“Game over”. According to several Downing Street sources relayed by the British media on Thursday morning July 7, Boris Johnson was to announce his resignation imminently. According to the BBC, he threw in the towel by leaving the leadership of the Conservative Party. He could remain in Downing Street, on an interim basis, pending the appointment of a successor in the fall. But other personalities could ensure this interim. “The Prime Minister will speak today”, said Downing Street on Thursday morning.
Since the beginning of the morning, the fall of the Prime Minister seemed inevitable, after Nadim Zahawi, his new Chancellor of the Exchequer, appointed two days earlier, also let him know that he had to leave: “It is not tenable and the situation will deteriorate further if you stay: for you, for the Conservative Party and above all, for the country. You have to leave “, tweeted the politician. Appointed on Tuesday, the new education minister also announced her resignation.
The fall was chaotic and laborious. Boris Johnson hung on until the end. But Wednesday evening, July 6, he had lost the confidence of a large part of his parliamentary group, cashed in less than twenty-four hours the resignation of more than fifty ministers, secretaries of state and parliamentary assistants – an absolute record for a British leader. He stubbornly refused to leave Downing Street, letting relatives say he was “combative” and that he would resist ” until the end ” calls for resignation. Leaves at to risk plunge the Conservative Party into deep crisis and leave the UK with a bloodless government, surrounded by rebels and unable to act.
“I have so far resisted comparisons between Boris Johnson and Donald Trump, more tonight,” tweeted, Wednesday evening July 6, Andrew Neil, legend of British political journalismsummarizing the feeling of incredulity of the national media, confronted with a prime minister refusing to comply with the customs of British democracy. A delegation of worshipers – including Priti Patel, the Home Secretary – offered him an honorable exit in the afternoon, telling him his time had come.
Tuesday, July 5, the almost simultaneous resignations of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, and the Minister of Health, Sajid Javid, however, seemed to have sealed the fate of Boris Johnson. These two heavyweights of the government judged that the cup was full after the “Partygate” – the celebrations in Downing Street in full confinement -, with the revelation of yet another scandal: the resignation, on June 30, of the Conservative MP Chris Pincher, after he made unsolicited advances to two male colleagues. Boris Johnson, who had promoted Chris Pincher in February – the latter was in charge of the voting discipline of the Tory group -, first let it be known that he was unaware of these behavioral problems, before admitting that he was at the current, once again showing bad faith.
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