Boris Johnson has faced questions from MPs at Prime Minister’s Questions as ministers and aides continue to quit his Government in protest at his leadership.
The crisis at the heart of Mr Johnson’s administration started to unfold on Tuesday evening when chancellor Rishi Sunak and health secretary Sajid Javid quit their posts, to be replaced by Nadhim Zahawi and Steve Barclay.
Robin Walker, Will Quince, John Glen, Victoria Atkins and Jo Churchill all resigned as ministers on Wednesday as the crisis escalated for the Prime Minister.
Here are the latest updates:
12.45pm
Kate Griffiths, the Tory MP for Burton and Staffordshire, has withdrawn her support for Mr Johnson, saying she is “furious” about this week’s Chris Pincher revelations and the Prime Minister should “do the right thing and allow the party to move forward”.
“As constituents know, I have supported the Prime Minister over recent months because I believe that he had got all the big decisions right and his leadership had steered us through some difficult times both home and abroad,” she said in a statement.
“I had hoped that following the confidence vote, we would be able to move ahead and tackle the crucial issues affecting us all. However, like many colleagues, I have had to reassess my position after events of the past couple of weeks.
“It is clear that under the Prime Minister we are not making the progress the country, and crucially, my constituents expect.
“As someone who has been the victim of abuse, at the hands of an MP who told me his position would mean no-one would believe me over him, I am furious that it has now come to light the Prime Minister was aware of the allegations against Chris Pincher, and promoted him to a Government position anyway.
“I promised I would be a voice for victims in Parliament and I cannot do that when the Prime Minister does not take these allegations seriously.
I hope the Prime Minister will do the right thing and allow the party to move forward and deliver what we set out to do.”
12.41pm
Mr Johnson tried to draw the focus back to efforts to help the economy as Mr Blackford told him “it really is over”.
The SNP MP said: “He really ought to see the faces behind him because, Prime Minister, it really is over. The Prime Minister is desperately clinging on to his own fantasy.
“But the public can’t afford to put up with this farce of a Government a minute longer. Today we should be talking about the Tory cost-of-living crisis, soaring inflation and the growing cost of Brexit. But, instead, it’s always about him.
“How many more ministers need to quit before he finally picks up his pen and writes his own resignation letter?”
The Prime Minister said he thought the question was “excellent when he was talking about the economy because that is the issue that the country faces”.
He added: “That is where this Government is introducing, I think, the most important (solutions), helping… families up and down the country with £1,200 going into their bank accounts right now, cutting taxes for 30 million people, £330 tax cut, and helping half a million people into work through the way to work scheme.
“That is a fantastic thing to be getting on and doing. That is the priority of this Government and that’s what I’m going to focus on. I’m glad he likes it.”
Mr Blackford said: “My goodness, nothing to see, we should all move on if we live in the world of the Prime Minister.”
12.37pm
The Prime Minister dismissed a question over reports that he wanted to build an expensive treehouse in the grounds of Chequers as “fantasy”.
Labour MP Matt Western (Warwick and Leamington) stressed that public-sector workers like teachers and nurses were struggling on current salaries.
He said: “They, and indeed working people everywhere, are struggling to pay their rents and their mortgages. Given they can barely afford a £150,000 mortgage on a new home, can he tell this House how he can afford a £150,000 treehouse?”
Mr Johnson replied: “What I can tell him is that up and down the country, rather than talking about fantasy infrastructure, I can tell him about real infrastructure, we are helping to unite and level up the people of this country with £650 billion of investment.”
12.36pm
Mr Johnson told MPs his job is to “keep going” after a Conservative backbencher asked in what circumstances he would resign.
Conservative former minister Tim Loughton asked: “Does the Prime Minister think there are any circumstances in which he should resign?”
The Prime Minister replied: “Clearly if there were circumstances in which I felt it was impossible for the Government to go on and discharge the mandate we have been given, or if I felt, for instance, we are being frustrated in our desire to support the Ukrainian people, or over some related point, then I would.
“But frankly, Mr Speaker, the job of a Prime Minister in difficult circumstances when he has been handed a colossal mandate is to keep going and that is what I am going to do.”
12.34pm
![Ian Blackford](http://image.assets.pressassociation.io/v2/image/production/beb9236340751bc6202cdca2523d46b4Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNjU3MTkzNjg2/2.67760351.jpg?w=640)
12.33pm
SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford urged Mr Johnson to call a general election if he will not resign.
Asking his second question, Mr Blackford said: “A few weeks ago I compared the Prime Minister to Monty Python’s Black Knight, actually turns out I was wrong – he’s actually the dead parrot.
“Whether he knows it or not, he’s now an ex-prime minister. But he will leave behind two deeply damaging legacies. I hope the dishonesty of his leadership follows him out of the Downing Street door.”
12.32pm
Sir Keir said: “What a pathetic spectacle, the dying act of his career is to parrot that nonsense.
“As for those who are left – only in office because no-one else is prepared to debase themselves any longer. The charge of the lightweight brigade. Have some self-respect.
“For a week he’s had them defending his decision to promote a sexual predator… anyone with anything about them would be long gone from his frontbench. In the middle of a crisis, doesn’t the country deserve better than a Z list cast of nodding dogs?”
Mr Johnson replied: “It’s exactly when times are tough and when the country faces pressures on the economy and pressures on their budgets, and when we have the biggest war in Europe for 80 years, that is exactly the moment that you’d expect a Government to continue with its work, not to walk away, and to get on with our job and to focus on the things that matter to the people of this country.”
12.28pm
![Jo Churchill](http://image.assets.pressassociation.io/v2/image/production/665278eda75001a832d6ced0e6db5843Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNjU3MTkzMzE5/2.67760420.jpg?w=640)
12.27pm
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12.25pm
Sir Keir said: “Awful behaviour, unacceptable in any walk of life, it’s there for all to see but he ignores it.
“It was the same when his ally was on the take from the lobbyists. It was the same when his Home Secretary was bullying staff. It was the same when taxpayers’ money was being abused and it was the same when he and his mates partied their way through lockdown.
“Anyone quitting now after defending all that hasn’t got a shred of integrity. Isn’t this the first recorded case of the sinking ships fleeing the rats?”
Mr Johnson replied: “He talks about integrity and he wanted to install the member for Islington North (Jeremy Corbyn) into Number 10… imagine what our country, what the world, would be like now.
“He voted 48 times to overturn the will of the British people and take us back into the EU.”
12.24pm
Mr Johnson told MPs: “The job of a Prime Minister in difficult circumstances when he has been handed a colossal mandate is to keep going and that’s what I’m going to do.”
12.23pm
Mr Johnson said that in “hindsight” he should have realised that Chris Pincher would have not changed.
His comments came as Sir Keir asked him: “No denial, and he says the matter was resolved when he means it was upheld.
“They’re all sitting there as if this is normal behaviour. When that young man reported his attack to a Government whip, she asked him if he was gay. When he said that he was, she replied ‘that doesn’t make it straightforward’.
“Will he apologise for those disgraceful comments on behalf of this Government?”
The Prime Minister replied: “I have already said that I regret very much that the member for Tamworth continued to hold office after the complaint was made against him in the Foreign Office, and it was resolved in the Foreign Office, his apology was accepted, but clearly that was not enough. And, in hindsight, I should have realised that he would not change.”
However, Mr Johnson insisted that when he was given the information that Sir Keir read out about the complaint that was made he “acted immediately”.
12.22pm
![Labour leader Keir Starmer speaks during Prime Minister’s Questions](http://image.assets.pressassociation.io/v2/image/production/6a2415e542f868912ee911110e18edd2Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNjU3MTkyOTMz/2.67760335.jpg?w=640)
12.19pm
The Labour leader asked: “None of that explains why he promoted him in the first place. And we have heard it all before. We know who he really is. Before he was found out, he has reported to have said, ‘he is handsy. That’s the problem. Pincher by name, pincher by nature’.
“Now, has the Prime Minister ever said words to that effect? And I’m not asking for bluster and half-truth. We’ve all had enough of that. Yes or no?”
The Prime Minister replied: “I am not going to trivialise what happened. Yes, because the very serious complaints have been raised against the member for Tamworth, and they’re now being investigated. It is true. It is true that the complaint was raised when he was in the Foreign Office and the matter was resolved. It is absolutely true.
“It’s absolutely true that it was raised with me. I greatly regret that he continued in office, and I have said that. I have said that before. I have said that before, but it is now a subject of an independent investigation, and that is the right thing.”
12.18pm
It’s no longer about just swapping the man at the top.
It’s clear:
The only way the country can get the fresh start it deserves is by getting rid of this Tory government.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 6, 2022
12.14pm
Opening Prime Minister’s questions, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer read out the testimony of a man who accused a Conservative former minister of sexual assault.
After reading out the evidence of the man who accused Tamworth MP Christopher Pincher of assault, Sir Keir said: “I accept that is not easy listening, but it is a reminder to all those propping up this Prime Minister just how serious this situation is.
“He knew the accused minister had previously committed predatory behaviour but he promoted him to a position of power anyway. Why?”
Mr Johnson replied that Mr Pincher no longer had his Government job or the Conservative whip.
The Prime Minister added: “I want to say to him that I abhor bullying and abuse of power anywhere in Parliament, in this party or in any other party.”
12.12pm
Mick Whelan, general secretary of the train drivers’ union Aslef, said: “It is clear to even the most fervent fan of Boris Johnson, as it has been clear to many of us for years, that there is a moral vacuum at the heart of Government.
“With even previously loyal ministers deserting the sinking ship, it is time for the Prime Minister to do the right thing and step down. Not so much for the party – which is uppermost in the minds of most of those Tory MPs who have called on him to – but for the country.
“Nadhim Zahawi and Steve Barclay should be careful, as they accept promotion by a discredited PM, revealed as a serial liar, that they do not get tarnished by the Boris Johnson brush.”
12.10pm
Ms Churchill said in her resignation letter to the Prime Minister: “Recent events have shown integrity, competence, and judgment are all essential to the role of Prime Minister, while a jocular self-serving approach is bound to have its limitations.
“Our beloved country is facing an uncertain future and strong headwinds, a clear, self-less vision is needed. The country and party deserve better and so with a heavy heart I have decided to resign.”
12.09pm
It is with a heavy heart that I have this morning tendered my resignation to the Prime Minister. I will not be doing media interviews on this matter. pic.twitter.com/gjFCVCrXEy
— Jo Churchill MP (@Jochurchill_MP) July 6, 2022
12.08pm
Jo Churchill has resigned as a minister at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
In a tweet she said: “It is with a heavy heart that I have this morning tendered my resignation to the Prime Minister. I will not be doing media interviews on this matter.”
12.07pm
12.01pm
Boris Johnson has arrived in the Commons chamber for Prime Minister’s Questions.
11.51am
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11.50am
Robin Walker said he fears Mr Johnson has become a “distraction” from the Government delivering on its priorities.
He told Times Radio: “I want, absolutely, (the) Conservative government to be able to deliver on the priorities for which we were elected, but I fear that, sadly, Boris Johnson has now become a distraction from that.
“I do think we now need to move forward and find a new leader who can bring the party together and deliver on those key priorities that I think the public really want to see us focusing on.”
11.49am
In her letter of resignation, MP for Louth and Horncastle Victoria Atkins said: “It is with sadness and regret that I resign as Minister of State at the Ministry of Justice.
“Values such as integrity, decency, respect and professionalism should matter to us all. I have watched with growing concern as those values have fractured under your leadership, through Paterson, partygate and Pincher. I have given you the benefit of the doubt at each turn, out of loyalty to you as Prime Minister and to our great party.
“The events of this week, however, have made these contortions impossible. The casual mistreatment of Minister Will Quince and the revelations contained in Lord McDonald’s letter highlight just how far your government has fallen from these ideals. I can no longer pirouette around our fractured values. We can and must be better than this.
“This is at a time when our constituents face grave cost-of-living pressures not experienced for decades. These challenges demand resolute focus and we must take the country with us. We cannot provide that focus at present.”
11.46am
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11.44am
Robin Walker said it would be “sensible” for Mr Johnson to quit today after his own resignation as schools minister.
Asked what prompted him to step down, he said the departures of Mr Sunak and Mr Javid were “the straw that broke the camel’s back”.
He told Times Radio: “I think there’s been a hope for a long time that when the Prime Minister has said repeatedly that he was making changes at No 10, he was seeking to change the culture and move forward and focus on the people’s priorities, I like many others wanted to give him the opportunity to do that.
“But I think what we’ve seen is week after week, month after month, the revelations and the approach of decisions that have been made at the centre, and the way in which they’ve been made, have been undermining good colleagues who wants to deliver on those priorities.
“I think, for me, the resignations of Sajid and Rishi this week really were the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
Asked if the Prime Minister should quit today, he said: “I think that would be the sensible thing to do.”
11.42am
![Victoria Atkins](http://image.assets.pressassociation.io/v2/image/production/41043d93ee4b4b771504c40129eeec31Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNjU3MTkwNTc3/2.67759898.jpg?w=640)
11.37am
Victoria Atkins has resigned as a justice minister, telling Boris Johnson “I can no longer pirouette around our fractured values” and “we can and must be better than this”.
11.30am
Ipswich Conservative MP Tom Hunt has submitted a letter of no confidence in the Prime Minister and called for him to resign, saying “events of the past week have been the straw that has broken the camel’s back”.
“I have come to the conclusion, like a large number of my colleagues, that it’s in the best interests of my constituents, the country and the Conservative Party for the Prime Minister to step down,” he said in a statement posted to Facebook.
“A continuation of the status quo cannot continue and, regretfully, I believe that the Prime Minister’s tenure in office has run its course. Up until now I’ve continued to support the Prime Minister… however, events of the past week have been the straw that has broken the camel’s back.
“In a sense, one of the worst things about the revelations at the Carlton Club last week was how unsurprising they were to many colleagues. I personally find it hard to believe that the Prime Minister wasn’t aware of the extent of concerns about the former deputy chief whip.
“I strongly believe that the situation which occurred last week could have been avoided and I also think that the handling of it subsequently was deeply disappointing.
“I foresee things descending to new depths and I do not think that under the Prime Minister’s leadership it will be possible to unite the Conservative Parliamentary Party and give us the best chance possible of winning the next general election.
“There is no good in blaming sections of the media for the situation we find ourselves in. They’ve been giving the ammunition time and time again.”
11.25am
Lord Gavin Barwell said the departure of Mr Javid and Mr Sunak from the Cabinet will lead to more Conservatives losing faith in the Prime Minister.
The former chief of staff to Theresa May said he believed Mr Johnson could be gone by the summer, adding that the upcoming elections to the 1922 Committee may lead to a second vote of confidence before recess.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We’ve seen some further junior resignations this morning, we may soon be getting to a point where the Prime Minister is not going to be able to fill all the spots within the Government.
“I suspect what we will see is that the elections for the executive, the 1922 Committee, will give a majority to his opponents, they will change the rules and we may well have a ballot shortly before the summer recess.
“I find it very hard to believe that the resignation of two such senior ministers, who’ve clearly changed their minds since the confidence vote, isn’t going to lead to a significant number of MPs having changed their mind.”
11.23am
In her letter of resignation, Kensington MP Felicity Buchan said: “It is with great sadness that I tender my resignation as Parliamentary Private Secretary in the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
“It has been a huge honour to have served in this department at a time when energy security and the transition to net zero are so critical.
“However, I am afraid that you have lost the confidence of my constituents and me. The current situation is untenable.
“I believe passionately in Conservative values and want to ensure that we are implementing Conservative policies without distractions. That requires fresh leadership and it requires a new vision for the country. That vision must be a country of low taxes and high growth; we must be the party of aspiration.”
![Felicity Buchan](http://image.assets.pressassociation.io/v2/image/production/8508f4a668d2fd81f046177da6eeee59Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNjU3MTg5Mzcx/2.66489087.jpg?w=640)
11.22am
In his letter of resignation, Treasury minister John Glen, the Tory MP for Salisbury, said Mr Johnson’s “poor judgement” made it “impossible for me to square continued service with my conscience”.
“After much thought and with deep regret I must inform you that I have made the difficult decision to resign from the government,” he wrote.
“It has been a great privilege to serve as Economic Secretary to the Treasury under three Chancellors, but I can no longer reconcile my commitment to the role and to the financial services sector with the complete lack of confidence I have in your continuing leadership of our country.
“Recent events concerning the handling of the appointment of the former Deputy Chief Whip, and the poor judgement you have shown, have made it impossible for me to square continued service with my conscience.
“The country deserves better, and I must return to the backbenches to dedicate myself to the service of the people of Salisbury and South Wiltshire.”
11.20am
It is with great sadness that I have tendered my resignation today as a Parliamentary Private Secretary in the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Please find my resignation letter below. pic.twitter.com/SbBqNGO5Pn
— Felicity Buchan MP (@FelicityBuchan) July 6, 2022
11.17am
With deep regret I am resigning from the government.
I will not be doing media interviews regarding this. pic.twitter.com/IT0C50g8My
— John Glen MP (@JohnGlenUK) July 6, 2022
11.15am
Tory peer and pollster Lord Hayward said there is “absolutely no doubt” Boris Johnson has lost his “curious” attachment to the public.
He told Sky News: “I think this whole row is damaging the Conservative Party very badly.
“I’m not a great fan of snap polls, but YouGov’s poll overnight is absolutely clear – 54% of people who voted Conservative in 2019 are saying that Boris Johnson should go and just over 20% are saying he should stay.
“So there is absolutely no doubt that Boris Johnson, who had this curious built-in attachment to the public at large, has lost that link and lost it very clearly indeed.”
11.14am
Kensington MP Felicity Buchan has resigned from her role as parliamentary private secretary to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
In a letter posted to Twitter, she said “the current situation is untenable”.
11.11am
Treasury minister John Glen has resigned, telling Mr Johnson “I can no longer reconcile my commitment to the role” with “the complete lack of confidence I have in your continuing leadership of our country”.
![John Glen](http://image.assets.pressassociation.io/v2/image/production/7ca8c8bede7bb4beb7a2140de21b517dY29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNjU3MTg5MTE5/2.67759565.jpg?w=640)
10.56am
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10.41am
New Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi called for unity in the Conservative Party.
10.39am
Sir David Lidington added that the Government is at risk of losing the support of the electorate following the latest issues faced by the Conservative Party.
The former Cabinet Office minister told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The problem with the impact of partygate, Pincher and so on, people stop me in the high street and actually say they’ve always been Conservative voters but they no longer feel that the Government speaks for them.
“It’s thinking about the interests of people in the Government, and in-fighting, not about putting the country first.
“I think the credibility of the Government has been much more seriously and deeply damaged than some of the people around the Prime Minister in No 10 seem to think at the moment.”
10.25am
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10.18am
Lee Anderson, the Tory MP elected in 2019 for the Red Wall seat of Ashfield, questioned the Prime Minister’s integrity as he withdrew support for Mr Johnson.
“I have remained loyal to the Prime Minister since being elected in 2019,” he said.
“However my position has changed over the past few days since the incident which led to the deputy chief whip (Chris Pincher) losing the party whip.”
He said giving Mr Pincher the job, having been told about earlier inappropriate behaviour, was “not a good appointment” by Mr Johnson.
He highlighted the initial denial that the Prime Minister had been told about earlier allegations and then the change in the Government’s position to say Mr Johnson simply forgot.
“I cannot look myself in the mirror and accept this. It is my belief that our PM has got all the big decisions right and guided us through the most difficult time in my life time and I have always backed him to the hilt.
“That said, integrity should always come first and sadly this has not been the case over the past few days.”
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