America sure does have its own problems right now. But don’t forget about our nation’s former overlords. The United Kingdom is in some ways doing worse, with controversial prime minister and Brexit cheerleader Boris Johnson having recently — and narrowly — avoided a no-confidence vote. He may still remain in power, but on Tuesday, it was reported that he’s losing so many cabinet members and other Conservative politicians that it’s not clear who’s in charge.
As per The New York Times, Johnson has lost two prominent members of his cabinet, Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid, who were quickly replaced. But they were just the beginning. They were followed by several other people in his party. One, Bim Afolami, a member of Parliament as well as the Conservative Party’s vice-chair, made his announcement on live television, saying, “I can’t serve under the prime minister.” Others indicated their moves reflected the anger of their constituents.
“The events in the past few months have undermined public trust in all of us,” wrote Saqib Bhatti, a member of Parliament, in his resignation letter. “My conscience will not allow me to continue to support this administration.”
The Conservative party has always been the party of integrity and honour but recent events have undermined trust and standards in public life. It is for this reason that sadly, I must resign.
I will continue working hard for my constituents on the issues that matter to them. pic.twitter.com/oHZzPO285o
— Saqib Bhatti MP (@bhatti_saqib) July 5, 2022
Another, Parliament member Andrew Murrison, resigned as Johnson’s trade envoy to Morocco. He, too, posted his resignation letter to Twitter, in which he wrote, “Your position has become unrecoverable.”
— Rt Hon Andrew Murrison MP (@AWMurrison) July 5, 2022
The resignations come after a slew of scandals plaguing Johnson’s cabinet. The latest involved a member of his government, Chris Pincher, admitted to getting too drunk one night and groping two men. It was later revealed there had been similar allegations against him made before.
Pressure has been building on Johnson to resign. If he does, the Conservative Party would have to find a replacement, who would be voted upon by Parliament members and then members of the party. Johnson would be expected to stay in power until his replacement is found. Indeed, Johnson himself only became PM after his predecessor, Theresa May, resigned after receiving a no-confidence vote.
(Via NYT)