Prime Minister Boris Johnson Agrees to Resign, Statement Expected Within Hours, UK Media Says
08:17 GMT 07.07.2022 (Updated: 15:20 GMT 28.05.2023)
© AFP 2023 / DANIEL LEAL
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Boris Johnson, under mounting pressure to quit after Downing Street admitted that he had known about sexual abuse allegations against Chris Pincher before appointing him as deputy chief whip in February, earlier told members of his Cabinet that he would not resign and intended “to keep going”.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson agreed to resign as Conservative leader today, with a public statement expected ‘within hours’, reported UK media.
Johnson will continue as Prime Minister until the autumn, the reports added. Consequently a Conservative leadership race will probably take place this summer while the House of Commons is in recess from 21 July to 5 September, with a new Prime Minister in No 10 in time for the Tory party conference in October.
The PM is said to have already spoken with the 1922 Committee chairman, Sir Graham Brady, acknowledging that he would quit, a Downing Street source is cited by media as saying.
The Labour Party's deputy leader, Angela Rayner, will reportedly ask an urgent question about the functioning of government shortly.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer welcomed reports of Johnson's intention to stand down as Conservative leader, saying he should have gone "long ago", and adding that Britain needs a "fresh start".
The Conservatives have overseen 12 years of economic stagnation, declining public services and empty promises.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 7, 2022
We don’t need to change the Tory at the top – we need a proper change of government.
We need a fresh start for Britain. pic.twitter.com/uMxRTomXX9
George Freeman, MP for Mid Norfolk and junior minister for science, research and innovation until he quit today, was cited as calling for a caretaker prime minister.
"Boris Johnson needs to hand in the seals of office, apologize to Her Majesty and advise her to call for a caretaker prime minister... to take over today so that ministers can get back to work and we can choose a new Conservative leader to try to repair the damage and rebuild trust," Freeman stated.
Conservative MP for Bournemouth East, Tobias Ellwood, reacting to the news of Boris Johnson's reported intention to resign, said he was glad the PM had "recognised the damage that was being done not just to the party brand but also our international stock".
Ellwood added on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme that the Tory party now has a "massive amount of regrouping to do".
Conservative MP for South Swindon, Robert Buckland agreed that "the views of colleagues" had prompted the PM to rethink his previous obstinate stance and agree to step down, adding, "he has bowed to the inevitable".
Buckland voiced the hope that the Conservative Party can "get back to values" such as "freedom under the law".
Freeman, who stepped down as science minister this morning, urged Johnson to apologize to the Queen and advised calling for a caretaker PM.
Boris Johnson needs to hand in the seals of office, apologise to Her Majesty & advise her to call for a Caretaker Prime Minister.
— George Freeman MP (@GeorgeFreemanMP) July 7, 2022
To take over today so that Ministers can get back to work & we can choose a new Conservative Leader to try & repair the damage & rebuild trust. https://t.co/v3Pe3cFDph
7 July 2022, 06:26 GMT
Sir Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, has reacted with incredulity to reports Johnson intended to stay on as a "caretaker" PM.
He tweeted that the notion of the Conservative Party making Johnson “caretaker for anything” was “ludicrous”.
The idea that the Conservatives might make Boris Johnson caretaker for anything is frankly ludicrous.
— Ed Davey (@EdwardJDavey) July 7, 2022
The man’s never taken care of anything in his life.
After the number of resignations from individuals holding government posts exceeded 50 in 24 hours, pressure on Johnson became even greater this morning.
MP for Great Yarmouth and Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis was the first cabinet minister to resign on Thursday, saying things were "past the point of no return". He was followed by a succession of junior ministers.
The avalanche of resignations from beleaguered Johnson's team began with two of his most senior ministers - Health Secretary Sajid Javid and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak - stepping down on Tuesday amid fall-out from No 10’s handling of allegations of sexual misconduct by disgraced former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher.
The MP for Tamworth quit as deputy chief whip on 1 July and was suspended by his party over allegations he groped two men at the Conservative Party’s private members’ Carlton Club in London on the previous Wednesday evening. Pincher had already quit one post - that of Comptroller of the Household - in November 2017 after he was accused of inappropriate conduct towards former Olympic rower and Tory activist Alex Story. At the time, the Tory MP was cleared of wrongdoing by a party probe.
However, a spate of fresh allegations against Pincher, which are now to be investigated by the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS), brought the scandal back under the spotlight and rendered Johnson's position precarious.
When Downing Street finally admitted that the PM had known about allegations of inappropriate behavior by Pincher ever since 2019 but had appointed him all the same to the position of deputy chief whip in February, calls for Johnson to quit turned into an uproar.
The announcement of Johnson’s impending resignation as Tory leader has fueled fresh speculation as to his likely successor. Sunak, MP for Richmond in the county of Yorkshire, and MP for Portsmouth North, trade policy minister Penny Mordaunt, are, according to the odds, leading the race to take over from Johnson, Sky News reported.
