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Will Quince, now ex-Secretary of State at the Department for Children and Family Affairs
Photo: Tayfun Salci / ZUMA PRESS / IMAGO
After the resignation of his finance minister Rishi Sunak and his health minister Sajid Javid, there is still no peace in the cabinet of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Two other state secretaries announced their resignations on Monday morning.
Secretary of State for Children and Family Affairs Will Quince tweeted he was handing in his resignation "with great sadness" but had no choice.
Quince also thanked him for meeting Johnson on Tuesday night, at which the prime minister apologized that previous information given to his cabinet was incorrect.
The incident appeared to be related to Johnson's claims that he was unaware of several missteps by recently resigned Tory faction leader Chris Pincher.
Pincher resigned after groping two men, apparently while intoxicated, at a private Conservative party club in London.
Johnson was reportedly aware of similar allegations against Pincher, but still put him in the important faction post.
Another, less prominent Tory MP no longer wants to serve under Johnson in the future.
"Trust in politics is - and always must be - of the utmost importance, but sadly it has been lost in recent months," wrote Parliamentary Private Secretary at the Ministry of Transport, Laura Trott, on Facebook, also announcing her resignation.
Internal party revolt apparently in full swing
Several MPs from his Conservative Party and conservative media such as the Times newspaper are now calling on the head of government to step down from office.
According to the dpa news agency, it is likely that Johnson's internal party critics will otherwise change the party rules in order to vote the prime minister out of office with another vote of no confidence.
"My message to Boris would be, for heaven's sake, go away," Tory MP Andrew Murrison, who had previously resigned as Minister of State for Northern Ireland, told the BBC on Wednesday.
The party's former deputy general secretary, Bim Afolami, criticized Johnson's handling of the latest scandal over allegations of harassment against a senior Tory as "really appalling".
He could no longer defend this behavior, Afolami, who also resigned, told the BBC.
New Treasury Secretary defends Johnson
Most cabinet members, however, professed their allegiance to Johnson.
The new finance minister, Nadhim Zahawi, who was appointed by the prime minister immediately after Sunak's resignation, defended Johnson.
The head of government is of integrity and "determined to deliver," Zahawi told Sky News.
Johnson apologized for his behavior in the Pincher case, now it's about moving the country forward.
Zahawi is considered a possible successor to Johnson, but denied current ambitions.
fek/Reuters/dpa