London : Boris Johnson is to resign on Thursday as Conservative leader but will push to stay on as prime minister until autumn after his chancellor, Nadhim Zahawi, called on him to go and a string of cabinet ministers walked out.
His resignation brings to an end an extraordinary standoff after multiple cabinet ministers pressed him to resign and more than 50 ministers quit because of his mishandling of a string of scandals.
A No 10 spokesperson said: “The prime minister will make a statement to the country today.”
However, he is expected to push to stay on as prime minister until the autumn while a Conservative leadership contest takes place.
He is likely to face intense pressure from his cabinet and MPs to go further and resign as prime minister as well, making way for a caretaker leader such as Dominic Raab, the deputy prime minister, or Theresa May, Johnson’s predecessor.
Two ex-ministers said it was not possible for Johnson to stay until the autumn. One said: “He needs to be gone by tonight. Raab should take over.” Another said: “He needs to hand in the seals of office today and go, so we can have a caretaker PM.”
The revolt began on Tuesday evening with the resignations of Sajid Javid and Rishi Sunak as health secretary and chancellor respectively.
Johnson faced the prospect of a second vote of no confidence as soon as next week, with elections to the executive of the backbench 1922 Committee due to be held on Monday and likely to result in a change to the rules.
His exit follows three years of scandals, including fury over his handling of harassment allegations against Pincher, the deputy chief whip; a police fine over lockdown parties in Downing Street; attempts to change the standards system; and accusations of breaking international law.
The final straw for Johnson appeared to be the loss of Zahawi’s public support. On Wednesday night, No 10 had been briefing that the new chancellor was on board with launching a joint economic plan with Johnson next week, with No 10 confirming that Zahawi was still willing to work with him.
But on Thursday morning, Zahawi released a public letter saying he was “heartbroken” that Johnson was not listening to his advice as a friend of over 30 years that he must resign.
“Prime Minister: this is not sustainable and it will only get worse: for you, for the Conservative party and most importantly of all the country. You must do the right thing and go now,” he said, but stopped short of resigning himself.Michelle Donelan, the education secretary appointed this week, also resigned, saying the cabinet needed to force Johnson’s hand.
She followed Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland secretary, who also resigned on Thursday morning.
Lewis said: “A decent and responsible government relies on honesty, integrity and mutual respect - it is a matter of profound personal regret that I must leave government as I no longer believe those values are being upheld.”
Boris Johnson’s position looks increasingly precarious following a spate of resignations, byelections defeats and nationwide dismay at the Partygate affair.
The entire saga is a perfect example of why we need rigorous, independent journalism. Without media scrutiny from the Guardian and our peers, we wouldn’t know about many of the government’s failings. There would have been no police fines, no independent investigation into Partygate. We would be none the wiser.
This is holding power to account, the most important task of journalists in an age of dishonesty and misinformation. Ever since Johnson became prime minister, Guardian journalists have worked tirelessly to reveal the shortcomings of his government: the Covid blunders, the insider contracts, the hypocrisy - of those who broke their own rules, partying or travelling when they shouldn’t have.
Our editorial independence means we are free to expose the failings of the powerful people who lead us in these troubled times. We have no shareholders and no billionaire owner, just the determination and passion to deliver high-impact global reporting, free from commercial or political influence. Reporting like this is vital for democracy, for fairness and to demand better from leadership.
And we provide all this for free, for everyone to read. We do this because we believe in information equality. Greater numbers of people can keep track of the global events shaping our world, understand their impact on people and communities, and become inspired to take meaningful action. Millions can benefit from open access to quality, truthful news, regardless of their ability to pay for it.
Since we started publishing 200 years ago, tens of millions have placed their trust in the Guardian’s fearless journalism, turning to us in moments of crisis, uncertainty, solidarity and hope. More than 1.5 million supporters, from 180 countries, now power us financially – keeping us open to all, and fiercely independent. IANS
