BORIS Johnson is refusing to quit as Prime Minister despite dozens of resignations having crippled his government.
By 10:45pm on Wednesday, Johnson had seen 44 members of his own government resign in little more than 24 hours.
On top of that, the Tory leader also fired Michael Gove, his levelling up secretary. Gove, called a "snake" by a Downing Street source, was given the boot after he told Johnson that the time had come for him to resign as Prime Minister.
Other top Tories and close allies of Johnson, including Home Secretary Priti Patel and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, also reportedly told him it was time to leave No 10.
Another Cabinet minister, secretary of state for Wales Simon Hart, resigned late in the evening saying it was no longer possible to turn the government led by Johnson around.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson rejects Section 30 order as his Cabinet falls apart
However, James Duddridge, the Prime Minister's Parliamentary Private Secretary, told Sky News there were plenty of people who were "keen, willing and able to serve" under Johnson.
The raft of vacancies in the UK Government has left black holes in policy, not least the flagship “levelling up department” which Johnson created.
It may prove very difficult to fill any of the roles. No 10 sources had been briefing the press that appointments would be announced on Wedneday night, but by 11pm not one had been.
However, the Prime Minister has stubbornly refused to quit, insisting he has a mandate from 14 million voters to lead the UK. The Sun reports him telling MPs they would need to "dip their hands in blood" in order to get rid of him.
This is a misrepresentation of the Westminster electoral system, which does not provide a mandate to a single leader but instead to each individual MP.
Backbench Tories, including the vice-chair of the 1922 Committee William Wragg, have pointed out that this is the case and urged Johnson to walk.
If he continues to refuse to leave, as looks to be the case, that backbench committee will reportedly seek to change its own rules to allow a second vote of no confidence in the Tory leader within 12 months of the last one.
The previous no confidence vote, held in early June, saw Johnson cling on by 211 votes to 148. However, the number of resignations which have poured in suggest that this result would be overturned should the vote be held again.
Reports in the Telegraph claim that the whips' office, having crunched the numbers, believe that just 65 MPs would vote in support of Johnson.
Regardless, the Prime Minister is said to want to force a second no confidence vote in order to try to cling on to power. Sources in Downing Street have claimed such a vote would be the parliament against the people – who they claim voted for Johnson.
The populist rhetoric has drawn comparisons to Donald Trump, the former US president who refused to concede having lost the election to Joe Biden.
I have always resisted comparisons between Boris Johnson and Donald Trump. Not tonight.
— Andrew Neil (@afneil) July 6, 2022
Johnson’s former chief aide Dominic Cummings wrote on Twitter: "Deep in the bunker, someone is shortly going to suggest, 'PM why not call on Tory members to make their views heard at Parliament to stop the election result being stolen, I mean, fuck it right, no going back now...'"
The Prime Minister is also planning to launch a revised economic plan alongside his new Chancellor, Nadhim Zahawi.
This plan will “definitely” contain tax cuts, Duddridge said, although he admitted he was not privy to the details.
The tax cuts are likely to form a key part of Johnson’s pitch to remain as leader of his party. He is hoping to frame the choice as between him and economic recovery or the chaos of a leadership election and likely General Election.
The Johnson camp is also hoping to push the rhetoric that a General Election will see a hung parliament, with Labour relying on the SNP to form a government. They will brand this as the end of the UK, and pitch Johnson as the alternative.
The Prime Minister also found time on Wednesday to send a letter to Nicola Sturgeon rejecting a request for a Section 30 order to hold a Scottish independence referendum.
Who has quit Boris Johnson’s government?
Here is a list of the 42 MPs who have resigned from the Government since Tuesday evening. It does not include Michael Gove - who was fired, or Fay Jones - who said she will quit if Johnson has not gone by Thursday.
The list of resignations is the equivalent of around a quarter of the total “payroll vote” in the House of Commons.
The 42 comprises two Cabinet ministers, 15 ministers, 20 parliamentary private secretaries, four trade envoys and one vice-chair.
1. Sajid Javid, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
2. Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer
3. Andrew Murrison, trade envoy to Morocco
4. Bim Afolami, Conservative Party vice-chairman
5. Saqib Bhatti, parliamentary private secretary at the Department of Health and Social Care
6. Jonathan Gullis, parliamentary private secretary at the Northern Ireland Office
7. Nicola Richards, parliamentary private secretary at the Department for Transport
8. Virginia Crosbie, parliamentary private secretary at the Welsh Office
9. Theo Clarke, trade envoy to Kenya
10. Alex Chalk, Solicitor General
11. Laura Trott, parliamentary private secretary at the Department for Transport
12. Will Quince, parliamentary under-secretary of state for children and families at the Department for Education
13. Robin Walker, minister of state for school standards at the Department for Education
14. Felicity Buchan, parliamentary private secretary at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
15. John Glen, minister of state at the Treasury
16. Victoria Atkins, minister of state for prisons and probation at the Ministry of Justice
17. Jo Churchill, parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
18. Stuart Andrew, minister of state for housing at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities
19. Selaine Saxby, parliamentary private secretary at the Treasury
20. Claire Coutinho, parliamentary private secretary at the Treasury
21. David Johnston, parliamentary private secretary at the Department for Education
22. Kemi Badenoch, minister of state at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities
23. Julia Lopez, minister of state at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
24. Lee Rowley, parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy
25. Neil O’Brien, parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities
26. Alex Burghart, parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department for Education
27. Mims Davies, parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department for Work & Pensions
28. Duncan Baker, parliamentary private secretary at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities
29. Craig Williams, parliamentary private secretary at the Treasury
30. Mark Logan, parliamentary private secretary at the Northern Ireland Office
31. Rachel Maclean, parliamentary under-secretary of state for safeguarding at the Home Office
32. Mike Freer, parliamentary under-secretary of state for exports at the Department for International Trade
33. Mark Fletcher, parliamentary private secretary at the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy
34. Sara Britcliffe, parliamentary private secretary at the Department for Education
35. Ruth Edwards, parliamentary private secretary at the Scottish Office
36. Peter Gibson, parliamentary private secretary at the Department for International Trade
37. David Duguid, trade envoy for Angola and Zambia
38. James Sunderland, parliamentary private secretary at the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
39. Jacob Young, parliamentary private secretary at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
40. James Daly, parliamentary private secretary at the Department for Work & Pensions
41. David Mundell, trade envoy for New Zealand
42. Danny Kruger, parliamentary private secretary at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities
43. Simon Hart, Secretary of State for Wales
44. Ed Argar, minister of state for health
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