“How did we get there ?”asks the BBC, amazed. If the crisis had been brewing in Downing Street for months, to the rhythm of various and varied scandals, it seems that the patience of the Conservatives reached its limits on Tuesday, after yet another “mean trick” of Boris Johnson, as denounced by the Times Wednesday in a vitriolic editorial.
The subject of the latest scandal was parliamentarian Chris Pincher, who joined Boris Johnson’s team in February before resigning last week amid sexual assault charges. Boris Johnson then dispatched his ministers to the field “to take his defense” and assure that he was aware of nothing, explains Sky News.
But on Tuesday Downing Street was forced to “recognize” that the prime minister “was aware since 2019 of the allegations of inappropriate behavior” regarding Pincher. Exasperated, the Ministers of Health and Finance slammed the door of the government on Tuesday evening, and the “card castle” began to crumble: 24 hours later, more than forty members of the government had submitted their resignations – a situation “unprecedented”observe The Guardian.
“Enough is enough”justified Sajid Javid, former Minister of Health, before the parliamentarians. “Finding the balance between loyalty and integrity has become impossible in recent months, and I will never take the risk of losing my integrity”he added.
“Unsustainable”
A delegation of ministers “leading” even made it to Downing Street “to urge Boris Johnson to acknowledge that the chips are down and to resign”recount The Independent. But the Prime Minister has opposed them an end of inadmissibility, assuring that it was “determined to stay in his post”.
Even better : “instead of resigning, Johnson responded by firing Territorial Rebalancing Minister Michael Gove”a heavyweight in the government and the Conservative Party, reports The Guardian. “Gove had met the Prime Minister earlier and told him that his position” head of government “seemed untenable”adds the daily classified on the left.
Boris Johnson’s backers have confirmed he has no intention of quitting. “He wants to stay and fight. It’s not really the end of the world as people imagined it a few hours ago”said a source in Downing Street.
Asked by the BBCConservative MP Andrew Mitchell comments on Boris Johnson’s determination to stay in power: “It’s a bit like the death of Rasputin”he quips. “He was poisoned, stabbed, shot, his body was thrown into an icy river, but he is still alive”.
Not for long, however, assures the press – and the coup de grace will undoubtedly come from the parliamentarians themselves.
New vote of no confidence
After the failure of their vote of no confidence last month, the Conservatives theoretically have to wait eleven months before being able to present a new motion. But Sir Graham Brady, head of the all-powerful parliamentary committee responsible for such matters in the House of Commons, “warned Johnson that they were prepared to forcefully impose a new motion” by changing the rules of procedure, specifies the Times. The election of committee members was “accelerated” and the decision could be taken as early as Monday, for a vote the next day.
“Hard to imagine Johnson having any chance” to escape mistrust, esteem The Spectator. Conservatives even hope that the predictable slap “be cathartic for the party, and demonstrate that an overwhelming majority of Tories want the party to leave” of the Prime Minister” – but the few days between now and Tuesday are going to be “endless”adds the conservative magazine.
Le Daily Telegraph, another conservative title, also takes the Prime Minister’s departure for granted. In an opinion column, political analyst Allister Heath maintains that Boris Johnson was the “best choice” in 2019, “when the country was falling apart”but considers that over the past few months, its action has proved “atrocious, delusional and indefensible”.
And to conclude: “Now that his government has imploded in a sordid and chaotic mess of resignations and frustration, Johnson will soon have plenty of time to reflect on how pathetic and absurd it all went so wrong”.