London: Boris Johnson is in an “upbeat mood” and will “fight” to remain as British prime minister, a top aide of his has said, despite the involvement of some of the embattled premier’s most loyal cabinet ministers, including Home Secretary Priti Patel. . Revolted and demanded his resignation. Johnson’s Parliamentary Private Secretary James Dudridge said on Wednesday that he expects the prime minister to make senior cabinet appointments soon, amid speculation about his leadership. He said Johnson was in an “enthusiastic mood” and “will fight”, moments before it emerged that he had sacked a senior cabinet minister who was known to live in Downing Street.
Britain’s Secretary of State for Leveling Up Michael Gove reportedly told Johnson earlier in the day that it was time for him to step down. Johnson is believed to have called him from Downing Street to inform him that he had been fired from his ministerial position. Dudridge told Sky News that there would be a joint plan for the economy set by Britain’s new Chancellor Johnson and Nadim Jahavi on Thursday.
“He has a mandate of 14 million and has a lot to do for the country,” Dudridge said. “I expect he will make senior cabinet appointments this evening and I look forward to hearing what the PM and his illustrious chancellor Nadim Jahavi will say tomorrow,” he said.
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Other media reports also confirmed that Johnson, 58, has no plans to resign, with a No 10 Downing Street source saying the UK premier is “absolutely defiant”. Graham Brady, chairman of the influential 1922 committee of backbench Conservative lawmakers, has reportedly told its leader that there could be “another confidence vote” in the committee’s executive election on Monday, which Johnson is likely to lose.
A source close to Johnson said: “The prime minister knows he has a mandate of 14 million people (since the 2019 general election) and the only way for him to go is for the party to take that mandate from him.”
The 1922 committee is responsible for setting the timetable for the Tory leadership competition. To take part in the race, a Tory MP must be nominated by eight aides. If more than two MPs put themselves forward and receive enough nominations to run for leader, a series of secret ballots are held to narrow them down.
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It was thought that with a large part of his cabinet now demanding his resignation, Johnson would give up and step down. However, it now looks like he is determined to fight until he is voted out in a no-confidence vote by Tory party members.
Home Secretary Patel on Wednesday became the latest senior cabinet minister to withdraw his support for Johnson as leader of the Conservative Party, after UK media reports said he was part of a troupe of ministers that would seek support from the crisis-hit prime minister. With an ultimatum to step down.
The Indian-origin minister has so far said that she has no plans to resign after Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid’s dramatic exit from the cabinet, prompting a flurry of resignations from ministers and government aides, which now stands at 38 Is.
But ‘The Times’ newspaper was the first to report on Wednesday evening that Patel, a hitherto staunch loyalist of Boris, had switched ranks to join a cabinet ministerial delegation at 10 Downing Street to let him know his leadership. The time has come.
The BBC soon confirmed reports that he was on the group of ministers to replace Sunak, along with newly appointed Chancellor Xhawi, threatening to resign unless Johnson accepts his time in Downing Street. .
Patel, 50, is joined by other loyalists such as UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and Welsh Secretary Simon Hart. A delegation of senior politicians, believed to have also included Police Minister Kit Malthhouse, new Education Secretary Michelle Donelan and Chief Whip Chris Heaton-Harris, told Johnson that his position as prime minister was now unstable.
It follows a day of high political drama at the center of Westminster politics in London, with minister after minister stepping down, believed to be the highest number of UK government resignations in a single day since the 1930s. Is.