The Conversation (0)
Politics
Boris Johnson apologises for allowing Chris Pincher to remain and admits it ...
Video
And just like that... Health Secretary Sajid Javid and Chancellor Rishi Sunak are gone.
On Tuesday, Javid and Sunak announced their resignation from Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Cabinet following the Christopher Pincher scandal, the latest in a series of scandal to hit Johnson's government this year.
"It has been an enormous privilege to serve in this role, but I regret that I can no longer continue in good conscience," Javid wrote on Twitter.
Moments later, Sunak submitted his letter of resignation and tweeted, "The public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously. I recognise this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning."
Johnson has since moved to appoint Nadhim Zahawi as chancellor and Steve Barclay as health secretary.
Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter
Both men indicated in their letters they were displeased with the way Johnson's government has handled scandals just as Downing Street confirms Johnson knew about allegations against Pincher in 2019- something the Prime Minister denied.
\u201c'This is the end of Boris Johnson's government!'\n\nAndrew Marr's instant reaction to Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid resigning from the Cabinet.\n\n@AndrewMarr9\u201d— LBC (@LBC) 1657041419
Following the news, Twitter exploded with jokes from people about the resignations. Even MP Andrew Murrison unintentionally got in on the joke.
\u201cTheresa May is utterly heart broken that Boris Johnson\u2019s government may be collapsing. \n\nLive CCTV footage of her barely able to hold herself together.\u201d— Andrew Roberts \ud83d\udcac\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 #PutinIsAWarCriminal (@Andrew Roberts \ud83d\udcac\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 #PutinIsAWarCriminal) 1657042291
\u201c\u201cI hear there\u2019s been another resignation Chris, but who is it?\u201d\u201d— Emily\u2728 (@Emily\u2728) 1657041588
\u201cNadine Dorries has tried to submit a letter of resignation, but accidentally adopted a snow leopard.\u201d— Guffers (@Guffers) 1657042380
"BREAKING: Larry the Cat is at the door of Downing Street right now to tender his resignation to the PM," Henry tweeted.
One Twitter user made up a far-fetched story to jump in on the conversation and poke fun at the matter.
"Sorry to hear my old pal Sajid Javid has quit. I was lucky enough to meet Sajid at a roller disco in Arbroath in 1984. He was wearing a pair of denim shorts that caused a rubbernecking divorcee to banjo herself against a pillar and I’ve kept a keen eye on his career ever since."
"Spent the afternoon at a funeral. Just got back to SW1. Going to keep black tie on," Christian Calgie wrote.
\u201c\u201cWhat\u2019s happening Kammy\u201d \ud83d\ude33\ud83e\udd37\ud83c\udffd\u200d\u2642\ufe0f i dunno Jeff \ud83d\ude02\ud83e\udd23\u201d— Chris Kamara (@Chris Kamara) 1657047143
\u201chttps://t.co/uuSYKzP7e4\u201d— James O'Malley (@James O'Malley) 1657041913
\u201cBoris Johnson when Rishi Sunak walked into his office to resign.\u201d— David Brent Music (@David Brent Music) 1657042736
\u201cThe British public: things can\u2019t get worse surely??? A pandemic, a recession, hiring freezes and an incompetent government with strikes all over \n\nThe conservatives:\u201d— mwen pa s\u00f2t online (@mwen pa s\u00f2t online) 1656954477
\u201c\u201cZELENSKYY\u201d HAS SWITCHED HIS PHONE TO \u201cFLIGHT MODE\u201d\u201d— DIMBLEBOT (@DIMBLEBOT) 1657041705
\u201cNadine Dorries rn, getting all excited over nothing\u201d— Gwdih\u0175 \ud83e\udd89 (@Gwdih\u0175 \ud83e\udd89) 1657041848
\u201cCabinet ministers should be announced like football signings. Slow mo close up of Nadhim Zahawi tapping a blue badge, straightening a blue tie and then finally clutching the famous red case, before a shot of him. \u201cIt\u2019s time to get to work\u201d. #WelcomeNadhim\u201d— amar singh (@amar singh) 1657055100
\u201cDido Nadine Dorries\n \ud83e\udd1d\n I will go down\n with this ship\u201d— SHANE REACTION (@SHANE REACTION) 1657042177
\u201cBell Zelenskyy again lad\u201d— Sean (@Sean) 1657043103
None— Cole (@Cole) 1657049054
\u201cTwo tickets to Minions: The Rise of Gru, please\u201d— \ud83d\udc9e soapy \ud83d\udc9e (@\ud83d\udc9e soapy \ud83d\udc9e) 1657042030
\u201cCharlatans, the lot of them. And not in a good way. Tainting our good name\u201d— Tim Burgess (@Tim Burgess) 1657041025
\u201cMe waiting for other ministers to resign\u201d— Alexander Brown (@Alexander Brown) 1657042706
\u201cNew Chancellor\u2019s been announced.\u201d— Paul Bloomfield (@Paul Bloomfield) 1657043093
\u201c"The Cabinet is open and everyone is having a wonderful time." #BorisJohnson #DowningStreet\u201d— The Daily Jaws (@The Daily Jaws) 1657042692
\u201cTwo Tory Cabinet ministers down more to go #BorisMustGo\u201d— Diane Abbott MP (@Diane Abbott MP) 1657044096
\u201cThe 1922 Committee tomorrow morning. \u201d— Sooz Kempner (@Sooz Kempner) 1657055259
\u201cHearing Matt Hancock has just walked into Downing Street shirtless and brandishing his CV\u201d— Alexander Brown (@Alexander Brown) 1657044060
\u201cBoris Johnson found scromiting\u201d— Mollie Goodfellow (@Mollie Goodfellow) 1657047530
\u201cI once took an 80 seat majority and pissed it up the wall in less than 3 years\u201d— Robin Flavell (@Robin Flavell) 1657043857
\u201c"No one's resigned."\u201d— Stephen Mangan (@Stephen Mangan) 1657043549
\u201cPriti Patel rn\u201d— Ash Sarkar (@Ash Sarkar) 1657042164
\u201c\u201cSurely *this* must mean the end for Boris Johnson.\u201d\n\n\u2014Ancient British proverb\u201d— Alan Ferrier (@Alan Ferrier) 1657042400
\u201chttps://t.co/8sPVcvW9IO\u201d— out of context thw tbick of jt (@out of context thw tbick of jt) 1657051154
\u201cMore terrible news for Boris - Dominic Raab is NOT resigning.\u201d— Piers Morgan (@Piers Morgan) 1657041799
\u201c\u201cCan you explain today\u2019s British politics news in WWE 2011 terms?\u201d\u201d— Tom Campbell (@Tom Campbell) 1657042818
\u201cCarrie with the iron frantically steaming off the gold wallpaper and stuffing it in an overnight bag\u201d— Kirsty Strickland (@Kirsty Strickland) 1657042802
\u201cCongratulations to Steve Barclay on becoming the shortest serving Health Secretary in history\u201d— Wes Streeting MP (@Wes Streeting MP) 1657050343
\u201c\ud83d\udea8 It\u2019s eviction night\u201d— KWAJO- Social Housing (@KWAJO- Social Housing) 1657047672
\u201chttps://t.co/Y5nq2wrB7Y\u201d— Cold War Steve (@Cold War Steve) 1657051057
\u201c\u201cI can no longer, in good conscience, live with this Prime Minister. Either he goes, or I do\u201d\u201d— Larry the Cat (@Larry the Cat) 1657041532
\u201cHere we go\u201d— Max Rushden \ud83d\udc99 (@Max Rushden \ud83d\udc99) 1657042074
\u201crishi\u2019s next job could be in cyber\u201d— experimenting with emotional heft (@experimenting with emotional heft) 1657042759
Javid told the Prime Minister that the recent vote of confidence was a “moment for humility, grip and new direction”.
“I regret to say, however, that it is clear to me that this situation will not change under your leadership – and you have therefore lost my confidence too," Javid wrote in his letter.
"The country needs a strong and principled Conservative Party, and the Party is bigger than any one individual. I served you loyally and as a friend, but we all serve the country first," Javid's letter continued. “When made to choose between those loyalties there can only be one answer.”
In his letter, Sunak wrote he and Johnson had 'fundamentally different' approaches to government saying it had not been “conducted properly, competently and seriously".
Now, all eyes are on Johnson as people anticipate the Prime Minister's next move.
\u201cJohnson gonna have to do all the jobs in the cabinet like Eddie Murphy in Norbit\u201d— Nish Kumar (@Nish Kumar) 1657041535
Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
Top 100
x