Boris Johnson’s leadership is on the brink, as members of his government resign following months of scandal.
The trigger for the resignations was the revelation the prime minister knew Chris Pincher, who resigned as deputy chief whip amid sexual harassment allegations, had been investigated for bad behaviour but promoted him anyway.
Here is a list of everyone who has resigned from the government so far:
Sunak’s resignation as chancellor caused the biggest shock. “The public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously,” he said in his resignation letter. “I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning.”
Javid, who quit as health secretary, said the British people “expect integrity from their government” but voters now believed Johnson’s administration was neither competent nor “acting in the national interest”.
Chalk, quitting as solicitor general, wrote that government posts mean accepting “the duty for difficult or even unpopular policy decisions where that serves the broader national interest”. But, he added, “it cannot extend to defending the indefensible”.
Quince resigned as an education minister on Wednesday morning, having previously toured TV studios to defend the prime minister. He said he had “no choice” but to resign after it turned out he had been given “inaccurate” information.
Speaking to Talk TV, Bim Afolami announced live on air he was quitting as Conservative Party vice chairman: “I just don’t think the prime minister any longer has, not just my support, but he doesn’t have, I don’t think, the support of the party, or indeed the country any more.”
The private secretary to the Northern Ireland secretary, who was seen as extremely loyal, wrote that the party he had been a member of his “entire adult life” had “been more focused on dealing with out reputation damage rather than delivering for the people of this country and spreading opportunity for all”.
Bhatti, a PPS to the health secretary, quit his job with a statement that “recent events have undermined trust and standards in public life”.
Richards, a PPS at the department for transport, said she could not serve “under the current circumstances” where “the focus is skewed by poor judgement that I don’t wish to be associated with”.
Trott, another PPS in the transport department, said: “Trust in politics is – and must always be – of the upmost importance, but sadly in recent months this has been lost.”
Virginia Crosbie, a PPS, at the Welsh Office, wrote that she was “forced to say the sheer number of allegations of impropriety and illegality” centred around Downing Street and Mr Johnson’s premiership made his position untenable.
The trade envoy to Kenya said Johnson’s decision to promote Chris Pincher “whilst in full knowledge of his own wrongdoing” showed “a severe lack of judgement and care for your Parliamentary party”.
The trade envoy to Morocco said he was quitting as a result of the “rolling chaos of the past six months”.
