Health Secretary Sajid Javid and Finance minister Rishi Sunak resign, leaving PM Boris Johnson’s gov’t in chaos.
Two of Britain’s most senior Cabinet ministers have quit, a move that could spell the end of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s leadership after months of scandals.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid and Finance minister Rishi Sunak announced their resignations on Tuesday, plunging Johnson’s government into crisis.
Javid said he had lost confidence in Johnson’s ability to govern in the national interest after a series of scandals, saying he could “no longer continue in good conscience”.
He said that many lawmakers and the public had lost confidence in Johnson’s ability to govern in the national interest.
“I regret to say, however, that it is clear to me that this situation will not change under your leadership – and you have therefore lost my confidence too” Javid said in a letter to Johnson.
Johnson has been hit by allegations he failed to come clean about a lawmaker who was appointed to a senior position despite claims of sexual misconduct.
Sunak said he had reluctantly come to the conclusion that “we cannot continue like this”.
“The public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously. I recognise this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning,” he said on Twitter.
In his resignation letter to the prime minister, also posted on his Twitter account, Sunak pointed to “immense challenges” that Britain was facing, adding that the people were “ready to hear the truth”.
“In preparation for our proposed joint speech on the economy next week, it has become clear to me that our approaches are fundamentally different,” Sunak said.
The resignations come after Johnson was forced earlier in the day into a humiliating apology over his handling of the row over disgraced deputy chief whip Chris Pincher after it emerged the prime minister had forgotten about being told of previous allegations of “inappropriate” conduct.
Pincher quit as deputy chief whip last week following claims that he groped two men at a private members’ club, but Johnson was told about allegations against him as far back as 2019.
Al Jazeera’s Rory Challands, reporting from London, said the resignations are a double hit for the prime minister.
“Double resignations, a double bombshell for Boris Johnson and his future as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. I think it will be very, very difficult for him to survive such a step from two key allies,” he said.
