Boris Johnson ‘gets on with the job’ as his government collapses around him
IT was perhaps the most remarkable day in British political history. Seldom, if ever, has so much drama been packed into twenty-four hours.
What happened yesterday? In summary:
- New Chancellor of the Exchequer Nadhim Zahawi does the early morning round of media calls: business as usual, getting on with the job, etc. etc.
- An uncomfortable Prime Minister’s Questions sees Boris Johnson ridiculed by Opposition party leaders and attacked by members of his own party
- PMQs is followed by a damning statement to parliament by outgoing Education secretary Sajid Javid
- Boris Johnson leaves Westminster to attempt to appoint new ministers. This proves impossible as there is a steady stream of resignations – more than 40 by the end of the day – as well as new flood of letters of no confidence.
- If PMQs was painful. an appearance in front of the high-powered Liaison Committee later in the afternoon was excruciating, with politicians from all sides taking the opportunity to heap further misery on a clearly flustered Prime Minister.
- Asked by a committee member how his week was going, Boris Johnson replied: ‘Terrific’. I assume he was joking – but then, with this Prime Minister, you can never be really sure …
You might have thought the Prime Minister’s ‘terrific’ day couldn’t have got any worse … but this was no ordinary day.
Awaiting the PM at Downing Street was a group of Cabinet ministers, including newly-appointed Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi-, the vast majority of whom urged him to stand down.
The chairman of the Tory Party’s 1922 committee also patiently awaited his audience with the PM – and it’s not breaking any confidences to say that Sir Graham Brady was not the bearer of glad tidings of great joy either …
Johnson met each of them individually, but rather than heed their considered advice that the game was up, the Prime Minister instead sided with the views of arch-loyalists Nadine Dorries and Jacob Rees-Mogg and decided instead to fight on … and as a parting shot for the evening fired arch-conspirator Michael Gove!
Putting all those internal difficulties aside, The Prime Minister found time to ‘get on with the job’ and fired off a letter to Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to confirm that no, I won’t be agreeing to another referendum …
A busy day at the office indeed, and a day on which Wimbledon really couldn’t match Westminster for excitement and drama.
Who knows what surprises today will bring as the Prime Minister attempts to salvage his government from the remnants of his deeply divided party?
Can his ‘terrific’ week really get any worse? Resignation looks inevitable but could this serial survivor really escape once again?
BREAKING NEWS: JOHNSON TO RESIGN
The BBC is reporting that Boris Johnson will resign as Conservative leader today and will continue as prime minister until the autumn.
It’s understood Mr Johnson will publicly announce his resignation later today.