Why is Boris Johnson's government in crisis? What comes next?

What challenges does Johnson face after vote of confidence?

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London (CNN) --

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing his worst crisis yet, following the resignation of two top cabinet ministers on Tuesday.

Health Minister Sajid Javid and Finance Minister Rishi Sunak have resigned after days of pressure in Downing Street over how allegations of sexual misconduct by a member of government were handled.

Johnson has weathered multiple storms as prime minister, but this could be a crisis he can't get out of.

This is what you need to know.

How did we get here?

The immediate cause of the crisis is the response to last Thursday's resignation of deputy caucus chief Chris Pincher, amid allegations that he had groped two guests at a private dinner the night before.

What put Johnson in a bigger bind, however, was the shenanigans of Downing Street press officers in trying to explain why Pincher was ever in government in the first place.

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Chris Pincher resigned from the government on June 30 following allegations of sexual misconduct.

Initially, when new reports of past misconduct by Pincher emerged in light of his resignation, Downing Street denied that the prime minister had any knowledge of the allegations, which came while Pincher was foreign secretary.

• Big blow for Boris Johnson by resignation of two senior ministers of the Government of the United Kingdom

When it became clear that this was not sustainable, Johnson's team said that they knew about the past allegations, but that they had been "settled".

When it emerged that one of the previously unreported allegations against Pincher had been confirmed, Johnson's spokesman explained that "resolved" could mean that it had been confirmed.

Then, on Tuesday morning, Simon McDonald, a former senior Foreign Office official, revealed that Johnson had been briefed in person on the outcome of an investigation into Pincher's conduct, prompting a wave of resignations over the years. day length.

What will happen now?

Boris Johnson is still in control of his luck… for now.

Conservative Party rules dictate that if a leader wins the vote of confidence, then they are immune from any challenge to their office for 12 months.

Johnson survived the confidence vote on June 6.

However, the scope of the current crisis is such that the 1922 Committee of Parliament's Conservative lawmakers may rewrite the rules to get rid of the prime minister.

The 1922 committee is expected to meet on Wednesday to set a date for its executive committee elections.

If enough anti-Johnson lawmakers are elected, then there's a good chance the rules will change.

Until then, the real question is how much public humiliation the prime minister can take.

It is almost certain that more ministers will resign and opposition sources speak of the possibility of defections.

What if Johnson resigns?

In the UK, the resignation of a prime minister does not automatically trigger a general election.

If Johnson resigned, the Conservative Party would hold an internal election to choose a new leader, who would become prime minister.

Johnson would likely remain in office until his successor was chosen, as his predecessors Theresa May and David Cameron did when they resigned in May 2019 and June 2016, respectively.

Barring another resignation or snap election, the new prime minister would then lead the UK until the next election scheduled for 2024.

Boris Johnson