Boris Johnson has reportedly been hit with a FIFTH resignation which emerged minutes after his loyal ally told Brits to “move on”.
Elena Narozanski, an £80k Special Advisor to the Prime Minister and member of his policy unit, has quit.
Tory Bible ConservativeHome revealed the news at 7.49am, about 40 minutes after energy minister Greg Hands said a flurry of resignations yesterday were “the end of the matter” adding: “The time is now to move on.”
No10 have confirmed Elena Narozanski's resignation was not part of a planned clearout of Downing Street top staff.
It came as Chancellor Rishi Sunak issued a string of swipes at the PM, saying 'I wouldn’t have said' the Savile slur, the Tories would remain focused 'on my watch', and repeatedly refusing to rule out a leadership run in a BBC interview.
“That’s very kind of them to suggest that, but what I think people want from me is to focus on my job", Mr Sunak said.
Mr Johnson was rocked yesterday when Munira Mirza, one of his longest-serving aides who he named among the five women who shaped his life, quit as his policy chief.
She resigned in protest at the PM’s Jimmy Savile smear aimed at Keir Starmer, saying “it was an inappropriate and partisan reference to a horrendous case of child sex abuse”.
No10 spin chief Jack Doyle, chief of staff Dan Rosenfield and the PM's principal private secretary Martin Reynolds - who invited aides to a BYOB bash - then all quit too.
Mr Hands today insisted that while Ms Mirza quit in protest, the other three aides left as part of a planned ‘Partygate’ clearout of 10 Downing Street.
He said: “The Prime Minister was absolutely clear on Monday that there will be changes at the top in No10 and that is what he’s delivered.”
The PM's spokesman said: "The departures of those three individuals were agreed with the Prime Minister ahead of Munira’s departure yesterday. Those were mutual decisions."
Recruitment is under way to replace all three - but Martin Reynolds' recruitment is a formal civil service process which only started today. All three “are remaining on” for a short period of time while replacements sought.
But Ms Narozanski is said to have been an ally to Ms Mirza and was not part of the clearout.
Former No 10 aide Nikki da Costa said she is "one of the most principled women I know", adding: "Another big loss to the policy unit."
Mr Hands refused to defend Boris Johnson ’s slur, in which he wrongly accused Keir Starmer of failing to prosecute the paedophile entertainer when he was Director of Public Prosecutions.
Sir Keir had no involvement in the case and he says the conspiracy theory began with far-right trolls.
Shamefaced energy minister Mr Hands said: “It is not my job to opine on these things. I am the energy minister… That is a big job. In politics you don’t have to have an opinion on everything.”
Despite Mr Johnson making his Savile slur on Monday - and eventually stepping back from it yesterday after Tory pressure - Mr Hands told Sky News: “These are all events that happened many, many years ago.
“The time is now to move on and look at what the country wants to focus on which is recovery from the pandemic, further vaccination rollout, a move to net zero, the energy transition.”
Boris Johnson is starting today with many of the key posts around him empty and his Chancellor Rishi Sunak taking potshots at his leadership.
Last night Mr Sunak bluntly told a live TV press conference “I wouldn’t have said” the Savile slur.
Later the Chancellor - a leadership frontrunner alongside Liz Truss - said the Tories will be the party of sound money “on my watch” adding pointedly: “That is the only kind of party I am interested in”.
A Downing Street source said last night: "There’s meant to be an all-staff meeting tomorrow. Assuming there are still any staff."
Asked if it was like the last days of Rome, Treasury minister Simon Clarke replied: "The last days of Rome, I think, were more fun."
Desperate Boris Johnson invoked The Lion King today as he gave staff a "half-time pep talk" to stop more staff following five aides out the door.
The embattled Prime Minister admitted "shock and shell" had been hurled at him in recent weeks as he faces Tory fury.
Tory big beast Sir Malcolm Rifkind, a former Foreign Secretary,said Ms Mirza's decision to quit showed the PM had become "toxic".
"With the best will in the world, one has to say this is not so much the end of the beginning but it is the beginning of the end," he said.
“What we have seen is his political judgment has turned out to be very hollow, because when he has done controversial things they have backfired."
Sir Malcolm urged Tory MPs not to wait for Scotland Yard or senior civil servant Sue Gray’s full Partygate reports before deciding the PM’s fate.
“There's no point in waiting for the police to make a report, there's no point in waiting for an unredacted report because that means we will be going through this agony every day every week for weeks and months to come,” he warned.
“That can't be in the interests of the country or the interests of the Conservative Party either. This matter has to come to a head and either MPs have confidence in the Prime Minister or they don't - and the quicker they address that question in a clear and unambiguous way the better not just for the country but for themselves."
Senior Tory MP Huw Merriman, who chairs the Commons Transport Committee, said he was "deeply troubled" by the situation, and warned Mr Johnson to improve or leave Downing Street for good.
Mixing his words, he said "We all know that if the Prime Minister doesn't ship up, then they have to shape out.”
