Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Thursday that he will be resigning from his position, ending an unprecedented political crisis that has been roiling the United Kingdom in recent weeks.
“It has now become clear that the parliamentary conservative party wants a new leader and therefore a new prime minister, so I am stepping down as leader of that party,” Johnson said outside his office at 10 Downing St. in London.
Johnson said that the process of selecting his successor would begin immediately and an announcement about the timetable for his replacement would be forthcoming next week.
He said it was “painful” for him to leave office but admitted that he had failed to push back against an onslaught of opposition from his own party ministers urging him to resign. He said it was a difficult decision but that he believed it was the right thing to do.
“I’m sorry to be leaving my amazing job, but that’s the way things go sometimes,” Johnson said in brief remarks Thursday.
Johnson has been trying to convince his colleagues over the past few days that it would be “odd” to change governments when his government is delivering and his party is just a few points behind in the polls.
Although he recognizes the power of the herd instinct, Professor Sanders insists that, in politics, no one is truly indispensable. He believes that, as long as everyone is working together to achieve a common goal, everyone will be able to contribute.
Johnson’s departure will end his three-year tenure as the British leader. After days of turmoil triggered by his evolving explanations of what he knew about a sexual misconduct scandal involving one of his allies, two of Johnson’s top Cabinet ministers quit earlier this week. More than 30 others who said they could no longer serve under his leadership and who urged him to step down followed suit.
Johnson’s grip on power has been weakening for months as the cost of living crisis gets worse in the aftermath of Britain’s exit from the European Union, known as “Brexit.” Even as he rejected calls to step down, his leadership was further shaken in recent days by the resignations of his Treasury chief Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid.
Boris Johnson’s colorful politics are starting to fray at the edges. Is he out?
Both resigned from their roles as members of the Conservative Party on Tuesday, citing Johnson’s mishandling of ethics scandals, including the case of Chris Pincher, who recently resigned as deputy chief whip amid complaints that he groped two men at a private club.
Thursday’s announcements by Johnson’s ministers opened the floodgates, and by Friday, more than 40 ministers had abandoned him.
Nadhim Zahawi resigned just 36 hours after Treasury Secretary John Sunak was tapped to replace him, while another newly appointed Cabinet minister quit her post.
Zahawi said Johnson knew what the “right thing to do” was, and it was to leave immediately.
What will be the next steps for Britain’s leadership?
After Johnson leaves the race, the British voting public will elect a party, not a leader. Early speculation has placed Sunak as a possible favorite to take over for Johnson. There are no frontrunners to take over for Johnson at this time, but Sunak is one of the most likely candidates.
Johnson pledged to support his successor and believes another leader will emerge who is “committed to taking this country forward through tough times.”
No matter who is elected as the next prime minister of the United Kingdom, it’s unlikely that their choice will have a significant impact on the country’s longstanding “special relationship” with the United States. The U.S.-UK alliance, which encompasses national security, defense, intelligence sharing, trade and close cultural ties, enjoys bipartisan support. Nor is there likely to be any change to Britain’s support for Ukraine in its ongoing war against Russia. Apart from the United States, Britain has provided Ukraine with the most heavy weaponry.
Is someone desperate to cling to power?
Wednesday night, Johnson’s most trusted Cabinet ministers visited him at his office in Downing Street to let him know that he no longer has the trust of his party and should resign. But instead of following their advice and stepping down, Johnson decided to fight for his political career and fired one of the Cabinet officials- Michael Gove. British media reported on this news.
It is unusual for a prime minister to remain in office during these intense political pressures from his cabinet colleagues. The Guardian’s front page on Thursday labeled him “Desperate, delusional.”
The Scottish National Party leader has said that the leader of the UK Conservative Party, Theresa May, has broken trust and no longer has the moral authority to lead. He believes that this means her time as Prime Minister is over.
Who is Boris Johnson?
Johnson, 58, had a knack for getting out of tight spots. Despite allegations that he was too close to party donors, that he protected supporters from bullying and corruption accusations and that he misled Parliament and the public about government office parties that broke pandemic lockdown rules, he remained in power.
After a referendum in which voters approved him three years earlier, London Mayor Sadiq Khan became the city’s newest mayor in 2019. With a quirky persona and unruly hair – which some people compared to former President Donald Trump – Johnson rose to power after campaigning on a platform of change.
Johnson, one of the most vocal proponents of the so-called Brexit movement, was recently elevated to the role of prime minister after his predecessor, Theresa May, repeatedly failed to get her Brexit plan through a skeptical Parliament.
Johnson’s victory in the House of Commons represents the biggest majority in the House of Commons since Margaret Thatcher’s victory in 1987. With his sweeping victory, Johnson has a mandate to “get Brexit done.”
Thank you, voters, for handing me that mandate on Thursday.
“I know it’s been hard to stay here in person after we made the commitment to deliver that mandate in person back in 2019, but I believe it’s still my responsibility as your representative to continue doing what we said we would. After all, that was why I fought so hard to keep this promise in the first place.”
Johnson was wounded when revelations about government employees drinking at No. 10 Downing St. during coronavirus lockdowns hit the news. The scandal, which the British media dubbed “Partygate,” led to a no-confidence vote against him in June.
Some lawmakers in Johnson’s Conservative Party were worried that the leader renowned for his friendliness could be a liability in elections. Many were concerned about Johnson’s ability to lead during a time of increasing economic and social strain. Johnson narrowly survived the non-confidence vote in June, when 41% of lawmakers voted against him.
His support among Britons has eroded significantly. A recent YouGov poll showed that 69% of Britons, including 54% of Conservative voters, believe he should resign. Just 18% believe he should remain in office.
Johnson’s opponents had hoped to change party rules in order to launch another no-confidence vote against him before he announced his decision to quit. However, under the current rules, they would have needed one year to do so.
The latest scandal
The latest controversy began on June 30 when Pincher resigned, raising questions about why Johnson promoted him to a senior role enforcing party discipline.
Pincher vehemently denied the groping allegations, stating there were other accusations of sexual misconduct made before the incident at the club in June.
Johnson’s office initially said that he was unaware of the accusations when he promoted Pincher in February. By Monday, a spokesman said Johnson knew of allegations that were either resolved or did not progress to a formal complaint.
Frustrated with the explanation given, Simon McDonald – the most senior civil servant at the U.K. Foreign Office from 2015-2020 – went public with claims that Johnson had been briefed about an official investigation into the allegations. This was an unusual move on McDonald’s part, as such briefings are typically kept confidential.
In a letter to the parliamentary commissioner for standards, Foreign Office minister Jeremy Pincher admitted to receiving complaints about his behavior in the summer of 2019. An investigation found that there was enough evidence to support the complaints, and Pincher apologized for his actions.
“Mr. Johnson was briefed on the initiation and outcome of the investigation in person by our team lead,” McDonald wrote.
Shortly after McDonald’s comments were published, Johnson’s office released a statement stating that the prime minister had forgotten that Pincher was the subject of an official complaint.
Johnson said Pincher should have been fired from the government after an incident in 2019. He recalled, “I think it was a mistake, and I apologize for it. In hindsight, it was the wrong thing to do.”
Sunak and Javid resigned within minutes of each other Tuesday after facing two of the biggest issues facing Britain – the cost-of-living crisis and COVID-19.
Javid said Johnson’s actions risked undermining the Conservative Party and the British government, as evidenced by the increasing number of lawmakers speaking out. “At some point, we have to draw a line in the sand and say enough is enough,” he said during a meeting with fellow legislators Wednesday. “I believe that moment has come.”
‘Mood music’ but no major changes
Richard Whitman, a professor of politics and international relations at the University of Kent, England, said there is little chance that significant changes will occur to Britain’s domestic or foreign policies as a result of David Johnson’s departure from the Conservative Party because the majority of major issues are “uncontested” within the party.
Johnson said there will be a different “mood music” playing throughout the next few weeks or months as Conservatives select their new leader because “for good or ill, Johnson’s struck up all sorts of personal relationships, sometimes difficult personal relationships, with international leaders and those will kind of go into a bit of a holding pattern.”
Whitman identified Penny Mordaunt, a trade minister in Johnson’s government, as a possible replacement for Johnson.
“She has a great backstory. She’s a reservist in the military, comes from a military family,” he said. “She hasn’t blown any opportunities in her previous jobs, especially when she was briefly defense secretary. She hasn’t been involved in any scandals.”
Source: www.usatoday.com
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