LONDON: Dozens of British junior ministers resigned in protest against Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s leadership on Wednesday, a day after he received the resignations of its finance and health secretaries, as well as several in more junior roles, who said they could no longer stay in government after the latest in a series of scandals blighted the current administration.
Education ministers Will Quince and Robin Walker, Justice Minister Victoria Atkins, Treasury Minister John Glen were among the officials that walked out on Wednesday.
Quince said he quit after being given an “inaccurate” briefing over Johnson’s appointment of a politician who was the subject of complaints.
“Thank you for meeting with me yesterday evening and for your sincere apology regarding the briefings I received from No. 10 ahead of Monday’s media round, which we now know to be inaccurate,” he said in his resignation letter to Johnson, which was posted on Twitter.
“I can no longer reconcile my commitment to the role and to the financial services sector with the complete lack of confidence in your continuing leadership of our country,” Glen said in his letter to the prime minister.
Johnson’s government has been gravely wounded after the exodus of his ministers, while a growing number of Conservative lawmakers have called for his resignation.
But the prime minister showed his determination to stay by appointing new finance and health ministers and by filling some of the other vacancies.
Johnson’s leadership has been mired in scandals and missteps over the last few months, with him fined by police for breaking COVID-19 lockdown laws and a damning report published about the behavior of officials at his Downing Street office who breached their own lockdown rules.
There have also been policy U-turns, an ill-fated defense of a lawmaker who broke lobbying rules, and criticism that he has not done enough to tackle a cost-of-living crisis, with many Britons struggling to cope with rising fuel and food prices.
