Boris Johnson resigns: Five things that led to the PM’s downfall
By Owen Amos
BBC News
Less than three years ago, Boris Johnson led the Conservatives to their biggest election victory since 1987.
Now, the prime minister has lost the support of his MPs and is set to resign. How did it come to this?
The Chris Pincher affair
On Wednesday 29 June, the MP Chris Pincher – at the time, the Conservative deputy chief whip – went to a private members’ club in London. In his words, he “drank far too much” and “embarrassed himself”.
He was accused of groping two men, which led to a flurry of allegations, some dating back years. It set off a chain of events that ended with the prime minister’s downfall.
First, Downing Street said Mr. Johnson was not aware of “specific allegations” about Mr. Pincher before appointing him as deputy chief whip in February. Ministers later reiterated this line – even though it turned out to be inaccurate.
On 4 July, the BBC reported Mr Johnson had been aware of a formal complaint. The next day, a former civil servant – Lord McDonald – said the prime minister had been told of the complaint in person.
Mr Johnson then admitted he had been told in 2019 and apologized for appointing Mr Pincher as deputy chief whip.
Partygate
In April this year, the prime minister was fined for breaking lockdown rules, after attending a gathering on his birthday in June 2020.
He also apologized for going to a “bring your own booze” party in the Downing Street garden during the first lockdown.
More widely, the Metropolitan Police issued 126 fines to 83 people for breaking lockdown rules in Downing Street and Whitehall.
And a report by Sue Gray – a senior civil servant – described a series of social events by political staff that broke lockdown rules.
“The senior leadership at the centre, both political and official, must bear responsibility for this culture,” she wrote.
Last December, Mr Johnson told the Commons that “all guidance was followed completely in No 10”. He is now being investigated by a Commons committee over whether he knowingly misled Parliament.
The cost of living crisis – and a tax rise
Inflation has risen sharply in 2022, to the current rate of 9.1%.
Many of the reasons were outside Boris Johnson’s control. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, for example, has led to rises in oil prices and the cost of food.
And, while the government has taken some steps – for example, by cutting fuel taxes by 5 pence per litre – it also went ahead with a tax increase in April. National Insurance went up by 1.25 pence per pound. Note British Pound is 100 pence.
The government said the tax increase would pay for health and social care, and changes that kicked in this week softened the blow – but anyone earning more than £34,000 ($39,000 US) a year will still pay more.
“In the middle of the worst cost of living crisis for decades,” said Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer in April, “the government chooses to increase taxes on working people”.
Owen Paterson Affair
In October 2021, a House of Commons committee recommended a 30-day suspension for then-Conservative MP Owen Paterson.
The committee said he broke lobbying rules, to try to benefit companies who paid him.
But the Conservatives – led by the prime minister – voted to pause his suspension, and set up a new committee to look at how investigations were carried out.
After an outcry, Mr. Paterson ended up resigning. Mr. Johnson later admitted he had “crashed the car” in his handling of the case.
So, what happens now?
Boris Johnson has resigned as Conservative leader and will step down as prime minister when a new leader is found. But how does that happen?
How long will Boris Johnson stay in power?
In the past, prime ministers choosing to step down have usually stayed in office until a successor is found. That means he would stay in office until the Conservatives choose a new leader, as his predecessors Theresa May and David Cameron did when they resigned.
It’s been suggested that process could last until October, although it could be much shorter – the replacement of Theresa May as leader took two months.
In his resignation statement Mr. Johnson said: “I’ve agreed with Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of our backbench MPs, that the process of choosing that new leader should begin now and the timetable will be announced next week.”
Could he go any sooner?
Some Conservative MPs have suggested the timetable for the leadership election could be shortened and completed in a few weeks.
Former Conservative Prime Minister Sir John Major said it would be “unwise” for Mr. Johnson to stay in office for three months. He said one option was that Mr. Johnson could resign as prime minister immediately and his deputy Dominic Raab could take over temporarily.
But that appears unlikely now that Johnson has appointed a new cabinet.
Sir John also suggested there could be a significant change to the leadership election process.
And to add to the mix, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer says he intends to bring a parliamentary vote of no confidence.
Under a motion of no confidence, all MPs – not just Conservatives – would get to vote. One more MP voting in favor than against would be required for it to pass.
Such an outcome, however, would rely on Conservative MPs voting against their own government – which would be unlikely.
How do the Conservatives elect a new leader?
Once a Conservative leader stands down, an election for a new party leader is triggered. Under the current rules, candidates need the support of eight Conservative MPs to enter the race.
Once all the candidates have declared – if there are more than two candidates – Tory MPs will hold a series of votes until only two remain.
- in the first round, candidates must get 5% of the votes to stay in the running (currently 18 MPs)
- in the second round, they must get 10% (currently 36 MPs)
- in the following rounds, the candidate with the least number of votes is eliminated
When two MPs are left, all Conservative Party members around the country – so not just MPs – will vote for the winner. Of course, there’s still time to change that process.
Whoever wins the contest to lead the Conservatives will become the leader of the party with the largest number of MPs in Parliament.
The Queen will therefore ask them to form a government.
Will there be a general election?
Probably not.
When a prime minister resigns, there is not automatically a general election.
The latest an election can be held is January 2025, but the new prime minister could choose to call an election before then.
In the days following the prime minister’s announcement that he has resigned as leader of the Conservative Party a number of MPs have announced their bids to replace him.
So, Who could replace Johnson?
Ex-Chancellor Rishi Sunak, Attorney General Suella Braverman, former Equalities minister Kemi Badenoch and Foreign Affairs Committee chair Tom Tugendhat have all said they’ll run.
Also in the race are two former health secretaries – Sajid Javid and Jeremy Hunt, as well as Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.
Other possible contenders include International Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss.
What powers does Boris Johnson still have?
Until he goes to the Queen and formally resigns as prime minister, Mr Johnson still has the same powers, in theory.
In reality, he now lacks the authority to introduce any radical new policies and has promised his cabinet he will not make any “major changes of direction”.
He will still represent the UK abroad and can continue to make public appointments or changes to his team of ministers.
One of his final acts in office is likely to be awarding knighthoods and appointments to the House of Lords.
Now all this sounds very confusing, so I thought it would help if we broke down how the British Government actually works.
In our current situation here in the US, many people have suggested that maybe our British friends across the pond have a better system for dealing with a government out of control. So here goes.
How British government works
In the UK, the Prime Minister leads the government with the support of the Cabinet and ministers.
Who runs government?
The Prime Minister
The Prime Minister is the leader of Her Majesty’s Government and is ultimately responsible for all policy and decisions.
The Prime Minister also:
- oversees the operation of the Civil Service and government agencies
- appoints members of the government
- is the principal government figure in the House of Commons
The Cabinet
The Cabinet is made up of the senior members of government. Every week during Parliament, members of the Cabinet (Secretaries of State from all departments and some other ministers) meet to discuss the most important issues for the government.
1 Prime Minister
21 Cabinet Ministers (Transportation, Sect. of State, Education, Health & Social Services, etc.)
98 other ministers (Assistant Secretaries of the various agencies and Department heads)
120 Total Ministers
Ministers are chosen by the Prime Minister from the members of the House of Commons and House of Lords. They are responsible for the actions, successes, and failures of their departments.
How government is run
Departments and their agencies are responsible for putting government policy into practice.
Government departments
Some departments, like the Ministry of Defense, cover the whole UK. Others don’t – the Department for Work and Pensions doesn’t cover Northern Ireland. This is because some aspects of government are delegated to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Non-ministerial departments are headed by senior civil servants and not ministers. They usually have a regulatory or inspection function like the Charity Commission.
Executive agencies
These are part of government departments and usually provide government services rather than decide policy – which is done by the department that oversees the agency.
An example is the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (overseen by the Department for Transport).
300+ Agencies other public bodies
Legislation
Laws go through several stages before they are passed by Parliament. The House of Commons and the House of Lords work together to make them.
Bills are proposals for new laws or changes to existing ones. Once agreed by Parliament, they have to be approved by The Queen before becoming law.
Acts of Parliament
These are bills which have been approved by the Commons, the Lords, and The Queen. The relevant government department is responsible for putting the act into practice.
General elections
A general election is an opportunity for people in every part of the UK to choose their MP. This person will represent a local area (constituency) in the House of Commons for up to five years.
There is a choice of several candidates in each constituency. Some will be the local candidates for national political parties. The candidate that receives most votes becomes their MP.
When is the next general election?
The date of the next general election has not yet been announced. The Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022 revived the power of the monarch to dissolve Parliament, at the request of the Prime Minister of the day.
Who decides when to call a general election?
The government of the day can decide when to call a general election.
When is the latest that the next general election could be held?
The maximum term of a Parliament is five years from the day on which it first met. The current Parliament first met on Tuesday 17 December 2019 and will automatically dissolve on Tuesday 17 December 2024, unless it has been dissolved sooner by the Queen.
Polling Day would be expected to take place 25 days later.
Can I vote for a new Prime Minister?
Now folks, this is a key difference that you see between our government and that of The United Kingdom.
You can only vote to elect your local MP in a general election. You cannot vote for a new Prime Minister. If you live in the constituency represented by the current Prime Minister you are still only voting for them as your local MP in the next Parliament. This is the same if you live in the constituency of the leader of another political party. You will only be voting for them as your local MP.
So you as a citizen of the United Kingdom, do not get to elect the person that runs your government. Parliament does. Big difference!
So, who actually chooses the Prime Minister?
The Prime Minister is appointed by the monarch based on the political party that wins the most seats in the House of Commons at a general election.
Its leader becomes Prime Minister if the Queen approves.
The Prime Minister, with the Queen’s approval, then forms a new government, and appoints ministers who work in the government departments. The most senior of these attend Cabinet meetings.
So, there you have it folks. In our country we elect a president for 4 years and are pretty much stuck with that choice unless we impeach them. In the United Kingdom, all it takes is a vote of no confidence by Parliament and the Prime Minister is ousted and a new government is formed.
What do you think? Is this a better system than ours?