Boris Johnson’s former chief Brexit negotiator has backed Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid after they resigned as ministers within minutes of each other.
Mr Johnson’s government has been thrown into chaos after Mr Sunak quit as chancellor and Mr Javid resigned as health secretary after the prime minister admitted it was a “mistake” to appoint Chris Pincher as deputy chief whip.
A humiliating apology from the Prime Minister was unable to prevent the departure of two senior ministers and potential leadership rivals, with both writing incendiary resignation letters.
Mr Sunak said “the public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously”, adding: “I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning.”
Mr Javid said the British people “expect integrity from their government” but voters now believed Mr Johnson’s administration was neither competent nor “acting in the national interest”.
He was replaced as Health Secretary by Steve Barclay, the Prime Minister’s chief of staff.
The Prime Minister’s authority had already been damaged by a confidence vote which saw 41% of his own MPs withdraw their support.
Responding to the resignations, Lord Frost, who was a special adviser to Boris Johnson when the now-PM was foreign secretary under Theresa May, said they had “done the right thing”.
He added there is “no chance” of Mr Johnson putting in place the change in approach needed to running a government.
Take a look at Lord Frost’s statement below:
Lord Frost’s statement in full
Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid have done the right thing this evening.
It gives me no pleasure to say it, and I had hoped that events might have taken a different course, but I’m afraid the developments of the last week show there is no chance of the prime minister either putting in place the necessary change of approach to running a government or establishing a new policy direction.
Boris Johnson has huge achievements to his credit. He has a place in history for delivering Brexit and much more. But it is now time to look forward.
Accordingly, and with sadness, I believe the interests of the country, our new-found self-government and the Conservative Party would be best served by new leadership and a new prime minister.
