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Boris Johnson: He faces questions from a parliamentary committee this afternoon
Photo: GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative Party is in turmoil following the resignation of two key ministers.
The Tories are in an “open war,” commented the Sky News broadcaster on Wednesday night.
The BBC quoted an anonymous MP as saying he even heard the "smell of death" in London's Westminster precinct.
Two important ministers surprisingly resigned on Tuesday evening: Finance Minister Rishi Sunak, who was long considered a possible successor to Johnson, and Health Minister Sajid Javid.
Both stressed in their letters of resignation that they had lost confidence in the prime minister (read more about the reasons for the resignations here).
British newspapers cover the issue on their front pages on Wednesday.
And how!
"Endgame for Boris" says the
"Daily Mirror"
.
And then in capital letters: "Finally." After years of supporting the "toxic Prime Minister," Sunak and Javid would now wield knives.
The
Daily Mail
asks on its front page: "Can even Boris, the fat pig, wriggle out of this?" After the resignation of the two ministers, Johnson was fighting for his political survival.
Johnson's career "hangs by a thread," headlines
The Telegraph.
The newspaper publishes critical quotes from their letters of resignation via two photos of the resigning ministers.
As Javid wrote: "The situation will not change under your leadership - and you have lost my confidence as a result."
Johnson sees one of the most printed phrases as "on the brink."
This is what The Times
writes in
large letters on its front page.
» The
Independent«
also chooses a similar headline: »Sunak and Javid push Johnson to the brink of the abyss«.
Likewise the
»Guardian«,
which headlined: »Prime Minister on the brink after the resignation of Javid and Sunak«.
It sounds almost identical in the
Financial Times
: "Johnson on the brink after ministers resign," read the front page.
The newspaper also prints quotes from the letters of resignation from the two politicians.
A countdown is running on the front page of
The Daily Record
newspaper .
"Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock... The whole damn lot has to go." The
Metro
newspaper also prints the times of the resignations on the cover: Sunak resigned nine minutes after Javid.
Will the prime minister also go?
He's still clinging to power.
Johnson is due to answer questions from a parliamentary committee this afternoon.
The traditional questioning before the so-called Liaison Committee in the House of Commons is one of the highlights of the year in the British Parliament.
On no other occasion does the head of government have so few opportunities to avoid uncomfortable questions.
aar/dpa
