July 6th, 2022.
I was going to write this letter yesterday as more facts came out about Boris Johnson and his lack of integrity. Then came the resignations of the Chancellor, Richi Sunak and the Health minister Sajid Javid. Members of his party and even retired senior civil servants appeared on TV accusing him of being a serial liar. Unsurprisingly that didn’t come as a surprise to most people.
This has prompted a flood of resignations and as it is a fluid situation, -I decided to get a truckload of popcorn in and settle down to watch Prime Minister’s Questions from Parliament live on TV. As we get closer to question time, more resignations are coming in from mid-level ministers and ordinary MPs voicing their anti-Johnson views. This is currently 16 ministers and aides and counting. * Johnson is fighting back and typical of the man is threatening to call a general election, which on current polls would destroy the Conservative party.
One degree of comfort is that no one is being accused of stabbing Johnson in the back – it is all being done front on!
PMQs is due to be followed by Johnson fronting up to a scheduled session of the MPs liaison committee where he is questioned on policy.
3 Conservative MPs stood up at PMQs and to his face told Johnson to go. Then the exiting Health minister gave an excoriating statement to the house in which he completely eviscerated the Prime Minister.
- *Now 2-30pm and ministerial resignations currently 21.
2-45pm Just on BBC TV, a rumour that Johnson may not attend the 3 pm liaison committee as a delegation of MPs led by Senior Conservative Minister Michael Gove, is travelling to Downing Street to tell him to resign.
3 pm Johnson turns up at the liaison committee, very ebullient.
A flood of resignations from Parliamentary Private Secretaries is now coming in.
Liam Fox a senior MP is now on the way to Downing Street and is thought to be joining the delegation. He has released a letter to the press withdrawing his support for Johnson.
The labour party leader Keir Starmer says this is the first case of the sinking ships fleeing the rat. He also referenced the Crimean war (the 19th century one) by calling the few MPs rushing to defend Johnson as “the charge of the lightweight brigade”.
Apparently, Gove sneaked into Downing Street this morning and delivered the “Go Now” message.
4-15 pm resignations now up to 32.
To say that the atmosphere at Westminster is febrile would be an understatement.
It was said that senior MPs were going to see Johnson with a bottle of scotch and a revolver in the good old-fashioned British solution. Except Johnson would probably drink the whisky and shoot the delegation.
At 4-30 pm a group of cabinet ministers, led by the chief whip are waiting at Downing Street to give Johnson the message that he is not wanted.
Meanwhile, Johnson has been given a hammering in the liaison committee meeting. It has been very uncomfortable for him and he is bumbling and fluffing around and being unable or unwilling to give a straight answer to many of the questions.
There are now more illegal cross-channel immigrants on an average dinghy than ministers left on the sinking ship that is Johnson’s government!
4-40 pm now 33 resignations.
4-47 pm, more senior MPs waiting at Downing Street, including amazingly Nadhim Zahawi who was only appointed as the replacement Chancellor last evening.
TV commentator suggests that Johnson is displaying all the tendencies of a narcissistic sociopath.
5-15 pm now 35 resignations.
6-00 pm two factions meeting at Downing Street, one wants Johnson to go and one wants Johnson to stay. This is all getting very messy. Whatever happens, it will result in ongoing civil war within the Conservative party. The money is on Johnson not leaving until he is dragged kicking and screaming from Downing Street. However, there is a meeting of the 1922 committee tonight. There is an election for membership of the committee next week and it is then that they will probably change the rules so that another vote on leadership is permitted (normally only one vote per year is allowed). This will in all probability be the end for Johnson.
6-30 pm The Chief Whip and chairman are now at Downing Street to put pressure on Johnson. The thought is that he will still refuse to go and it will be up to the 1922 committee to wield the axe next week.
7-00 pm now 38 resignations.
Everyone knows that Johnson is finished except Johnson.
7-20 pm The Times reports that even Priti Patel the Home Secretary, one of Johnson’s most staunch supporters, is calling for Johnson to go.
7-30 pm Graham Brady chairman of the 1922 committee spotted going into Downing Street.
There are now 44 resignations.