Boris Johnson’s surprise resignation ‘triggers’ disquiet for PM Sunak, Tories

Two other MPs also quit, inciting three ‘immediate’ by-elections in Britain, which could also potentially expose the diminishing popularity of the Rishi Sunak government and the Conservative Part in UK. 

Let’s take a detailed look

Boris Johnson Quits

Boris Johnson quit after receiving the finding of the Parliament’s Privileges Committee investigation into whether he misled lawmakers over his knowledge of Covid-19 rule breaches by officials.

The findings of the report had not been made public yet. However, Johnson in his scathing resignation letter, termed the report a ‘political hit job’. Johnson described as a “kangaroo court” the parliamentary committee tasked with examining whether he lied to fellow lawmakers about social gatherings inside government buildings that had flouted his own Covid-19 social distancing regulations.

While Johnson’s immediate political career is over, he hinted that he may attempt to return at some point. “It is very sad to be leaving parliament – at least for now,” he said.

Partygate scandal recap

The ‘partygate’ scandal that brought about the downfall of politician Boris Johnson as a Prime Minister and as an MP is a political scandal in the United Kingdom about parties and other gatherings of government and Conservative Party staff held during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, when public health restrictions prohibited most gatherings.

UK MPs quit

Nadine Dorries, a key Boris Johnson ally, also resigned Friday from her Mid Bedfordshire seat after she was denied a peerage in Johnson’s resignation honor list. On Saturday, Nigel Adams announced he was standing down as a member of UK parliament with immediate effect, triggering a third by-election.

PM Sunak in doldrums?

PM Rishi Sunak is now left to defend three seats of the Conservative Party amid growing dissatisfaction among Britain’s residents for the party. 

These by-elections could rain over PM Sunak’s desire to  narrow the gap with the opposition Labour Party ahead of a general election due by January 2025.

A major challenge for PM Sunak would be holding onto the Uxbridge and South Ruislip may prove a particular challenge as the Tories only held the Greater London constituency in 2019 with a relatively slim majority.

Notably, In July 2022, then British Exchequer Rishi Sunak had resigned saying the government should be run “properly, competently and seriously.” Health Secretary Sajid Javid also handed in his resignation in what appears to be a protest against Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s leadership.

The sequential resignations from Johnson’s cabinet, coupled with the partygate scandal accusations ultimately led to him resigning as the then Prime Minister. Earlier, Johnson had claimed that his downfall was brought about by opponents of Brexit. He lobbed attacks in his statement at the Labour Party, as well as Sunak and Sue Gray, the civil servant whose investigation into Partygate also played a large role in his downfall.

UK Elections 2025

The Tories lost more than a thousand councilors in a set of local elections in May, with the traditional third party, the Liberal Democrats, making large gains in southern England. The Lib Dems have sprung three big victories over the Tories in special elections in recent years.

Further opinion polls have put Labour up by between 9 and 14 points, short of the more than 20-point lead in surveys taken in late 2022. 

(With inputs from Bloomberg)

Updated: 11 Jun 2023, 03:20 PM IST