Boris Johnson vows to stay in power after 2 top ministers, more than 30 junior officials resign | CBC News

British television network ITV reported on Wednesday that Prime Minister Boris Johnson was absolutely defiant and was not going to resign, telling cabinet colleagues that they faced the choice between a summer focused on the economy or a leadership contest.

Johnson was battling to stay in power on Wednesday after the resignation of two top ministers and a slew of more junior officials, who said they could no longer serve under his scandal-plagued leadership.

A delegation of cabinet ministers met with the British leader at his Downing Street office on Wednesday to press him to resign, Britain’s Press Agency reported. Longtime loyalist Brandon Lewis was among those demanding he quit.

Earlier Wednesday, members of the opposition Labour Party showered Johnson with shouts of “Go! Go!” during the weekly ritual of Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons as critics argued the leader’s days were numbered following his poor handling of sexual misconduct allegations against a senior official. 

But more damningly, members of Johnson’s own Conservative Party — wearied by the many scandals he has faced — also challenged their leader, with one asking whether there was anything that might prompt him to resign.

“Frankly, the job of the prime minister in difficult circumstances, when he’s been handed a colossal mandate, is to keep going,” Johnson replied, with the bluster he has used to fend off critics throughout nearly three years in office. “And that’s what I’m going to do.”

Conservatives offer little support

His fellow Conservatives listened quietly, offering little support.

Johnson is known for his ability to wiggle out of tight spots, managing to remain in power despite suggestions that he was too close to party donors, protected supporters from bullying and corruption allegations, and misled Parliament about parties in government offices that broke COVID-19 lockdown rules.

He hung on even when 41 per cent of Conservative lawmakers voted to oust him in a no-confidence vote last month and formerly loyal lieutenants urged him to quit.

But recent revelations that Johnson knew about sexual misconduct allegations against a lawmaker before he promoted the man to a senior position in his government have pushed him to the brink. 

Many of his fellow Conservatives are concerned that Johnson no longer has the moral authority to govern at a time when difficult decisions are needed to address soaring food and energy prices, rising COVID-19 infections and the war in Ukraine. Others worry that a leader renowned for his ability to win elections may now be a liability at the ballot box.

Former health secretary Sajid Javid, who helped trigger the current crisis when he resigned Tuesday night, captured the mood of many lawmakers when he said Johnson’s actions threatened to undermine the integrity of the Conservative Party and the British government.

‘Enough is enough’

“At some point we have to conclude that enough is enough,” he told fellow lawmakers. “I believe that point is now.”

Johnson’s grilling in Parliament was the first of two on Wednesday. He was also questioned by a committee of senior lawmakers.

Months of discontent over Johnson’s judgment and ethics within the governing Conservative Party erupted with the resignations of Treasury chief Rishi Sunak and Javid within minutes of each other on Tuesday evening.

The two heavyweights of the cabinet were responsible for tackling two of the biggest issues facing Britain: the cost-of-living crisis and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In a scathing letter, Sunak said that “the public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously. I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning.”

Javid said the party needed “humility, grip and a new direction,” but “it is clear this situation will not change under your leadership.”

String of resignations

Mindful of the need to shore up confidence, Johnson quickly replaced the two ministers, promoting Nadhim Zahawi from the Education Department to Treasury chief and installing his chief of staff, Steve Barclay, as health secretary.

But the resignations of more than 30 junior ministers and ministerial aides followed on Tuesday and Wednesday.

As Johnson dug in, critics accused him of refusing to accept the inevitable and of behaving more like a president than a prime minister by referring to his “mandate.” In the U.K.’s political system, voters elect a party to govern, not the prime minister directly.

Former international development secretary Andrew Mitchell said late Tuesday that Johnson’s time was finally up.

“It’s a bit like the death of Rasputin. He’s been poisoned, stabbed, he’s been shot, his body’s been dumped in a freezing river and still he lives,” he told the BBC. “But this is an abnormal prime minister, a brilliantly charismatic, very funny, very amusing, big, big character. But I’m afraid he has neither the character nor the temperament to be our prime minister.”

The final straw for Sunak and Javid was the prime minister’s shifting explanations about his handling of sexual misconduct allegations against a senior Conservative lawmaker.

Last week, Chris Pincher resigned as Conservative deputy chief whip after complaints he groped two men at a private club. That triggered a series of reports about past allegations levelled against Pincher and questions about what Johnson knew when he tapped Pincher for a senior job enforcing party discipline.

PM forgot briefing, his office says

Johnson’s office initially said he wasn’t aware of the previous accusations when he promoted Pincher in February. By Monday, a spokesperson said Johnson did know of the allegations — but they were “either resolved or did not progress to a formal complaint.”

When a former top civil servant in the Foreign Office contradicted that, saying Johnson was briefed about a 2019 allegation that resulted in a formal complaint, Johnson’s office said the prime minister had forgotten about a briefing on the issue.

It was all too much for ministers who have been sent onto radio and TV to defend the government’s position, only to see it change.

Bim Afolami, who quit as Conservative Party vice-chair on Tuesday, said he had been willing to give Johnson the benefit of the doubt — until the Pincher affair.

“The difficulty is not overall the program of the government. The government has done a lot of positive things that unite the Conservative Party,” he said. “The problem is character and integrity in Downing Street, and I think that people in the Conservative Party and people in the country know that.”

Paul Drexler, chair of the International Chamber of Commerce, warned that soaring food and energy prices are reaching crisis proportions and need to be addressed by a leader who isn’t distracted.

“I would say the most important thing to do is to feed people who are hungry,” he told the BBC. “I mean, that is a burning platform at the moment. The poorest in our society are going to be starving to death the second half of this year. That needs to be addressed.”