Following a wave of resignations from his scandal-plagued cabinet, senior ministers in the UK have decided to explain to Boris Johnson why he should step down as prime minister.
Without citing any sources, the BBC, Sky News, and other media sites on Wednesday reported that when he returned from a two-hour grilling by a parliamentary committee, a delegation would inform him that his time was up.
Africa Daily News, New York gathered that from Tuesday night, when Sajid Javid and Rishi Sunak resigned from their positions as health secretary and finance minister, respectively, the 58-year-old leader’s hold on authority has weakened.
Both said they could no longer tolerate the culture of scandal that has dogged Johnson for months, including lockdown lawbreaking in Downing Street.
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But at the parliamentary committee, and an earlier question and answer session with MPs in parliament, he defiantly vowed to get on with the job.
‘I’m not going to give a running commentary on political events,’ he told the committee when asked about the cabinet delegation.
‘We’re going to get on with the government of the country.’
He added: ‘What we need is stable government, loving each other as Conservatives, getting on with our priorities, that is what we need to do.’
Earlier, Javid urged other ministers to resign saying ‘the problem starts at the top, and I believe that is not going to change’.
‘And that means that it is for those of us in that position — who have responsibility — to make that change.’
Cries of “bye, Boris” echoed around the chamber at the end of his speech. Most Tories were conspicuously silent when Johnson attacked the Labour opposition at prime minister’s questions. Some shook their heads.
Sunak and Javid quit just minutes after Johnson apologised for appointing a senior Conservative, who quit his post last week after he was accused of drunkenly groping two men.
Former education secretary Nadhim Zahawi was immediately handed the finance brief and acknowledged the uphill task ahead.
Days of shifting explanations had followed the resignation of deputy chief whip Chris Pincher.
Africa Daily News, New York reports that Downing Street at first denied Johnson knew of prior allegations against Pincher when appointing him in February.
But by Tuesday, that defence had collapsed after a former top civil servant said Johnson, as foreign minister, was told in 2019 about another incident involving his ally.
