Boris Johnson’s premiership collapsed after a string of resignations, including from the chancellor, the health secretary and a number of Conservative ministers and aides. Here is a list of those who resigned.
Michelle Donelan – 8.51am Thursday
Less than 48 hours after she was appointed education secretary, Donelan quit, saying Johnson had put the cabinet in an “impossible situation”.
James Cartlidge – 8.09am Thursday
The courts minister said it was obvious that it was “no longer even remotely possible” to give Johnson a chance and put aside his “previous transgressions”.
The MP for South Suffolk said he had initially “felt duty bound to remain in post” because of the “challenging circumstances facing the criminal courts”, but that that position was “clearly untenable”.
Chris Philp – 8.02am Thursday
Urging the prime minister to deliver the gambling review “in full and undiluted”, the minister for technology and the digital economy said he could no longer serve in government on Thursday morning because of the importance of “integrity, honesty and trust in politics”.
Guy Opperman – 7.50am Thursday
The pensions minister told Johnson: “The government simply cannot function with you in charge.”
George Freeman – 7.21am Thursday
The minister for science, research and innovation wrote: “Enough is enough. This can’t go on. The chaos in No 10, the breakdown of cabinet collective responsibility, the abandonment of the ministerial code, the defence of impropriety and defiance of parliament are all insults to the Conservatism I believe in and stand for.”
Damian Hinds – 7.15am Thursday
The security minister was the third minister to go on Thursday morning. The MP for East Hampshire said there had been a “serious erosion” of standards.
He wrote: “More important than any government or leader are the standards we uphold in public life and faith in our democracy and public administration. Because of the serious erosion in these, I have come to the conclusion that the right thing for our country and our party is for you to stand down, as party leader and prime minister.”
Helen Whately – 6.49am Thursday
The MP for Faversham and Mid Kent resigned as a Treasury minister, saying of Johnson: “There are only so many times you can apologise and move on. That point has been reached.”
Brandon Lewis – 6.47am Thursday
The Northern Ireland secretary resigned early on Thursday morning, telling the prime minister that government required “honesty, integrity and mutual respect”.
In his resignation letter, the MP for Great Yarmouth told Johnson he had “given you, and those around you, the benefit of the doubt”.
“I have gone out and defended this government both publicly and privately. We are, however, now past the point of no return. I cannot sacrifice my personal integrity to defend things as they stand now. It is clear that our party, parliamentary colleagues, volunteers and the whole country, deserve better.”
Gareth Davies – 11.54pm Wednesday
The MP for Grantham and Stamford resigned late on Wednesday night as a parliamentary private secretary at the Department of Health and Social Care – “not a decision I have taken lightly”, he tweeted.
Edward Argar – 10.45pm Wednesday
The MP for Charnwood handed in his resignation as a minister of state for health. He wrote: “It is now the time to consider the future, and the ‘big call’ of how we face that future with integrity, and in that context I fear that a change is needed in order for our party to continue to deliver on our shared ambitions for our country.”
Simon Hart – 10.33pm Wednesday
The MP for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire resigned as secretary of state for Wales. He wrote in his letter to Johnson, published on Twitter: “I have never been a massive fan of ministerial resignations being the best means of forcing change.
“Colleagues have done their upmost [sic] in private and public to help you turn the ship around, but it is with sadness that I feel we have passed the point where this is possible.”
Danny Kruger – 9.36pm Wednesday
The Devizes MP quit as a parliamentary private secretary (PPS) for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities after the sacking of his boss, Michael Gove.
James Daly – 9.25pm Wednesday
The Bury North MP quit as a PPS at the Department for Work and Pensions.
David Mundell – 9.22pm Wednesday
The MP for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale quit as trade envoy to New Zealand.
Jacob Young – 8.39pm Wednesday
The MP for Redcar resigned as a PPS in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
Peter Gibson – 5.15pm Wednesday
Gibson resigned as a parliamentary aide in the Department for International Trade and cited the damaged caused by the government’s failure to ban conversion practices for trans people as one of the reasons.
Ruth Edwards – 4.57pm Wednesday
Edwards said she was “heartbroken” to learn that the prime minister had appointed Chris Pincher to deputy chief whip despite knowing about serious allegations of sexual misconduct.
Sara Britcliffe – 4.49pm Wednesday
Britcliffe said she was resigning as a parliamentary aide in the Department for Education “with a heavy heart”. She added: “This self-inflicted crisis risks undoing all of that. It’s time to draw a line.”
Mark Fletcher – 4.27pm Wednesday
The parliamentary aide in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy accused the prime minister of being an “apologist” for someone who has allegedly committed sexual assault.
James Sunderland – 4.09pm Wednesday
The MP resigned as a parliamentary aide in the environment department, without giving a reason.
Mike Freer – 4.03pm Wednesday
Freer resigned as minister for exports and equalities, saying: “I can no longer defend policies I fundamentally disagree with.” He also said the party was moving too far away from one-nation conservatism. He accused the government of “creating an atmosphere of hostility for LGBT+ people”.
Rachel Maclean – 3.38pm Wednesday
The MP resigned as a minister for safeguarding in the Home Office, saying she could not make progress with her job while Johnson remained in office. Maclean said he should resign for the good of the country and party.
Mark Logan – 3.32pm Wednesday
The MP resigned as a parliamentary aide in the Northern Ireland Office, saying the party needed to accept the reality staring it in the face. He said there was only so much that his constituents and the public “to accept or ignore.”
Craig Williams – 3.22pm Wednesday
The MP for Montgomeryshire said he was resigning as parliamentary private secretary to the chancellor of the exchequer. In a letter posted to Twitter, he said: “After the recent vote of confidence, I had given my support to you, with one last benefit of the doubt. I believed it was right that we draw a line under previous events and focus on rebuilding trust with the public and focusing on delivering good policies. It has now become apparent over recent days, that this is becoming impossible. It is therefore with deep regret that I resign from your government.”
Fay Jones – 3.07pm Wednesday
The parliamentary private secretary to the leader of the House of Commons issued a half-resignation, saying she would step down if the prime minister is not gone by Thursday.
Duncan Baker – 3.04pm Wednesday
Baker resigned as a parliamentary private secretary in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
In a statement on Facebook, the MP for North Norfolk said: “In my short time as the MP for North Norfolk, I have spoken out time and time again on matters relating to integrity, leadership and trust. I must remain true to my values and principles. I have felt for a considerable while that the situation cannot go on. I do not have confidence in the prime minister and resign my role as a PPS in the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.”
Mims Davies – 2.26pm Wednesday
Davies resigned as employment minister, saying the Conservative party needs a “fresh start”.
In a tweet, the Mid Sussex MP said: “I have tendered my resignation from the government from a role I have cherished for the last three years. I thank everyone @DWP from bottom of my heart for all their work, friendship & support. But Conservatives needs a fresh start & I can see no other way forward than this.”
Kemi Badenoch, Neil O’Brien, Alex Burghart, Lee Rowley and Julia Lopez – 2.25pm Wednesday
Five ministers resigned at once, signing a joint resignation letter saying “it has become increasingly clear that the government cannot function given the issues that have come to light”. The five are: Kemi Badenoch, the equalities minister; Neil O’Brien, the levelling up minister; Alex Burghart, the skills minister; Lee Rowley, the business minister, and Julia Lopez, the minister for media, data and digital infrastructure.
Selaine Saxby – 1.30pm Wednesday
The MP for North Devon has resigned as a parliamentary private secretary to George Eustice, the environment secretary, saying “trust, truth and integrity” were vital in politics.
David Johnston – 1.25pm Wednesday
The Wantage MP quit as parliamentary private secretary at the Department for Education.
Claire Coutinho – 1.21pm Wednesday
The MP for East Surrey has resigned as a parliamentary private secretary to the Treasury. Writing on Facebook, she said: “I firmly believe that what we need now, as we deal with the twin challenges of war in Europe and global inflation, is a laser-like grip on reforming our public services so that they work better for our constituents and focus on charting a path to prosperity through what is an increasingly challenging global outlook. I think the events of recent weeks and months are preventing us from doing that.”
Stuart Andrew – 12.42pm Wednesday
The MP for Pudsey resigned as a junior housing minister, saying “our party, particularly our members and more importantly our great country, deserve better”. In a tweet, he said: “There comes a time when you have to look at your own personal integrity and that time is now.
Jo Churchill – 12.01pm Wednesday
The MP for Bury St Edmunds since 2015 resigned as an environment minister, criticising Johnson’s “jocular, self-serving” approach to leadership. In her resignation letter, she wrote: “Recent events have shown integrity, competence, and judgment are all essential to the role of prime minister, while a jocular self-serving approach is bound to have its limitations.
“Our beloved country is facing an uncertain future and strong headwinds, a clear, selfless vision is needed. The country and party deserve better and so with a heavy heart I have decided to resign.”
Victoria Atkins – 11.21am Wednesday
The MP for Louth and Horncastle has resigned as a justice minister, telling Johnson: “I can no longer pirouette around our fractured values.” She added: “We can and must be better than this.”
John Glen – 11.06am Wednesday
The MP for Salisbury has resigned as a Treasury minister, saying Johnson’s “poor judgment” made it “impossible for me to square continued service with my conscience”. “After much thought and with deep regret, I must inform you that I have made the difficult decision to resign from the government,” he wrote.
Felicity Buchan – 11.05am Wednesday
The MP for Kensington has resigned from her role as parliamentary private secretary to the business secretary. In a letter posted to Twitter, she said “the current situation is untenable”.
Robin Walker – 9.43am Wednesday
The schools minister resigned saying the government had been “overshadowed by mistakes and questions about integrity”. In his resignation letter, he said: “Recent events have made it clear to me that our great party, for which I have campaigned all of my adult life, has become distracted from its core missions by a relentless focus on questions over leadership.”
The loss of Sunak and Javid reflected “a worrying narrowing of the broad church that I believe any Conservative government should seek to achieve”, he added.
Will Quince – 8.25am Wednesday
The children’s minister resigned saying he had “no choice” after he appeared on television to defend Johnson using Downing Street briefings that were not true. His letter said: “Dear prime minister. Thank you for meeting with me yesterday evening and for your sincere apology regarding the briefings I received from No 10 ahead of Monday’s media round, which we now know to be inaccurate.” The Colchester MP is facing a threat from the Lib Dems at the next election.
Laura Trott – 8.06am Wednesday
The MP for Sevenoaks is a rising star from the 2019 intake who resigned as a parliamentary aide to the transport secretary, Grant Shapps. She is a former special adviser to David Cameron, and stepped down saying: “Trust in politics is – and must always be – of the utmost importance, but sadly in recent months this has been lost.”
Alex Chalk – 10.47pm Tuesday
The solicitor general for England and Wales stepped down from his role after weeks on resignation watch. The Cheltenham MP will be defending a marginal seat against the Lib Dems. He said: “Government duty cannot extend to ‘defending the indefensible’.” Chalk wrote that the “cumulative effect of the Owen Paterson debacle, Partygate and now the handling of the former deputy chief whip’s resignation, is that public confidence in the ability of No 10 to uphold the standards of candour expected of a British government has irretrievable broken down”.
Theo Clarke – 10.02pm Tuesday
Another 2019 MP, Clarke is a niece of Jacob Rees-Mogg and was a trade envoy to Kenya. She stepped down from that role citing concerns over how sexual harassment allegations were handled. “As one of the party’s new female MPs and a member of the women and equalities select committee, I take allegations of sexual misconduct very seriously,” she said. “To learn that you chose to elevate a colleague to a position of pastoral care for MPs, whilst in full knowledge of his own wrongdoing, shows a severe lack of judgment and care for your parliamentary party. I was shocked to see colleagues defending the government with assurances that have turned out to be false.”
Virginia Crosbie – 8.58pm Tuesday
Crosbie resigned as parliamentary private secretary at the Wales Office, saying Johnson’s continued premiership risked “irrevocably harming this government”. She wrote that she was “forced to say the sheer number of allegations of impropriety and illegality” centred around Downing Street and Johnson’s premiership made his position untenable. “I am of the view that if you continue in office then you risk irrevocably harming this government, and the Conservative party and will hand the keys of Downing Street to a Labour party unfit to govern.”
Nicola Richards – 8.27pm Tuesday
Richards, another parliamentary private secretary to the Department for Transport, quit saying: “At a time where my constituents are worried about the cost of living and I am doing my best to support them, I cannot bring myself to serve as a PPS under the current circumstances, where the focus is skewed by poor judgment that I don’t wish to be associated with.”
Saqib Bhatti – 7.51pm Tuesday
The parliamentary private secretary to the health secretary quit saying his conscience would not allow him to continue to support this administration. He resigned his role with a statement saying that “recent events have undermined trust and standards in public life”.
Jonathan Gullis – 7.40pm Tuesday
Gullis has been one of Johnson’s staunchest supporters in the Commons, but even he stepped down as a parliamentary private secretary to the Northern Ireland secretary. He said the Conservatives had been too focused on reputational damage over governing. “It is for this reason I can no longer serve as part of your government,” he said.
Bim Afolami – 7.28pm Tuesday
The vice-chair of the Conservatives in effect resigned from his position live on TalkTV, saying he had lost confidence in the prime minister and would be stepping down from his role. He said: “I think what’s been very sad over the recent allegations about the former deputy chief whip and other things that have happened over the last few weeks is that I just don’t think the PM has any longer, not just my support, but I don’t think the support of party, or indeed the country, any more … it has become clear after losing the support of two of his closest cabinet colleagues that the time has come for him to stand down.”
Andrew Murrison – 7pm Tuesday
Murrison, a former defence minister, stepped down as a trade envoy to Morocco with concerns that he could no longer defend the prime minister. He said the “last straw in the rolling chaos of the past six months” was “the unjustifiable implication of Lord McDonald’s letter to the parliamentary committee for standards this morning.
“Others must square, as best they can, their continuing enjoyment of your patronage with their personal sense of decency, honour and integrity but I no longer can,” he added.
Rishi Sunak – 6.11pm Tuesday
Sunak was long known to have had tensions with the prime minister over the direction of economic policy, arguing for measures to bear down on inflation while Johnson wanted immediate tax cuts. He resigned citing differences of opinion over the economy, but also saying: “The public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously.”
Sunak will now be considered a future leadership contender, with his decision to walk out perhaps winning him back some credibility with colleagues after the furore over his wife’s non-dom tax status. He has been close to resigning on several occasions but had appeared to be trying to make things work, with a joint economic speech pencilled in for the coming weeks.
However, his patience ran out after the latest scandal – the handling of the Chris Pincher affair. As chancellor, he was known for the furlough scheme and quick action to prop up businesses during the pandemic. His low points have been getting a fine over attending the prime minister’s birthday party in lockdown and the criticism over his own and his wife’s tax affairs.
Sajid Javid – 6.02pm Tuesday
The former chancellor resigned once before over his differences with Boris Johnson, only to be replaced by Sunak. This time he was the first to trigger a walkout, calling Johnson’s competence into question. “The vote of confidence last month showed that a large number of our colleagues agree. It was a moment for humility, grip and new direction,” he said. “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.”
As health secretary, Javid has focused on trying to fix health inequalities and dealing with the Covid treatment backlog. But his resignation letter concluded he could no longer serve under Johnson. Like Sunak, he will be considered a potential leadership contender to succeed the prime minister, but, like the former chancellor, he has questions over his own former tax affairs, having admitted he was a non-dom for six years before he was an MP.
