Boris Johnson wants to stay at the helm as caretaker Tory leader... partly to hold a lavish wedding bash at Chequers, sources claim.
He and wife Carrie have planned a party at the grace-and-favour home on July 30, a year on from their nuptials. A Tory source said: “It beggars belief.”
The PM announced his resignation but intends to stay until a successor is elected. It may take months.
His allies say that devotion to duty is why he wants to stay on at No10 until a new Conservative leader is elected.
But Tory insiders say one of the reasons is so he can stage one more party at Chequers while he still can.
The sources say the Prime Minister and his wife Carrie intend to throw a big wedding bash there this month.
One Tory insider told the Mirror: “It beggars belief that even after all the criticism Johnson has faced regarding integrity and probity, one of the reasons he is staying is to have his wedding party at Chequers.
“It’s a national asset not his personal home. The Johnsons should do the decent thing and find a different venue.
“And Boris should do the decent thing and leave No10 immediately”. A second source said: “It’s crass if it goes ahead.” Mr Johnson finally announced his resignation yesterday.
It came after he desperately tried to cling to power in the face of a massive Tory rebellion.
He was forced to the brink after months of scandal and lies that began with Partygate and concluded with the Chris Pincher sex pest row.
But in an unapologetic statement outside No10, the shameless PM fired a bitter broadside at the Tory Party’s “eccentric” decision to force him out.
With Carrie and baby Romy among the crowd, Mr Johnson said: “It is painful not to be able to see through so many ideas and projects myself.
“At Westminster the herd instinct is powerful, when the herd moves, it moves. I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world, but them’s the breaks.”
Tory leadership candidates were last night jostling for position as MPs from right across the party to become the next inhabitant of No10.
Nominations are likely to kick off next week with defence secretary Ben Wallace and ex-Chancellor Rishi Sunak among the favourites to take over.
Mr Johnson prompted a huge backlash from Tory grandees when he confirmed his intention to remain in office until a successor is elected.
In an astonishing move, he assembled a new-look Cabinet to replace the ministers who quit or were sacked since the political bloodbath began on Tuesday.
He told them the caretaker Government would not seek to implement new policies or make major changes of direction - with tax cuts left for the next PM.
But Tory insiders claimed that Mr Johnson was not motivated wholly by duty to stay on in No 10 until his successor is in post this autumn. at the grace-and-favour country home to mark their anniversary.
They said that he and wife Carrie wanted to throw a big bash at Chequers planned for July 30 for all their family and friends.
The couple had tied the knot at Westminster Cathedral in front of a handful of guests in May 2021.
They then celebrated in the Downing Street garden but were only allowed 30 guests because of Covid restrictions.
Two separate sources told the Mirror that Mr and Mrs Johnson were keen to go ahead with the party, set to be a bigger and more glamorous affair.
The PM would have to cancel the lavish do if he leaves office immediately.
But a spokesman for Mr Johnson said: “The PM has a strong sense of duty and will continue to serve his country until a new leader is in place solely to continue his obligation to the public.”
Downing Street was unable to say who was paying for the wedding anniversary party.
There is not yet any agreement on when he actually has to leave No 10 - and all its trappings - with the executive of the Tory backbench 1922 committee expected to draw up a timetable.
Just minutes before the PM delivered his statement, No 10 sources claimed there were tensions between him and key aides over whether he would commit to a departure date.
There was growing pressure for Mr Johnson to stand down before the summer - but it would rely on another Cabinet putsch which insiders think is unlikely.
Tory MP Andrew Bridgen has urged Sir Graham Brady to shorten the process to replace Mr Johnson.
He said: “I think we will have two candidates out to present to the membership before recess. And that will be no more than three or four weeks.
“So by the end of August we will have a new leader of the Conservative Party. So Boris Johnson’s estimate that he’ll still be Prime Minister in October is wildly inaccurate.”
Mr Johnson announced Greg Clark as the new Levelling Up Secretary, replacing sacked Michael Gove, while James Cleverly has been made the third Education Secretary in as many days.
Former PM Sir John Major said it would be “unwise and may be unsustainable”
to allow Mr Johnson to stay on for a prolonged period in which he would continue to wield considerable power.
“Some will argue that his new Cabinet will restrain him. I merely note that his previous Cabinet did not - or could not - do so,” he said.
Veteran Conservative Lord Michael Heseltine says Boris Johnson should leave office straight away.
The former deputy prime minister says there is a “lack of trust” in Johnson.
“Leaving him in a position where he can use the power of the premiership to suit his own causes and his own interests is a very dangerous thing to do”, he tells the BBC.
“It will merely perpetuate the uncertainty,” he adds.
The Conservative veteran says rules should be adopted to speed up the process of choosing a new prime minister and Johnson’s deputy, Dominic Raab, should be put in place in the meantime.
It comes after, as we reported earlier, former Prime Minister Sir John Major said it was “unwise” for Boris Johnson to remain in office while his successor is chosen.
Labour said it will seek a Commons vote of confidence if Mr Johnson does not go soon, which could mean a general election if the Government is defeated.
Keir Starmer said the Conservatives should not “inflict” someone they deem to be “unfit” for office on the country.
Boris Johnson and his former ministers are entitled to almost half a million pounds in taxpayer-funded redundancy payments for resigning from their posts, according to analysis by the Lib Dems.
MPs leaving office are entitled to 25% of their annual salaries in severance, even if they quit for political reasons within hours or leave in disgrace.
A total of 59 MPs who have resigned or been sacked from the Government since Tuesday evening.
It is the equivalent of a third of the total “payroll vote” in the House of Commons – the number of MPs who hold positions from which they would have to resign in order to oppose the Government.
The 59 comprises six Cabinet ministers, 23 ministers, 22 parliamentary private secretaries, five trade envoys and three vice-chairs or deputy chairs of the Conservative party. since Tuesday night.
The Prime Minister will be in line for £18,860.
Chris Pincher, the Tory MP whose alleged behaviour triggered the scandal that led to the Government imploding, is reportedly entitled to a £7,920 after leaving his job as Deputy Chief Whip.
His future
Boris Johnson is now a lame-duck Prime Minister who will be forced to watch his party choose his successor from the sidelines.
He is likely to spend time at Chequers, the PM’s country retreat in Buckinghamshire, deciding with his wife Carrie what to do next.
A return to what he boasted last week was a “lucrative” writing career would seem inevitable.
He commanded a £275,000-a-year salary at The Daily Telegraph before entering No10 - and now, as a former PM, he will be able to demand even more.
He will also return to the after-dinner speaking circuit. Between being Foreign Secretary and PM, he earned from £21,250 to £122,899 for speeches; again, his Downing Street tenure will have boosted his fee.
Johnson should also finally get round to finishing his book on Shakespeare.
The 58-year-old could also look for an international role.
He is genuinely passionate about girls’ education and clearly cares deeply about Ukraine.
If the United Nations was looking to create an envoy post for rebuilding the war-ravaged nation after the conflict, Johnson may fancy his chances.
Less likely would be a job such as NATO Secretary-General when that comes up in two years. Then there is showbiz; Johnson has always adored the limelight.
His legacy
- A nation divided by Brexit
- Highest peacetime rates of taxation
- Contempt for rule of law; first premier to be fined by police for breaking his own laws
- Trashed Britain’s reputation by trying to axe Brexit trade deal for Northern Ireland
- NHS backlog of 6.6m people
- Economic harm from Brexit twice as severe that from Covid
- Slowest growth of the G7 in 2023
- Inflation at 9% and is set to climb to 11%
- 181,000 Covid deaths, many of people unlawfully returned to care homes
- Billions wasted on PPE fraud and cronyism
