PM Boris Johnson Loses Two Ministers in Grave Blow

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was fighting for his political survival on Tuesday after finance minister Rishi Sunak and another senior minister abruptly resigned over the latest scandal to blight his administration.

Sunak and health minister Sajid Javid sent ‘resignation letters’ to Johnson within minutes of each other in which both took aim at his ability to run “an administration that adhered to standards.”

Despite mounting anger among his lawmakers, two people close to Johnson said “they expected him to stay and fight as well as appoint a new finance minister shortly.”

The resignations came as Johnson was apologising for appointing a lawmaker to a role involved in offering pastoral care, even after being briefed that the politician had been the subject of complaints about sexual misconduct.

So far, they are the only two ministers in the prime minister’s top cabinet team to resign, with other senior figures expressing support for Johnson. Foreign minister Liz Truss, considered a leading contender to replace him if he is forced out, said she was “100% behind the PM.”

Three other lawmakers quit junior government roles while a trade envoy resigned and a vice chairman of the Conservative Party resigned his post on live television.

The resignations come after months of “scandals and missteps,” with Johnson so far weathering criticism over a damning report into parties at his Downing Street residence and office that broke strict COVID-19 lockdowns and saw him fined by police.

Reuters /Shakirat Sadiq