MPs in Greater Manchester have reacted to tonight's shock double Cabinet resignation, telling Prime Minister Boris Johnson: "It's time to go."
Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, resigned shortly after his colleague, Health Secretary Sajid Javid, also announced his resignation - piling further pressure on the under-fire PM. In his devastating letter of resignation, Mr Sunak said the public 'rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously'.
"I recognise this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning," he said.
In his letter, Mr Javid said the recent vote of no confidence in the PM was a 'moment for humility, grip and new direction', adding: "I regret to say, however, that it is clear to me that this situation will not change under your leadership - and you have therefore lost my confidence too."
MPs in the region were quick to react to the news, posting comments on social media. Ashton-under-Lyne MP Angela Rayner, the deputy leader of the Labour Party, led the way, saying the Government was 'collapsing' and that the PM had 'disgraced his office'.
She said on Twitter: "This Prime Minister has disgraced his office and let down our country. After all the sleaze, scandals and failure, it's clear his Government is collapsing. His cheerleaders have been complicit every step of the way, through all the lies and law-breaking. Britain deserves better."
Christian Wakeford, Labour's Bury South MP who defected from the Tories, called for Mr Johnson to stand down. Also on Twitter, he said: "The majority of his backbenchers have lost confidence in him, his chancellor and Health Secretary have lost confidence in him. It's time to go."
Oldham East and Saddleworth Labour MP Debbie Abrahams, meanwhile, quote tweeted news of Mr Javid's resignation, saying: "The beginning the end..." She followed that up with 'And now Sunak' in response to a Twitter post on his resignation.
Their comments follow a statement issued by Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour Party leader, released after the news broke. He said 'it's clear that this Government is now collapsing' and said Cabinet ministers who have resigned have been 'complicit' as the Prime Minister 'disgraced his office'.
The Labour leader said: "After all the sleaze, the scandals and the failure, it’s clear that this Government is now collapsing. Tory cabinet ministers have known all along who this Prime Minister is.
"They have been his cheerleaders throughout this sorry saga:
– backing him when he broke the law
– backing him when he lied repeatedly
– backing him when he mocked the sacrifices of the British people.
"In doing so, they have been complicit every step of the way as he has disgraced his office and let down his country. If they had a shred of integrity they would have gone months ago.
"The British public will not be fooled. The Tory party is corrupted and changing one man won’t fix that. Only a real change of government can give Britain the fresh start it needs."
The Labour former shadows of Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid, meanwhile, have said the “problem isn’t just Boris Johnson” but the whole Conservative Party following the resignation of the two Cabinet members.
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves tweeted: “Rishi Sunak, Sajid Javid and every Tory MP who propped up this corrupt PM are responsible for his failures. They should’ve resigned months ago. Changing one man won’t fix this debased party. The truth is the Tory party is incapable of fixing the challenges our country faces.”
Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting posted: "Javid and every Conservative MP knew who Boris Johnson was when they backed him only weeks ago. The problem isn’t just Boris Johnson. It’s the whole Conservative Party. They are out of ideas, out of steam and out of touch. They are unfit to govern."
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