oris Johnson ruled out a quick general election, but fought on in No 10 as his premiership was hit by a wave of outgoing governments on Wednesday.
After repeated questioning in the Commons Liaison Committee, Mr Johnson appeared to confirm that he would not be holding elections to try to remain in office.
The prime minister said “of course I rule it out”, before adding: “The earliest date I can see for a general election is two years from now or 2024, I think this is the most likely date for the next election.
“We have a lot to deliver. We’ll go for it and go for it.”
During his whims by senior MPs, he gave no sign that he intended to resign.
But then a delegation of ministers, including Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, went to Downing Street to urge him to resign.
Culture Minister Nadine Dorries, as well as reportedly Home Secretary Priti Patel, were also at number 10, leading to speculation that some ministers were still fighting to defend him.
But Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the powerful 1922 Committee of Backbench Tory MPs, was also seen heading for 70 Whitehall, the Cabinet Office linked to Downing Street, sparking speculation he might warn Mr Johnson. for the magnitude of the rebellion against him.
More than 30 ministers, parliamentary assistants and government envoys have resigned in about 24 hours.
Earlier, Mr Johnson’s newly appointed Chancellor… Nadhim Zahawi was sent on the air early this morning, less than 12 hours after being promoted to the Treasury, to Prime Minister†
He signaled that more tax cuts were on the way – as demanded by Tory MPs†
But the mood in Westminster was frantic with more resignations and Conservative MPs calling on Johnson to leave.
Five prominent ministers resigned in a letter published Wednesday afternoon, just 30 minutes before the prime minister was due to appear before the liaison committee.
In a joint letter, Equal Opportunities Secretary Kemi Badenoch, Media Secretary Julia Lopez, Housing Secretary Neil O’Brien, Affairs Secretary Lee Rowley and Education Secretary Alex Burghart have all resigned.
But the prime minister remained defiant all day.
He is said to have said to friends, ‘I’m not going anywhere. I will continue to blast and deliver for the people who have given us a huge mandate.” He is said to have added: “Everyone should just calm down, stop bickering and let us get on with the work.”
However, shortly after 8:30 am this morning, Will Quince stepped down as minister for children and families. He said he had “no choice” but to resign after appearing on television to defend Mr Johnson over the Chris Pincher “tasting” scandal using Downing Street briefings “which have now been found to be incorrect”.
About an hour later, School Standards Secretary Robin Walker also resigned, saying that “recent events have made it clear to me that our great party, for which I have campaigned all my adult life, has been diverted from its core missions through a relentless focus on questions beyond leadership. ”.
Housing Minister Stuart Andrew became the sixth minister to resign on Wednesday after Boris Johnson’s support faded.
He said he had “no choice but to resign”.
But perhaps more worryingly for Johnson, Harlow MP Robert Halfon, chairman of the House of Commons Education Committee, and Ashfield MP Lee Anderson withdrew their support for the prime minister.
Mr Halfon said: “The parties at No 10 Downing Street were bad enough, but the appointment of this person (Mr Pincher as deputy head whip) and the false statement about what was known is unacceptable to me.”
Anderson said: “I am convinced that our Prime Minister has made all the big decisions right… and I have always supported him to the fullest. That said, integrity should always come first and unfortunately this has not been the case in recent days.”
Attorney General John Glen also resigned, as did Attorney General Victoria Atkins. She said: “Values such as integrity, decency, respect and professionalism should be important to all of us. I have watched with growing concern as those values have been broken under your leadership.”
Ipswich MP Tom Hunt, who is seen as an extremely loyal supporter of Mr Johnson, said he had submitted a letter of no confidence in the Prime Minister.
He added: “Under the Prime Minister’s leadership, it is becoming increasingly difficult for both the Government and us as parliamentarians to focus on these key issues and reach our full potential to help the British people. It makes no sense to blame parts of the media for the situation we find ourselves in. They’ve given the ammunition over and over.’
Kensington MP Felicity Buchan stepped down as parliamentary private secretary for business, saying the prime minister had lost the confidence of “my constituents and me”.
James Forsyth, political editor of The Spectator, tweeted: “A senior figure on the ’22’ [committee] tells me they now prefer a delegation that is going to tell Boris Johnson it’s over, and they’ll change the rules if he doesn’t resign.”
Sevenoaks MP Laura Trott also stepped down as a private parliamentary secretary at the Ministry of Transport.
Former university secretary Chris Skidmore publicly shared his letter of no confidence in the prime minister for the first time. Their moves came after the double resignation of Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Health Minister Sajid Javid on Tuesday. Mr Johnson was faced with the Prime Minister’s questions, followed by a session before the Commons Liaison Committee, where he would be questioned on various topics.
Mr Javid was also expected to make a personal statement in the House of Commons outlining the reasons for his departure. Long-serving MPs recalled Geoffrey Howe’s devastating resignation in 1990 that helped overthrow Margaret Thatcher. However, the cabinet’s resignation has not prompted a slew of other ministers to walk away.
Mr Zahawi said he believed the Prime Minister has integrity and emphasized: “I will work very hard to ensure that this team continues to perform. The Prime Minister is focused on delivery, delivery, delivery.” He added that Mr Johnson had “right to apologize” for appointing Mr Pincher as deputy head whip, adding that decisions in government were made at “warp speed”.
But former Tory leader Lord Hague told Times Radio: “I think it’s over. It reads the last rites – slowly. Unfortunately, Boris still doesn’t accept that this is really over, but it is.” Zahawi denied that he threatened to resign from the cabinet to secure the role of chancellor. He told Sky News: “No, I have not threatened to resign at all.” Told him Foreign Secretary Liz Truss would reportedly be lining up for Chancellor but Mr Zahawi said he would resign if he didn’t get the job, he said “That’s not true.” He warned colleagues that “people don’t vote for divided teams” when asked about Mr Quince’s resignation.
Pressed into why his predecessor, Mr Sunak, had resigned, he told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “You can read his letter…I am focused on rebuilding the economy.”
Events seemed to be moving at a dizzying pace in Westminster. Andrew Murrison, who stepped down as the government’s trade envoy on Tuesday, told LBC Radio: “I’m not going to give a timeline on it. I certainly think a lot of it at this point, for the foreseeable future, will depend on how many ministerial colleagues decide enough is enough. To them I would say think carefully because every day that you stay in office you become associated with what happened in No10 and all the problems that have come to light.”
Pincher resigned as deputy head whip after he was accused of drunkenly groping two men at the Carlton Club last Wednesday. The Tamworth MP admitted he had “embarrassed myself and other people”, but denied sexual harassment.
The liaison committee meeting was a blood-curdling encounter, made somewhat surreal by the fact that the prime minister was questioned about day-to-day government policy during the first half of the session, even as further Conservative MPs asked him to stop.
When it came to the issue of the Prime Minister’s leadership, both Labor and Conservative MPs were few and far between.
William Wragg, a Tory MP and fierce critic of Johnson, asked the Prime Minister, “At what point does it become impossible to continue the Queen’s reign?”
Mr Johnson replied: “I really think you underestimate the talent, energy and sheer ambition of MPs and that they want to get things done.
“The government of this country continues with more and more energy.”
Mr. Wragg told him that several more Tories had resigned while Mr. Johnson was before the committee, and asked if he thought there were enough supply “of those young thrusters on the back seats” to replace them.
Mr Johnson said: “I think it is very likely, yes.
“Maybe we are all misguided in our ambitions, but I think most people who come to this place – despite what everyone is saying about MPs – are driven by the highest motives.”
He repeatedly stressed that he had a mandate from the 2019 general election to lead the country.
“I look at the biggest war in Europe in 80 years and I can’t see for my life how responsible it is to just walk away from it. Especially not when you have a mandate of the kind that we won two, three. ” years ago,” he says.
The controversy over Mr Pincher inevitably dominated the proceedings.
The prime minister acknowledged that he had previously been made aware of allegations against Mr Pincher dating back to 2019, and said he regretted keeping him in government after that point.
At one point, Mr. Johnson did not deny whether he had used the words “Pincher by name, Pincher by nature.”
Labor MP Chris Bryant, chairman of the Commons Standards Committee continued: “That sounds like a yes to me. Did you say he’s a little handy?”
Johnson insisted “it’s not a word I use”.
When asked if he has ever said “Pincher by name, Pincher by nature”, the Prime Minister said: “I am not going to get into a trivial discussion about what I have or have not said. This is serious business.
“The member, I believe, has filed a complaint against him. And I propose to leave it there.’
Asked about the culture at Westminster, he said: “I’ve thought a lot about this and I think there’s a problem with alcohol, and I’ve always resisted this conclusion in the past.
“But it feels to me that some people just can’t stand their drink and we need to think about how we do that in Parliament.”
He added: “There is also a problem with standards of conduct. I should have been stricter in my approach.”
The prime minister repeatedly said he had not foreseen early elections.
He added: “The earliest date I can see for a general election is two years from now or 2024, I think this is the most likely date for the next election.
“We have an enormous amount to deliver. We will get to work on it.”