Boris Johnson wakes up on July 7 in Downing Street. He has survived 24 hours of defections from his troops, nearly 50 in 36 hours, and clings to his post despite calls for the resignation of almost his entire government. The position of this “Teflon politician”, as he is nicknamed, has never seemed so precarious. Can the Prime Minister still survive? And if so, how long?
For the press this Thursday morning, Boris Johnson is ” a mortally wounded animal », « the only one who can’t see that the party is over “. ” Johnson fights for his survival “, headlined the Timessumming up the feeling of the British press after what the Daily Telegraph described as ” mutiny ” of the government.
Boris Johnson has lost the support of almost his entire party, reports our correspondent in London, EMeline Wine. The vast majority of his government and Tory executives arrived in Downing Street on Wednesday evening to demand his head, ” for the good of the country “. This Thursday morning, it is the minister in charge of Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis, who in turn leaves the Johnson government. ” Decent and responsible government is built on honesty, integrity and mutual respect – it is with deep personal regret that I must leave government as I believe these values are no longer upheld “, he estimated in a letter posted on Twitter and addressed to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
A decent and responsible Government relies on honesty, integrity and mutual respect – it is a matter of profound personal regret that I must leave Government as I no longer believe those values are being upheld.
I have submitted my letter of resignation to the Prime Minister. pic.twitter.com/EG6u52BdDc
—Brandon Lewis (@BrandonLewis) July 7, 2022
A far cry from the triumph of his 2019 Downing Street debut under the promise of delivering Brexit, the Conservative leader faced the toughest day of his tenure on Wednesday, hemmed in by embarrassing cases and their flood of accusations of lies.
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A departure on July 11?
A first elected was also a candidate for the head of the party. The Attorney General for England and Wales, Suella Braverman, called on Wednesday evening July 6 for Boris Johnson to resign. ” I think the time has come for the Prime Minister to resign “, she said on the British television channel ITV. She said she did not want to resign from her post. ” If there is an election for the leadership (of the party), I will submit my candidacy “, did she say.
But as long as the rest of the ‘cabinet’, as it is known, remains in office – and so far only three ministers have resigned and one has been sacked – he cannot force Boris Johnson to leave.
If he holds out until then, the Prime Minister could be pushed out Monday, July 11, in four days, which seems like an eternity in the current situation. The very opaque 1922 Committee, in charge of the internal affairs of the Conservative Party in Westminster, should decide to modify its rules to provoke a new vote of no confidence, a month after the previous one. According to Conservative press counts, 300 of the 360 Tory MPs could vote against Boris Johnson.
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