The former Tory minister and Brexit The party’s MEP spoke after a dramatic morning in which the prime minister capitulated to demands to stop, with Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Health Minister Sajid Javid triggering a series of cabinet resignations. Mr Johnson endured a turbulent couple of months after being fined for attending a birthday party at number 10, and was harshly criticized for his handling of the deputy head whip nomination Chris Pincherwho resigned from his role amid allegations of sexual assault.
He confirmed his decision in a statement issued to No. 10, complaining of his inability to persuade party colleagues to offer him a stay of execution, while promising to serve as prime minister until his successor was elected leader.
Mrs Widdecombe, who has held various positions including Minister of State for Prisons and Minister of Employment in Sir John Major’s government, was concerned about how his decision affected the decision of the British people six years ago.
She told Express.co.uk: “As for Brexit, it is now in serious jeopardy because if they don’t get a Brexiteer I think we will see closer ties with the European Union.
“Just look at the lineup. Tom Tugendhat is a Remainer – not only did he say we should stay in on balance, he was completely convinced.”
When asked about her preferred candidate, Ms Widdecombe added: “The one and only Brexiteer is Rishi. Steve Baker will not become Prime Minister and while Liz Truss is extremely capable, she is not a leader.
“Rishi’s brand is damaged, but at least he’s a Brexiteer. I think he’s a crappy Chancellor, we haven’t had any tax cuts, we haven’t had anything fanciful, he hasn’t used Brexit to tax fuel, but if I want Brexit then I think I want Rishi.”
JUST INSIDE: Ireland seizes Boris’ exit and throws down the Brexit gauntlet
“When it comes to arranging Northern Ireland, I see them making big concessions to the EU and that’s a real problem.
“I think they can pull the plug on this protocol law for Northern Ireland to begin with.”
Despite Ms Widdecombe’s comments, the government has nevertheless confirmed the dates when the remaining phases of the Northern Ireland Protocol Act will be discussed in the House of Commons.
Commons leader Mark Spencer confirmed that the first day of the bill’s committee phase would take place on Wednesday, July 13.
He later said there were preliminary plans for the committee’s second day on Monday, July 18, with plans to complete the committee phase of the bill on Tuesday, July 19.
Johnson made his reluctance to resign crystal clear in his statement, saying he had tried to stay on because he believed it was his “obligation” to keep doing what the Tories promised in 2019.
Addressing the British public, he said: “I want you to know how sad I am to give up the best job in the world, but those are the breaks.
“To the millions of people who voted for us in 2019, many of them voting Conservative for the first time, I want to thank for that incredible mandate, the largest Conservative majority since 1987, the largest share of votes since 1979.
“And the reason I’ve fought so hard over the past few days to continue to personally carry out that mandate was not just because I wanted to do it, but because I felt it was my job, my duty, my duty to you to carry on. to do what we promised in 2019.
“And of course I am extremely proud of the achievements of this administration.”
He also risked the parliamentary party’s ire by blaming his demise on what he called “the herd instinct.”