Great Britain after the resignation of two ministers: "The government is collapsing"

Enlarge image

Boris Johnson at a press conference alongside the two ministers, Sajid Javid and Rishi Sunak, who have now announced their resignation (September 7, 2021)

Photo: TOBY MELVILLE / AFP

Britain falls into a government crisis.

Amidst sharp criticism of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Finance Minister Rishi Sunak and Health Minister Sajid Javid have resigned.

Many British politicians take a position on the events:

• The leader of Britain's opposition Labor Party,

  Keir Starmer

  , said it was clear that Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government was now at an end.

  "After all the filth, scandals and failures, it is clear that this government is now collapsing," Starmer said in a statement.

  The resigning cabinet members were "accomplices."

  According to Starmer, the ministers in the Tory cabinet knew "who this prime minister was all along: They were his cheerleaders during this sad story." Now only a change of government can give Great Britain the new start it needs.

• Former Deputy Prime Minister

  Michael Heseltine

  told the BBC he believed the Tory party would now secede from the Prime Minister: "I think that from the moment 148 backbenchers voted against Boris Johnson - and Michael Howard and William Hague when former party leaders asked him to leave – the end was inevitable.«

• British Foreign Secretary

  Liz Truss

  , on the other hand, said she was "100 percent behind the Prime Minister," reports the BBC.

• The leader of the Liberal Democrats,

  Sir Ed Davey

  , tweeted that the Prime Minister should "go and go immediately".

  Johnson has "discredited the country long enough."

• Former Conservative party whip (equivalent to group leader position) in the House of Commons,

  Mark Harper

  , praised the two ministers for leaving Boris Johnson's cabinet.

  "Tonight we saw the leadership of Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid." The resignations are "honorable decisions made by honorable men.

  The Conservative Party still has so much to offer our country.

  It's time for a fresh start.«

• David Frost

  , one of the most respected Conservative politicians, wrote in a statement on Twitter that Boris Johnson's time was up.

  "Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid did the right thing tonight." Developments over the past week showed "there is no chance for the prime minister."

  Frost continues: "Now is the time to look ahead."

• Scottish Conservative leader

  Douglas Ross

  said his views had not changed since he voted no confidence in Boris Johnson in a vote of confidence last month, the BBC reports.

  The prime minister won the confidence vote just a month ago and will not face another confidence vote for another 12 months.

ktz