UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson might be on his last legs after several high-profile ministers quit his cabinet.
On Tuesday, it was reported that Health Secretary Sajid Javid, Treasury Chief Rishi Sunak, and Vice-chair Abimbola “Bim” Afolami abandoned ship and resigned from their positions in the scandal-plagued Tory government.
“I just don’t think the prime minister any longer has, not just my support, but he doesn’t have, I don’t think, the support of the party, or indeed the country anymore,” Afloami told Talk TV live on air.
“I think for that reason he should step down.”
In a letter explaining his resignation, Sunak cited the public demand that the government “be conducted properly, competently and seriously.”
“I believe these standards are worth fighting for, and that is why I am resigning,” wrote Sunak.
“I publicly believe the public [is] ready to hear that truth. 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.”
Meanwhile, Javid stated that he could no longer serve in his position “in good conscience” due to integrity issues.
“It is with enormous regret that I must tell you that I can no longer, in good conscience, continue serving in this government,” Javid said.
“I am instinctively a team player, but the British people also rightly expect integrity from their government.”
The last few months have seen several challenges to Johnson’s leadership. The latest scandal dogging the UK prime minister involved the appointment of former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher despite allegations surfacing that he groped two men.
“I apologize 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,” said Johnson about the incident.
Official accounts from the UK Foreign Office disputed Johnson’s earlier claims that he wasn’t aware of the allegations.
“The original No. 10 line is not true, and the modification is still not accurate,” said Simon McDonald.
“Mr. Johnson was briefed in person about the initiation and outcome of the investigation.”
Johnson narrowly survived a confidence vote last month, managing to scrape by with only 59% of his MPs.
