Sunak and Javid resign as Boris Johnson’s leadership faces fresh crisis

Rishi Sunak has quit as chancellor and Sajid Javid has resigned as health secretary as Boris Johnson’s leadership faced a fresh crisis.

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

No 10 confirmed that Steve Barclay will be replacing Sajid Javid, becoming the new secretary of state for health and social care.

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This as Nadhim Zahawi becomes the new chancellor.

In an incendiary letter, Mr Javid said the British people “expect integrity from their government” but voters now believed Mr Johnson’s administration was neither competent nor “acting in the national interest”.

Mr Johnson responded to Mr Sunak’s departure, saying he was “sorry” to have received Mr Sunak’s resignation letter and praising his “outstanding service”.

In a letter, the Prime Minister wrote: “Dear Rishi, I was sorry to receive your letter resigning from the Government.

“You have provided outstanding service to the country through the most challenging period for our economy in peacetime history”.

He noted the furlough scheme, Mr Sunak’s work on post-pandemic economic recovery and to repair public finances, as well as tax cuts.

“I have enormously valued your advice and deep commitment to public service and will miss working with you in government,” he concluded.

The resignations came as Mr Johnson was forced into a humiliating apology over his handling of the Chris Pincher row after it emerged he had forgotten about being told of previous allegations of “inappropriate” conduct.

Mr Pincher quit as deputy chief whip last week following claims that he groped two men at a private members’ club, but Mr Johnson was told about allegations against him as far back as 2019.

The Prime Minister acknowledged he should have sacked Mr Pincher when he was told about the claims against him when he was a Foreign Office minister in 2019, but instead Mr Johnson went on to appoint him to other government roles.

Asked if that was an error, Mr Johnson said: “I think it was a mistake and I apologise for it. In hindsight it was the wrong thing to do.

“I apologise to everybody who has been badly affected by it. I want to make absolutely clear that there’s no place in this Government for anybody who is predatory or who abuses their position of power.”

Boris Johnson told Sajid Javid he was “sorry” to receive his resignation letter as health secretary and suggested his Government would “continue to deliver” plans for the NHS.

In a brief letter, the Prime Minister wrote: “Dear Saj, Thank you for your letter this evening tendering your resignation. I was very sorry to receive it.

“You have served this Government, and the people of the United Kingdom, with distinction.”

Mr Johnson noted Mr Javid’s work to tackle Covid backlogs and other plans for the health service, and vowed that “the Government will continue to deliver on them”.

“You will be greatly missed, and I look forward to your contribution from the backbenches,” he concluded.

The Prime Minister’s authority had already been damaged by a confidence vote which saw 41% of his MPs vote against him.

The loss of crunch by-elections in Tiverton and Honiton and Wakefield in June triggered the resignation of party chairman Oliver Dowden.

But the resignations of Mr Javid – a former leadership contender – and Mr Sunak, viewed as a potential successor to the Prime Minister, mean Mr Johnson’s position is now perilous.

Mr Sunak, who had been due to make a joint economic speech with Mr Johnson next week, said “it has become clear to me that our approaches are fundamentally too different”.

“I firmly believe the public are ready to hear that truth,” he said.

“Our people know that if something is too good to be true then it’s not true. They need to know that whilst there is a path to a better future, it is not an easy one.”

Northern Ireland minister Conor Burns gave his “ongoing and full support” to Mr Johnson from the floor of the House of Commons.

However, Jonathan Gullis resigned his role as parliamentary private secretary to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, saying the Conservative Party has been “more focused on dealing with our reputational damage rather than delivering for the people of this country”.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Gullis said he was resigning “with a heavy heart”.

The Brexit Opportunities Minister said that he spoke to Mr Johnson this evening, following the two resignations.

Jacob Rees-Mogg described Mr Johnson’s mood as “business as usual, he has got a job to do”.

He said he was “unflappable”.

Mr Rees-Mogg also said that Chris Pincher should resign if the allegations against him turn out to be true.

“We must assume innocence until guilt is proved,” Mr Rees-Mogg said.

“But if, and it is obviously if, these facts turn out to be the case, then yes of course.”

Conservative MP Nicola Richards quit her role as parliamentary private secretary to the Department for Transport, stating she cannot serve “under the current circumstances”.

Posting her resignation on Twitter, the West Bromwich East MP wrote: “At a time where my constituents are worried about the cost of living and I am doing my best to support them, I cannot bring myself to serve as a PPS under the current circumstances, where the focus is skewed by poor judgement that I don’t wish to be associated with.

“I am loyal to my constituents and will always put them first.

“I am also loyal to the Conservative Party, of which is currently unrecognisable to me. I believe something must change.”

Conservative MP Saqib Bhatti has quit his role as parliamentary private secretary to the health secretary, stating “recent events have undermined trust and standards in public life”.

Posting his resignation on Twitter, he wrote: “The Conservative and Union Party has always been the party of integrity and honour.

“I feel that standards in public life are of the utmost importance, and the events of the past few months have undermined the public trust in all of us.

“I have been grappling with these issues for some time and my conscience will not allow me to continue to support this administration.

“It is for that reason I must tender my resignation.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Boris Johnson is unfit to be Prime Minister and the resignation of top ministers “means nothing” after months of complicity.

Sir Keir told broadcasters: “He is unfit to be Prime Minister. He is not fit to govern the country.

“That is dawning on many people across the Conservative party, but they have to reflect on that, that they have backed him for months and months and months.

“Resigning today means nothing against their complicity for all those months when they should have seen him for what he was, they knew who he was.

“We need a change of government.”