British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is resigning, initially as head of the Conservative Party. As soon as this post is filled, Johnson also wants to give up the office of prime minister. It was initially unclear how long this would take. According to Johnson, the schedule will be announced next week.
In the speech to the public at 1.30 p.m., the prime minister confirmed what was already making the rounds in the British media that morning. In the last few days, the situation around the executive chair in Downing Street had become more and more acute. An open revolt once morest Johnson, including numerous resignations and calls for resignation – including from within his own ranks – increased the pressure on Johnson.
Proud of government work
Right at the beginning of his speech, Johnson said that his party’s will was clear and that a new party leadership and thus a new prime minister were needed. Johnson thanked his voters and listed some points that he considers his government’s successes, such as Brexit, of which he was “immensely proud”. Britain was led through the pandemic, rolling out the vaccine in record time and “leading the West to stand up to Putin’s aggression. Now he’s sad to be giving up the best job in the world.”
There were signs of withdrawal in the morning
In the morning, Johnson had also been asked to resign by Finance Minister Nadhim Zahawi. Zahawi himself had been appointed finance minister by Johnson less than 48 hours earlier, following the previous head of department, Rishi Sunak, resigned in protest at the prime minister. Like Sunak, more than 50 people from Johnson’s team have resigned – including several ministers. Johnson has so far vehemently refused to resign.
“Boris Johnson will step down as Conservative Party leader later today,” said BBC Politics Editor Chris Mason. Other media also said that Johnson would bow to the inevitable following the exodus in his government apparatus. Resignation announcements were recently received practically every minute. Without his staff, Johnson, long isolated, seemed increasingly powerless.
“You must do the right thing and go now”
“You must do the right thing and leave now,” Finance Minister Zahawi wrote on Twitter. “This is unsustainable and will only get worse for you, for the Conservative Party and most importantly for the country as a whole.” He asked Johnson at his official residence on Wednesday evening to leave with dignity. “It breaks my heart that he wasn’t listening.” The country deserves a government that is not only stable but also has integrity. “Prime Minister, in your heart you know what to do, go now.” There was no question of Zahawi resigning himself. Like a number of other current and former ministers, he is being marketed as a potential successor to Johnson.
With regard to Johnson’s announced resignation as leader of the Conservative Party, opposition leader Starmer spoke of “good news”. But what the country needs now is “no change at the top of the Tories. We need a real change of government,” demanded the Labor politician.
Premier since 2019
Johnson became Conservative leader and prime minister in 2019. However, the initial popularity of the former journalist and Mayor of London was soon diminished by criticism of his decidedly combative style of government, which opponents often perceived as chaotic. Demands for resignation were raised once more and once more. The last straw was his handling of the affair involving a conservative MP who is accused of sexual misconduct. Johnson apologized on television for misinforming the public regarding his knowledge of the case.
The affair is one in a long line of scandals and missteps that led to Johnson being fined and a no-confidence motion from his own group for partying during the coronavirus lockdown. Johnson survived the confidence vote in early June. On Wednesday, the Conservatives discussed ways of initiating a vote of no confidence, which has actually been ruled out for the time being.
