Boris Johnson will resign today as leader of the ‘tories’
The new finance minister has told Johnson that "the right thing to do is to leave now", although he will continue as prime minister until the fall
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, will present his resignation as leader of the Conservative Party on Thursday in the face of the cascade of resignations within the Government, although he will remain as Prime Minister until the fall, as reported by the British television network BBC.
According to this information, Johnson has conveyed his willingness to leave office due to the increased pressure on him in recent days, after which a race for the succession will open between the ‘Tories’ ahead of the party’s conference in October, when the chosen person would replace him as prime minister.
For his part, a Downing Street spokesman confirmed that “the Prime Minister will give a speech to the country today”, without detailing its possible content. Sources quoted by The Guardian point out that the prime minister has already transferred his decision to the president of the 1922 Committee – the parliamentary group of the Conservative Party in the House of Commons –, Graham Brady.
In the early hours of this Thursday, the British Minister for Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis, and several Secretaries of State resigned, with which there are already more than 50 positions that have left the Executive since Tuesday. The ‘number two’ of the Conservative Party, Caroline Johnson, has also submitted her resignation.
The secretaries of state resigned this Thursday are those of the Treasury, Helen Whately; Security, Damian Hinds; Science, George Freeman; Pensions, Guy Opperman; Technology, Chris Philp; Courts, James Cartlidge; and Education, Michelle Donelan, in a new setback for Johnson.
For his part, Finance Minister Nadhim Zahawi, appointed to the post on Tuesday after Rishi Sunak resigned, has also asked Johnson to resign. “Prime Minister, you know in your heart what is right, and that is to leave now,” he explained.
“My main priority has been and always will be this great country. When I was asked to be chancellor, I did it out of loyalty. Not a man, but loyalty to everything this country has given me,” he explained in a letter published through your account on the social network Twitter.
Thus, he argued that “the challenges facing the United Kingdom, whether it is inflation or (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s war in Ukraine, will not stop for nothing, and it is vital that the main institutions of the State continue operating through a national crisis.”
“If people have thought badly of me for that decision, they are criticisms that I am willing to accept,” he said, in relation to his appointment, before confirming that on Wednesday he went to Downing Street to ask Johnson to leave office.
“It breaks my heart that he has not listened and is undermining the incredible achievements of this government at the last minute. No one will forget that Brexit got through, that a dangerous anti-Semite was locked out of Downing Street – in apparent reference to the former Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn – or our handling of Covid-19 and our support for Ukraine when it needed it,” he said.
However, Zahawi has emphasized that “the country deserves a government that is not only stable, but also acts with integrity.” According to British media, in addition to Zahawi, the Minister of the Interior, Priti Patel, and the Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Shapps, went to Downing Street on Wednesday to ask Johnson for his resignation.
Source: dpa
