Boris Johnson takes the hits but for how much longer?
In less than 24 hours, five members of the government have decided to leave a ship that is taking on more and more water.
They suspect the Prime Minister of ignoring accusations of sexual assault against an MP he had appointed to a key political post.
Who resigned and why?
Last night, Sajid Javid, Minister of Health, and Rishi Sunak, Minister of Finance, resigned less than ten minutes apart.
The first judging that the British were entitled to expect "integrity from their government": "It is clear to me that the situation is not going to change under your leadership - and you have therefore lost my confidence" , can we read in his resignation letter published on Twitter.
The withdrawal of the second occurs in a particularly tense inflationary economic context.
"The public legitimately expects the government to be conducted in a competent and serious manner", dares the Minister of Finance in his letter, also posted on Twitter.
The public rightly expects government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously.
I recognize this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning.
My letter to the Prime Minister below.
pic.twitter.com/vZ1APB1ik1
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) July 5, 2022
The two shock resignations were announced when the Prime Minister had just apologized after yet another scandal, acknowledging that he had made a "mistake" in appointing Chris Pincher to his government in February, deputy chief "whip" in charge of parliamentary discipline. Conservative MPs.
The latter resigned last week after being accused of touching two men.
After claiming the opposite, Downing Street admitted on Tuesday that the Prime Minister had been informed of old charges against Chris Pincher in 2019 but that he had "forgotten" them by naming him.
And the wave of resignations continued this Wednesday morning, since three members of the cabinet also announced that they had submitted their resignation letter to Boris Johnson.
Will Quince, Minister for Children and Families, resigned just two days after ardently defending the Prime Minister on this issue on television sets.
In the aftermath, Laura Trott, assistant to the Minister of Transport, threw in the towel, explaining that confidence in the Conservative party was "lost".
Finally, Robin Walker, Secretary of State for Schools also threw in the towel, explaining in his letter that the “great achievements” of the government had been “overshadowed by errors and questions about integrity”.
How weak is Boris Johnson?
This is not the first scandal that has plagued Boris Johnson since his arrival at 10 Downing Street.
But their multiplication could be fatal to him.
The most persistent is that of the "Partygate", which began in June 2020 thanks to a birthday party organized at the prime minister's office in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis.
Other evenings then took place in the premises of the Prime Minister with advisers, sometimes in defiance of the health instructions in force at the time.
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There have been several sexual affairs in Parliament with Conservative MPs forced to resign.
These numerous scandals are undermining the leadership of Boris Johnson, who has nevertheless painstakingly managed to keep his post so far.
At the beginning of June, for example, the Prime Minister had narrowly passed a vote of confidence requested by the Conservative MPs, who were 41% to demand his departure.
Two weeks later, his party recorded two major defeats in two by-elections.
“When Boris Johnson asked us for time to restore confidence, we gave it to him, explained yesterday Bim Afolami, deputy and vice-president of the Conservative Party.
But it is clear that he did not seize this chance.
And he now has no choice but to resign.
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The Prime Minister has damaged the party and brought the entire political process into disrepute.
He had the chance to be a great Prime Minister, but he was found wanting to put it mildly.
We can do better than this, we have to do better than this.
— Andrew Bridgen (@ABridgen) July 5, 2022
A refrain echoed by several Conservatives who sit in the House of Commons.
An early opponent of Boris Johnson, Andrew Bridgen, split two tweets in which he protested "the discredit into which the Prime Minister has thrown the entire political class".
Another MP still denounced this Wednesday morning the untenable position of Boris Johnson who “is no longer trustworthy”.
Could Boris Johnson be dismissed soon?
The question is how much longer Boris Johnson can govern on behalf of a party whose members are increasingly distancing themselves from him.
Among the rebellious Conservatives, there are particular fears that the growing unpopularity of the Prime Minister will cause them to lose the next general elections which could take place as early as 2023.
Several British media report that to avoid this, a certain number of elected Conservatives are seeking to take control of the "1922 committee", which renews its members within three weeks, and which notably governs the party's operating rules and those governing the vote of confidence in the House of Commons.
In particular, they would like to change the rule that if a prime minister survives such a vote, no such poll can be reorganized within twelve months.
If they succeed, BoJo could therefore find himself in the hot seat.
With ambitious figures like Sajid Javid and Rishi Sunak now squarely opposed to him, BoJo's days at 10 Downing could be numbered.
