Boris Johnson has made the right decision to resign. These were the strong words from a Tory MP in the area following the PM's announcement earlier today (July 7).
Boris Johnson confirmed he is stepping down as Prime Minister in an address to the nation this afternoon. It follows resignations from more than 50 members of Mr Johnson's government.
Tuesday night's shock resignations of health secretary Sajid Javid and chancellor Rishi Sunak were the first of many to follow. The Cabinet ministers resigned following the release of a televised interview with Johnson at 6pm on Tuesday evening in which he attempted to defuse the pressure around his handling of ex-deputy chief whip Chris Pincher's resignation last week.
Read more: Boris Johnson resigns with short statement to nation at Downing Street
With several Conservative MPs in the area speaking out against the PM in the past couple of days, only one so far has reacted to the news of his resignation. Dr Liam Fox, the MP for North Somerset, tweeted: "As the Conservative Party embarks on the process of selecting a new leader, we must not be distracted from our primary duty of providing good governance for our country at this difficult time in international affairs.
"Boris Johnson has made the right decision to resign. We need to show competence and purpose while a successor is chosen."
Yesterday (July 7) Kingswood MP Chris Skidmore was amongst those who called for Boris Johnson to go as Prime Minister, by urging a change in the Conservative Party rules so he can be kicked out. The Tory MP, who had previously remained tight-lipped about the questions over Boris Johnson's leadership, described what was 'tantamount to an effective cover up of sexual abuse' in the scandal of the Christopher Pincher affair, which appears to be the final straw for many Conservative MPs.
Labour MPs in the Bristol area have also shared their thoughts after the PM's resignation. Bristol East MP Kerry McCarthy MP said: “Boris Johnson was never fit to be Prime Minister. The real scandal is how he was allowed to remain in his position for so long.
"He can’t be trusted to remain in office until a successor is appointed – who knows what further havoc he would wreak? He should book the removal vans for No. 10 now.
“The emerging Tory leadership candidates are little better; they propped up Boris Johnson and defended the indefensible for much too long. They should have forced him out long ago.”
Bristol South MP Karin Smyth said: "After the sorry spectacle of the last 24 hours, the Prime Minister has finally been forced to announce his resignation.
"But communities in South Bristol and across the country are crying out for far more than this - they don’t want a rearranging of deck chairs, they want an end to this broken Tory government."
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