LONDON – Prime Minister Boris Johnson has survived scandals and setbacks that may have sunk many other politicians, in part because he maintained the backing of his cabinet. But that changed dramatically on Tuesday night.
Two senior ministers – the chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak and the health minister, Sajid Javid – have submitted their resignations after the prime minister apologized for the latest in a series of scandals that have engulfed his government. . Their departure opens a major rift at a time when Mr Johnson is battling a mutiny within his Conservative Party following months of uproar over Downing Street parties violating coronavirus lockdown rules.
Some analysts said the impact of those resignations would likely disrupt any support Mr Johnson still has in the party. While the mechanism for forcing him to leave office is complex – and Mr Johnson has yet to show any sign of his willingness to bow down to himself – the dynamics are all the more difficult for him.
Tim Bale, a professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London, said: “Javid and Sunak going together will punch a much bigger hole than if it were just one or the other. “I can’t see how he got through this. This time it really feels like the end of the road.”
Senior Conservative lawmakers also said the departures of Mr Sunak and Mr Javid would deal a fatal blow to Mr Johnson. Both are big party figures, with potential leadership aspirations of their own, although Mr Sunak’s star has faded in recent months because of questions about his wealthy wife’s tax status. mine.
One reason the cabinet is so important to Mr Johnson is that it has prevented a major figure from emerging as his rival. Whether Mr Sunak or Mr Javid will attempt to play the role is an open question – as is the question of whether other ambitious cabinet ministers will follow them out the door.
On Tuesday night, it appeared several other senior cabinet ministers were staying, including foreign minister Liz Truss; Secretary of Defense, Ben Wallace; and Michael Gove, a leading rival of Mr Johnson, whose key portfolio holder oversees an economic “leveling” policy aimed at boosting prosperity in the north of England.
Mr Johnson resisted a vote of no confidence in his party last month in large part because there was no clear successor for him. But a unraveling cabinet can bring such a figure to the stage.
