Why has Boris Johnson resigned as Conservative Party…

Why has Boris Johnson resigned as Conservative Party leader?

Boris Johnson has agreed to resign this morning after a crisis in the Conservative party saw swathes of ministers quit his government.

He is due to make a statement outside No 10. later today confirming he will be stepping down amid calls from some of the most senior members of the party that it was time for him to go.

But after being elected with a huge mandate in 2019, and having successfully negotiated the UK out of the European Union, why has he chosen to end his term as Prime Minister early?

Support for Mr Johnson took a big hit in April of this year after he and now former Chancellor Rishi Sunak were fined as part of a police probe into allegations of lockdown parties held at Downing Street during the Covid pandemic.

Mr Johnson said it "didn’t occur" to him that the gathering in the Cabinet Room on June 19 2020 to mark his 56th birthday was a violation of coronavirus rules.

The violation of lockdown measures prompted fury among the general public - many of whom had made unimaginable sacrifices at the same time as government officials were found to have partied.

The Prime Minister chats and holds a glass for himself during a gathering for the departure of a special adviser (PA Media)

The Lord Wolfson of Tredegar QC resigned from his role as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice on April 13 over the scandal and Johnson's "repeated rule breaking and breaches of the criminal law in Downing Street".

And following the much-anticipated publication of the Sue Gray report, Paul Holmes resigned from his role as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Home Secretary on May 27 - raising concerns about the government's "toxic culture."

Last month, Johnson's future as PM came under fire once again as a vote of no confidence in his leadership was tabled. However, he went on to survive the vote with 211 ministers voting in favour and 148 against him in a major Tory rebellion.

The aftermath of the vote saw Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary John Lamont step on June 6, having voted against Johnson.

First indications that support for Johnson was wavering on the frontbenches arose when Chairman of the Conservative Party, Oliver Dowden resigned on June 24, following the results of the Tiverton and Honiton and Wakefield by-elections, which saw the Tories lose both seats.

But things came to an ugly head this week when it emerged that Johnson had been made aware of a complaint against MP Chris Pincher before promoting him to Deputy Chief Whip. Allegations emerged last week that Mr Pincher was alleged to have groped two men in a private members' club, which led to his suspension.

It was in the context of this latest scandal that Sajid Javid resigned from his role as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on Tuesday (July 5), stating that the public "expect integrity" from the Government.

Just minutes later, Rishi Sunak announced on Twitter that he would be resigning as Chancellor of the Exchequer. He stated that the PM’s approach was “fundamentally too different” from his own.

Since Tuesday night, more than 50 MPs have resigned from government or party roles. The Prime Minister had sought to defy his critics and carry on in office, despite warnings from Cabinet colleagues that this was not sustainable.

But resignations continued and Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi – who was only appointed to the role on Tuesday – went public with his call for the Prime Minister to quit.

The timetable for the Tory leadership contest will be agreed between the 1922 Committee, which runs the parliamentary proceedings to whittle the candidates down to two, at Conservative headquarters.

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