Yorkshire MP Stuart Andrew resigns ministerial job from Boris Johnson's top team
Pudsey MP Mr Andrew said: “Loyalty and unity are traits that I have always endeavoured to provide for our great party. However, I fear I have let these override my judgement recently.
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Hide Ad“There comes a time when you have to look at your own personal integrity, and that time is now.
“Therefore, given recent events, I have no other choice than to resign.”
Almost 20 MPs have departed from Government roles since yesterday evening, and a number of backbenchers have also made clear that the Prime Minister no longer enjoys their confidence.
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Hide AdMr Andrew published his resignation letter on Twitter, just as Prime Minister’s Questions was coming to an end, during which Mr Johnson faced numerous calls to step aside following the recent slew of scandals.
Tory Tim Loughton asked Mr Johnson in the Commons if there were “any circumstances” in which he should resign.
The Prime Minister replied: “Clearly if there were circumstances in which I felt it was impossible for the Government to go on and discharge the mandate that we have been given or if I felt, for instance, that we were being frustrated in our desire to support the Ukrainian people… then I would.
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Hide Ad“But frankly the job of a Prime Minister in difficult circumstances when he has been handed a colossal mandate is to keep going and that’s what I’m going to do.”
Mr Johnson had said, however, that the “colossal mandate” he had been handed by voters in 2019 meant he should keep going despite the “difficult circumstances” he faced.
During the session, one other Conservative MP had called on Mr Johnson to resign and accused him of always trying to blame others for his own mistakes.
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Hide AdBirmingham MP and executive secretary of the 1922 committee of backbench MPs Gary Sambrook told the Commons that in an “attempt to boost morale in the tearoom”, the Prime Minister said that “there were seven people, MPs, in the Carlton Club last week and one of them should have tried to intervene to stop Chris from drinking so much”.
He added: “As if that wasn’t insulting enough to the people who did try and intervene that night. And then also to the victims that drink was the problem.
“Isn’t it the example that the Prime Minister constantly tries to deflect from the issue, always tries to blame other people for mistakes and that at least nothing left for him to do other than to take responsibility and resign?”
His comment was met with an applause by the Opposition benches, which was immediately scolded by Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle.