Summary
Boris Johnson has been dealt the biggest blow of his premiership by the resignations of two senior cabinet ministers in the wake of his handling of the row over former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher.
Nadhim Zahawi and Steve Barclay have since replaced Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid as chancellor and health secretary.
Here are all the other developments you may have missed:
- Chancellor Rishi Sunak, health secretary Sajid Javid, four parliamentary private secretaries, the Conservative vice-chair, two trade envoys and the solicitor general all resigned on Tuesday evening.
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Sajid Javid triggered the exodus, resigning as health secretary, followed a few minutes later by the chancellor, Rishi Sunak. Javid said: “I regret that I can no longer continue in good conscience,” while Sunak said the government should be run “properly, competently and seriously”. It appears likely the resignations of Javid and Sunak were coordinated. Most of the remaining members of the cabinet expressed support for Johnson to continue as PM. Johnson told Javid he was “sorry” to receive his resignation letter.
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Education secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, was appointed as the new chancellor. Zahawi made no comment when asked by press if he would “spray public money around to save Boris Johnson’s skin” before leaving in a ministerial car.
- Steve Barclay was announced as the new health secretary. The former Brexit secretary said it was “an honour” to take up the role. “Our NHS and social care staff have showed us time and again – throughout the pandemic and beyond – what it means to work with compassion and dedication to transform lives.
- Michelle Donelan was appointed the new education secretary after just two years as a minister, rewarded for her loyalty and her embrace of the culture wars and curbing of universities that have been a hallmark of Boris Johnson’s administration.
- Bim Afolami MP announced his resignation as Tory vice-chair live on TalkTV.
- Jonathan Gullis, Virginia Crosbie, Nicola Richards and Saqib Bhatti MP all resigned as parliamentary private secretaries while Alex Chalk resigned as solicitor general. Stafford MP, Theo Clarke, also resigned as trade envoy to Kenya.
- Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, said it’s “clear the government is now collapsing”. Starmer said government ministers have been “complicit” in the prime minister’s disgracing of his office. “They backed him when he lied. They backed him when he mocked the sacrifices of the British people,” he told reporters.
- A snap poll by YouGov this evening found that 69% of Britons say Boris Johnson should resign. This is 11pts higher than when the pollsters asked the same question on 9 June.
- Under current rules Johnson is safe from another leadership challenge until next summer. But the executive of the 1922 Committee can change the rules whenever it wants. A new anti-Johnson executive is expected to be elected next week, but even the current executive – more evenly split between loyalists and critics – could act now if it felt there was a consensus in the party.
Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley, Jess Phillips, has offered some sage advice this evening.
“I’m going to bed and you should too, because the absolute nonsense will still very much be happening in the morning,” Phillips quipped.
I'm going to bed and you should too, because the absolute nonsense will still very much be happening in the morning.
— Jess Phillips MP (@jessphillips) July 5, 2022
