UK: Endgame on? PM Johnson faces tough Wednesday after resignations

Prime Minister Boris Johnson was facing a tough day on Wednesday morning following a spate of resignations on Tuesday – two cabinet ministers and several junior ministers – with much of Westminster agreeing that the endgame of his time in Downing Street has begun.

Johnson, who swept to power with a large majority in December 2019, has since been at the centre of several moments when any other prime minister would have resigned. Still, he has stayed on, defying conventions in British politics amidst claims of his uneasy relationship with the truth.

His allies on Wednesday morning insisted that he has no plans to resign.

Johnson will particularly face two uncomfortable moments on Wednesday: Prime Minister's Question Time in the House of Commons at noon, and a deposition before the Liaison Committee comprising senior MPs who have often questioned his leadership and asked for his resignation, including those from his party.

Besides another round of bruising headlines in the British press on Wednesday, Johnson is likely to receive more resignation letters, mostly from junior ministers, as several of his glum Conservative MPs conclude that he cannot lead them to victory at the next election due in 2023. The party lost two more by-elections in June under his leadership.

Besides the row over parties in Downing Street during the Covid-19 pandemic, Johnson's leadership and character have been called into question on several occasions, the latest being the revelation that he appointed a controversial ally as the deputy whip of the party despite being informed of allegations of sexual misconduct against the individual.

Under party rules, Johnson cannot face another challenge to his leadership for one year after winning a vote of confidence in early June, even if that win was not convincing: 40 per cent of his MPs voted against him.

Such challenges are held by a committee of party MPs called the 1922 Committee. Elections to its committee are due next week when it is likely that his critics, if they win, could change the rules and allow another challenge to his leadership shortly.

There is always the possibility that Johnson, like previous Prime Ministers, concludes that it is time to resign and travel the short distance to Buckingham Palace to inform Queen Elizabeth of his decision, but he has shown no inclinations to follow this path.

Rishi Sunak, who had a meteoric rise in the party after winning his first election in 2015, has been replaced as the Chancellor by Nadhim Zhahawi, who arrived as a refugee with his family from Iraq after fleeing Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Sajid Javid, who also resigned as the Health secretary, has been succeeded by Johnson's close ally, Steve Barclay.

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The Guardian commented in an editorial titled 'Endgame for Boris Johnson': "The prime minister's dissembling, his taste for obfuscation and self-serving half-truths, and his willingness to mislead are by now sadly familiar…".

"Britain deserves better than a prime minister who has become a laughing stock, presiding over a rudderless administration at a time of economic crisis. In the interests of preserving their own self-respect, other members of Mr Johnson's cabinet must now follow the example of Mr Sunak and Mr Javid. The prime minister needs to be confronted with the truth: his time is up".

• Europe