The public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously. Having a senior cabinet member resign is a big deal in British politics, and Sunak and Javid were in particularly important positions.

As the PM struggles to keep his job, we look at the rules and conventions that apply.

But to seek an election without the blessing of the government or the bulk of your own MPs would be constitutionally very unusual, and would be fiercely resisted. If he resigned with immediate effect it would require an interim PM to be appointed, as constitutionally there needs to be a prime minister in post at all times. Under this scenario nothing formal would need to happen – Johnson would stay in post, attempt to patch together an interim cabinet, and the focus would shift to choosing his replacement.

Downing Street was rocked by two major cabinet resignations, Finance Minister Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid, plus those of more than half a dozen ...

This point was highlighted in an important EY report released last month which looks at investor sentiment across Europe, and found that the Britain remains a top FDI destination in Europe, but confidence is fragile. However, there is now renewed speculation that a confidence vote could be called within 24 hours of the rules changing. While the exact endgame for Johnson’s prime ministership is still unclear, the odds are growing that it may now be months, if not weeks, away. It is only last month that Johnson prevailed in a narrow “technical sense” in an internal leadership contest within the Conservative Party getting 211 votes, just over the 180 votes threshold needed to win. However, a snap poll by YouGov on Tuesday evening found that 69 per cent of the British population think that Johnson should resign. Johnson sought to stop the haemorrhaging of his political power on Tuesday with a mini cabinet reshuffle.

The embattled British Prime Minister ordered security personnel at 10 Downing Street to post a photo of Giuliani at the building's entrance.

“Before I see Boris, I think I’ll hit a few pubs and go on TV,” he said. Giuliani, however, seemed oblivious to Johnson’s state of alarm. “I’m sure Boris will be excited to see me,” Giuliani said.

Two of his top ministers have quit and others are calling for him to go, but he is hanging on.

Similar allegations of sexual misconduct had been made against Mr Pincher in the past. But so far Mr Johnson remains defiant and says he has no intention of resigning given his "colossal mandate" from voters at the last election. In a subsequent statement to Parliament on Wednesday Mr Javid said - with Mr Johnson looking on - that the problem "starts at the top" and "that's not going to change". Tuesday afternoon saw Mr Johnson call the rest of his cabinet to find out who was staying and who was going - so far the rest of the cabinet has remained loyal. "It's a bit like the death of Rasputin. He's been poisoned, stabbed, he's been shot, his body's been dumped in a freezing river and still he lives." Tory MP Andrew Mitchell told the BBC: "It's a bit like the death of Rasputin. He's been poisoned, stabbed, he's been shot, his body's been dumped in a freezing river and still he lives."

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is fighting for his political life as more ministers quit his government and longtime allies urge on him to resign.

Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. “But I must take seriously that in the Conservative Home run-offs, readers have me beating Jeremy Hunt and I should take that seriously both for their sake’s and for Jeremy’s,” he said, referring to the former cabinet minister who Johnson beat in 2019 in the last leadership contest. He told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that he was considering running based on the support of Conservative Party activists who have ranked him highly in online polls run by the Conservative Home website. But Johnson brushed off the chaos telling a committee of MPs that the government was “carrying on with ever-increasing energy”. “The difference between Boris and previous leaders of the Conservative Party is that they cared about the party and when reluctantly persuaded they were no longer an asset [they] did the decent thing,” he said. “It’s no great secret I’m not the biggest fan of Michael Gove … but for Boris to turn around to the man with the revolver and bottle of whiskey and turn the revolver on Michael Gove, well who would have thought it?” Conservative MP Tim Loughton told Britain’s Sky News.

Downing Street source says 'he wants to stay and fight' despite interventions from ministers including Shapps and Patel.

“History teaches us that the best way to avoid pointless political disturbance is to allow the government that has a mandate to get on and deliver its mandate,” he argued. “Thank you for meeting with me yesterday evening and for your sincere apology regarding the briefings I received from No 10 ahead of Monday’s media round, which we now know to be inaccurate,” he said in his resignation letter. In good faith, we must ask that, for the good of the party and the country, you step aside,” they said. “Boris has now got such a pipeline of shit arriving that even if he did nothing for six months, we’d still have trouble coming.” During prime minister’s questions alone, three of Johnson’s MPs called for him to go. It is understood he did not urge him to step down, but stressed the challenge of governing, given how many frontbenchers have resigned. “I don’t want to resign because I have that duty and we need an attorney in government.” In the wake of Gove’s sacking, Johnson’s allies reportedly described him as a “snake”. They said the prime minister had no plans to step aside. The attorney general, Suella Braverman, said it was “time for the prime minister to resign” on Wednesday night. A Downing Street source said: “He wants to stay and fight. The Welsh secretary, Simon Hart, who was among those telling Johnson to go, later quit. Instead of stepping down, Johnson responded by sacking Gove as levelling up secretary.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is fighting for his political life as more ministers quit his government and longtime allies urge him to resign.

Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. “But I must take seriously that in the Conservative Home run-offs, readers have me beating Jeremy Hunt and I should take that seriously both for their sake’s and for Jeremy’s,” he said, referring to the former cabinet minister who Johnson beat in 2019 in the last leadership contest. He told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that he was considering running based on the support of Conservative Party activists who have ranked him highly in online polls run by the Conservative Home website. But Johnson brushed off the chaos telling a committee of MPs that the government was “carrying on with ever-increasing energy”. “The difference between Boris and previous leaders of the Conservative Party is that they cared about the party and when reluctantly persuaded they were no longer an asset [they] did the decent thing,” he said. “It’s no great secret I’m not the biggest fan of Michael Gove … but for Boris to turn around to the man with the revolver and bottle of whiskey and turn the revolver on Michael Gove, well who would have thought it?” Conservative MP Tim Loughton told Britain’s Sky News.

He hardly has any government ministers and his own cabinet tried to force him to resign. What is going on?

For Johnson it appears that the next chapter of his story is about to unfold. Any political strategist worth his or her salt could have told the Labour Party that Boris Johnson had become a political liability for the Conservatives. His trust problem had made him a toxic brand. Bluster, bluff and buffoonery – levelled-up with puppyish optimism – are not enough for a country facing multiple crises and the need to define a new position in the world. The conversation drifted, unsurprisingly, to the mental health of politicians but even this connection floated unnoticed past the eyes of the prime minister as he randomly declared that “alcohol served in the Palace of Westminster” was the heart of the problem. The only problem with this diagnosis is that it is thought to be an “acquired disorder” linked to the pressures of holding high political office whereas Johnson’s blond ambition has always been fuelled by hubristic tendencies. The exceptional times of the past few years demanded an exceptional politician who was willing to break the rules and ride roughshod over convention to get things done.

In twenty-four hours, more than three dozen ministers and aides deserted Johnson and left the U.K. with gaping holes in its government.

“The original No 10 line is not true,” McDonald wrote, referring to 10 Downing Street, “and the modification is still not accurate.” Johnson acknowledged that a complaint had been raised with him and said that he should have acted on it, but he also said, “I’m fed up with people saying things on my behalf or trying to say things about what I did or didn’t know.” “Last night I drank far too much,” Pincher wrote in his resignation letter to Johnson. “I’ve embarrassed myself and other people which is the last thing I want to do and for that I apologise to you and to those concerned.” He is coöperating with an investigation into his behavior. When the questions were over, Johnson had to sit through Javid’s resignation speech, which effectively urged the rest of Johnson’s team to abandon him. Ian Blackford, the parliamentary leader of the Scottish National Party in Westminster, compared Johnson to a dead parrot. Andrew Murrison, the trade envoy to Morocco, described the “rolling chaos” of his premiership. It is a wonderful and necessary fact of political biology that we never know when our time is up,” Johnson wrote, in 2006, about Tony Blair. “We kid ourselves that we must stay because we would be ‘letting people down’ or that there is a ‘job to be finished.’ In reality, we are just terrified of the comedown.” At one point, when Johnson tried one of his usual attack lines on the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, and his team, the Labour front bench began to wave farewell, in unison. The double resignation was the start of a twenty-four-hour putsch in which more than three dozen ministers and aides deserted Johnson—his moral authority had evaporated some time ago—and left the nation with gaping holes in its government. “I tell you that the prime minister will not go early—because it is simply not in his nature. “We may not have always been popular, but we have been competent in acting in the national interest,” Javid wrote, in his resignation letter. By the time Johnson stood up to face Prime Minister’s Questions, in the House of Commons, at noon, it was becoming hard to keep count of the resignations, or to know on which social-media platform to find them. “Sadly, in the current circumstances, the public are concluding that we are now neither.” Sunak said he was leaving because voters expected the government to be run seriously.