Boris Johnson

Westminster rocked as Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid quit Johnson's Cabinet. BRITAIN-HEALTH-POLITICS. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson ...

talkTV news channelthat he no longer supported the prime minister and that he believes both the Tory party and the country feel the same. Saqib Bhatti, Javid’s parliamentary aide, also quit, saying recent events had “undermined trust and standards in public life.” Johnson has meanwhile favored a tax-and-spend approach that has riled some on his backbenchers. Officials in both Sunak and Javid’s team insisted their resignations, which came nine minutes apart, were not coordinated. In his own letter, Sunak said leaving was a decision he had not taken lightly, and said the public had a right for government to be conducted “properly, competently and seriously.” Other more junior government figures swiftly followed.

Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid have decided they're finally done with 2022's full-scale debasement of public life, says Guardian columnist Marina Hyde.

Then this morning, we’ve had Raab, trying to fit wings to this baby: “I don’t think the prime minister is aware of any substantiated complaints against Chris Pincher, to the extent they would trigger a formal mechanism.” What is this word salad?! This, but for the government line on what it knew about Pincher. We’ve already established the fact that Boris Johnson employs people he knows have been accused of potential sex offences; now we’re just haggling about which types of sex offences he even pretends to give a toss about. In five days, on Pincher alone, we’ve had the prime minister knowing nothing about it and declaring the matter closed. Take Liz Truss. This is a secretary of state who actively encouraged even militarily untrained Britons to travel to Ukraine and take up arms in an actual war – yet who is somehow herself too cowardly to even make a move against Boris Johnson, no matter what lies pile up, what ferrets are reversed and what byelections are lost. The prime minister is the guy who sent you out on multiple media outlets this morning to advance yet another pack of lies for him, leaving you once again upstaged by your own throbbing forehead vein. The great tragedy of those who work for Boris Johnson is their failure to remotely grasp the naked contempt in which he holds them.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was dealt a huge blow on Tuesday when two of his top ministers announced their resignations, saying they could no ...

Javid added that the vote of confidence in the prime minister last month "was a moment for humility, grip and new direction." Johnson has faced numerous other scandals that have hit his standing in the polls -- despite his 80-seat landslide victory just two-and-a-half years ago. Backing him when he mocked the sacrifices of the British people," the Labour Party leader said in a statement released after the two resignations. "In preparation for our proposed joint speech on the economy next week, it has become clear to me that our approaches are fundamentally too different," Sunak added in the letter. The most immediate controversy facing Johnson is Downing Street's handling of last week's resignation of deputy chief whip Chris Pincher, who stepped down from his post last Thursday amid allegations he had groped two guests at a private dinner the night before. "The public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously," Sunak said in his resignation letter.

British Health Secretary Sajid Javid and British Chancellor Rishi Sunak have resigned from Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government.

"It is now clear [he] knew about the seriousness of these complaints but decided to promote this man to a senior position in government anyway. It's not what you would want to see from anyone in public life." To characterise the allegations as 'unsubstantiated' is therefore wrong." Mr Johnson was informed of the outcome, he said. There was a 'formal complaint'," he wrote. Downing Street initially claimed that Mr Johnson had not been aware of any "specific allegations" against Mr Pincher at the time of the February reshuffle.

The PM's knowledge about allegations against Chris Pincher and his reaction to the most recent claims over the past few days are likely to be addressed by ...

Liaison Committee chair and Conservative MP Sir Bernard Jenkin is unlikely to give the PM an easy ride after demanding to know in the Commons on Tuesday why those with "the wrong attitudes and the wrong behaviours" are promoted by their leaders. The PM is certain to be quizzed about what he knew, when he knew it and why ministers were briefed to deny his knowledge of the 2019 allegations. A few hours after what could be a bruising Prime Minister's Questions, the PM is set to be quizzed on a range of topics, including "integrity in politics", the rule of law, and Ukraine and its impacts on the UK, the rising cost of living and the government's response.

Boris Johnson was told of a complaint against Conservative MP Chris Pincher two years before promoting him, a minister said, in a major concession from the ...

Rishi Sunak, the chancellor of the Exchequer, and Sajid Javid, the health secretary, both quit in connection with a series of scandals that have raised ...

Mr. Sunak announced billions of pounds in additional spending in May to help people with the rising cost of living, partly funded by a windfall tax on oil and gas companies. Then it was revealed that Mr. Sunak continued to hold a green card, allowing him to live and work in the United States for months after he became chancellor. Businesses are wading through a slew of warnings as many of them struggle to hire workers since Brexit and the pandemic have diminished the pool of available workers. It is that last quality, analysts say, that made Mr. Johnson so vulnerable to the setbacks he has suffered. Mr. Sunak cited the economy in explaining why he was resigning as chancellor of the Exchequer, Britain’s top finance official. The government insisted for days that Mr. Johnson did not know of any previous accusations, but then it emerged that he knew of the 2019 complaint, yet appointed Mr. Pincher deputy whip. Those moves and his air of competence, quickly made him a popular face of the government response. The resignations thrust Mr. Johnson into the most perilous position of his three-year tenure as prime minister after a series of crises that prompted his fellow lawmakers to hold a no-confidence vote against him last month. “The public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously,” Mr. Sunak said in a statement. “I’ve embarrassed myself and other people which is the last thing I want to do and for that I apologize to you and to those concerned.” Last Wednesday, Mr. Pincher attended an event for the Conservative Friends of Cyprus at the Carlton Club in one of London’s most exclusive neighborhoods, not far from Buckingham Palace. He has been accused of groping two men while he was there. Regardless of whether the remainder of the cabinet stays loyal, Mr. Johnson faces an uphill battle to restore his battered authority.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday apologised and said he had made a mistake by not realising that former whip Chris Pincher was unsuitable for ...

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The two ministers resigned after a day in which the prime minister acknowledged he had changed his story on how he handled sexual misconduct allegations ...

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Editorial: The departure of Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid should herald the end of a discredited premiership.

A majority of Conservative backbenchers believe he should go, judging by the recent confidence vote that Mr Johnson won only with the help of those on the government payroll. Lord McDonald has spent a distinguished career exercising discreet influence at the top of government, advising foreign secretaries and prime ministers. The prime minister’s dissembling, his taste for obfuscation and self-serving half-truths, and his willingness to mislead are by now sadly familiar.

Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid have stepped down from their ministerial posts while several Tory MPs resigned from other roles.

“Last week, when fresh allegations arose, the Prime Minister did not immediately recall the conversation in late 2019 about this incident. In hindsight it was the wrong thing to do. “It was raised with me, orally, I was briefed on what had happened. “I apologise to everybody who has been badly affected by it. However, the public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously,” Sunak said in his letter to Johnson. “To leave ministerial office is a serious matter at any time. “It was something that was only raised with me very cursorily but I wish that we had – I, in particular – had acted on it and that he had not continued in government because he then went on, I’m afraid, to behave – as far as we can see, according to the allegations that we have – very, very badly.” Rayner, the Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office, questioned why Pincher’s conduct was not considered a breach of the ministerial code, and why Johnson allowed him to stay in post if he knew about the allegations. In the Commons, responding to an urgent question from Labour’s Angela Rayner, Cabinet Office minister Michael Ellis told MPs: “The Prime Minister was made aware of this issue in late 2019, he was told that the permanent secretary had taken the necessary action, no issue therefore arose about [Mr Pincher] remaining as a minister. He said: “What I can tell you is that, if I look at the background of this and why I regret it so much, is that about three years ago there was a complaint made against Chris Pincher in the Foreign Office, the complaint was cleared up, he apologised. The British Prime Minister acknowledged he should have sacked Pincher when he was told about the claims against him when he was a Foreign Office minister in 2019, but instead Johnson went on to appoint him to other government roles. Javid told the Prime Minister that the recent vote of confidence was a “moment for humility, grip and new direction”.

Key ministers Sunak and Javid resign after row over prime minister's honesty.

PM forgot he had been told about investigation that upheld complaint about Pincher's behaviour, minister says.

“At the time, last week, that was the prime minister’s view,” he said. Describing the 2019 investigation, Ellis said: “The exercise established that while the minister meant no harm, what had occurred caused a high level of discomfort. It is not my understanding that he was directly briefed.” “This information does take time to establish.” He said Johnson was briefed in late 2019 about the complaint about Pincher’s behaviour at the Foreign Office. “Last week, when fresh allegations arose, the prime minister did not immediately recall the conversation in late 2019 about this incident. Ellis said: “The prime minister was made aware of this issue in late 2019.

John Kilraine writes that the allegations about his deputy chief whip seem to have sealed Boris Johnson's fate as British Prime Minister.

However, he must be having doubts that the public will back him again. The 1922 committee will be electing a new executive and could change the rules to allow another no-confidence vote. It seems others may follow as part of a domino effect, but some ministers have pledged support.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, the Health Secretary told Boris Johnson that the British people 'rightly expect integrity from their Government'

“Our people know that if something is too good to be true then it’s not true. In hindsight it was the wrong thing to do. “I apologise to everybody who has been badly affected by it. As well as the Foreign Office complaint, Mr Johnson was also informed about another allegation against Mr Pincher at the time of the reshuffle when he was made deputy chief whip in February 2022, although this claim was “not taken forward”, according to No 10. The admission that Mr Johnson forgot about the earlier complaint came after the former top civil servant at the Foreign Office, Lord McDonald, said the original No 10 account was “not true” and the Prime Minister had been briefed “in person”. The Prime Minister acknowledged he should have sacked Mr Pincher when he was told about the claims against him when he was a Foreign Office minister in 2019, but instead Mr Johnson went on to appoint him to other government roles.

There is no shortage of potential candidates to take over as PM and Tory leader should Boris Johnson depart.

Firmly on the centrist side of the party, he could be viewed as a calming presence after the tumult of the Johnson years, if the membership are desperate for some stability, although their Brexit inclinations will weigh heavily. Despite long enjoying a profile as the bookies’ favourite to replace Johnson, the man who beat him in the last Tory leadership election, the former health secretary’s odds have now plummeted with many of the same bookies. He has frequently been talked about as the “safe pair of hands” replacement for Johnson – but in the wake of the moves by Javid and Sunak, a lack of boldness on the part of Hunt may now be more apparent than ever. However, he has also been criticised recently for slowness to help people in the cost of living crisis and gaffes that suggest he is out of touch, such as flaunting expensive personal items and building a swimming pool at his Yorkshire mansion. The MP has also emerged as a firm favourite among the Tory faithful. However, her star has fallen somewhat in recent times as figures like Hunt and Mordaunt have edged ahead in some bookies’ estimations.

Analysis: Most Tory rebels understood it would take a cabinet revolt to get rid of the prime minister.

Although both men made clear they were acting in response to Johnson’s handling of the Pincher affair, Mr Sunak also identified policy differences. Pincher was a close ally of the prime minister, helping to shore up his position within the parliamentary party in the wake of Partygate. On Tuesday Johnson said he was sorry he had made Pincher deputy chief whip in view of the record of complaints about him. Other ministers signalled that they were not ready to follow suit just yet, but throughout Westminster and Whitehall the stench of decay is everywhere and unmistakable.

To lose one Cabinet minister may be seen as a misfortune, but to lose two looks like carelessness. That's what British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces ...

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LONDON — Boris Johnson isn't going anywhere — at least not for now. Despite losing his Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid within ...

The prime minister could count on the public backing of a handful of his most loyal allies. When the program host reminded Afolami that he is a government minister, he responded that he is “probably not after having said that” and confirmed he is planning to quit. All signs Tuesday were that the prime minister was staying put, with a defiant reshuffle of his top team designed to shore up his position. The prime minister also appeared to be bleeding support from Conservative party members and voters. Johnson narrowly survived a vote of confidence in his leadership in June and under current Conservative Party rules, he is immune from another challenge until 12 months have passed. The turbulence marks an escalation of a crisis that has engulfed Johnson’s government for months.

After limping along in the wake of the Partygate investigation, multiple sex scandals and successive policy failures, Boris Johnson is approaching the endgame ...

Declaring … I’m now free to cut taxes”. The headline: “Boris fights on! Its headline is: “Johnson hanging by a thread as Sunak and Javid walk out” and publishes prominently scathing quotes from their resignation letters.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face questions in parliament followed by a grilling by senior lawmakers on Wednesday, with his premiership on the ...

Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid led succession of resignations after PM admitted making 'mistake' over appointment of Chris Pincher.

The resignations of Javid and Sunak, both considered potential future leadership contenders, come at a moment of significant danger for the prime minister. The first thing we’ve got to do is make sure we’re really careful, whether that’s public sector pay, that we don’t deepen inflation.” Johnson attempted to recover his authority by swiftly appointing Nadhim Zahawi as his chancellor and Steve Barclay as health secretary. Neither explicitly mentioned the sexual misconduct and Partygate scandals that have dogged the government for months. He’s then asked about the possibility of raising corporation tax. The whole rotten lot need to go.” Responding to the resignations last night, Labour leaderSir Keir Starmer said: “If they [ministers] had a shred of integrity they would have gone months ago. Echoing Starmer’s comments from last night, she says: “This is [about] much more than changing the person at the top of the Conservative party. And I, personally, just couldn’t think I could defend that sort of behaviour any longer. Next, Zahawi is pressed on teachers’ pay, energy prices and tax cuts. That means we’re the mainstream ... About a month ago we had the no confidence vote.

Already beset by various scandals and electoral setbacks, Prime Minister Boris Johnson suffered even greater body blows on Tuesday with the resignation of both ...

The most compelling strength of the UK economy is employment. It’s not peaches and cream by any stretch but all the main parts of the economy are in reasonable shape when you consider the whole world shut down and then dramatically restarted. The banking sector has been at pains — under the steely eye of the Prudential Regulation Authority — not to leave itself exposed to potential non-performing loans. What matters is that the Bank of England has renewed confidence to continue its rate-hiking cycle to combat inflation. That potential fiscal splurge is hard to model into economic estimates, so be careful when listening to some of the more apocalyptic forecasts. Britain certainly feels fragile at the moment with runaway inflation, war in Ukraine and all manner of local difficulties plaguing the UK body politic.

Cabinet ministers, MPs and former Tory politicians have issued a slew of criticisms against the British prime minister.

This is not the way that any responsible government should act.” Sadly, in the current circumstances, the public are concluding that we are now neither. They need to know that whilst there is a path to a better future, it is not an easy one. “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.” “If he leaves now, before chaos descends, that reputation is what will be remembered. “At a time where my constituents are worried about the cost of living and I am ding 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 judgement that I don’t wish to be associated with.” Our people know that if something is too good to be true then it’s not true. Nicola Richards, former parliamentary private secretary to the Department for Transport, said in a statement that she could not serve “under the current circumstances”. Jonathan Gullis, former parliamentary private secretary to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, wrote that the party he had been a member of his “entire adult life” had “been more focused on dealing with out reputation damage rather than delivering for the people of this country and spreading opportunity for all”. He said the reason he has taken the job is he believes the team in Government will “deliver”, adding “there are no easy answers”. Put to him that Liz Truss was reportedly in line for Chancellor, but Zahawi said he would step down if he did not get the job, he said: “That is not true.” Sunak said “the public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously”, adding: “I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning.”

UK's Boris Johnson fights for his political survival after top resignations and scandals · U.K. · British Finance Minister Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid ...

Only a real change of government can give Britain the fresh start it needs." It has since emerged that Johnson appointed him to the role despite knowing of previous misconduct allegations against him. As a number of senior Tories called for Johnson to quit, the government's former Brexit negotiator David Frost also joined the fray, calling on the prime minister to step down without delay. As he faced such a vote only last month, a new challenge would require a rule change to allow another vote within the next 12 months. - But despite calls to resign, the prime minister shows no signs of being ready to stand down. Health Secretary Sajid Javid, likewise, resigned in protest against Johnson's leadership, which has been beset by controversy and scandal in recent months.

The resignations of Sajid Javid and Rishi Sunak in the UK yesterday have cast further doubt on the future of Boris Johnson's premiership.

Iraqi-born Mr Zahawi was a successful businessman and came to wider prominence as vaccines minister during the pandemic where he was credited with playing a key part in the successful roll-out of the jab. Mr Hunt is widely expected to make a fresh bid for the leadership if there is a contest, having been runner-up to Mr Johnson in 2019, and is among the early favourites with bookmakers. The former foreign secretary and ex-health secretary has been a persistent backbench critic of Mr Johnson and has called on the prime minister to quit.

His most senior ministers are getting off the carousel of chaos because they just don't see him governing the country.

He wants a wife and he wants a mistress, responsibility and freedom, power and popularity. The latest scandal is over the appointment to a senior parliamentary position—responsible for enforcing party discipline—of a Tory lawmaker named Christopher Pincher, who had been accused of sexual impropriety. Now Britain is back to where it was only a few years ago, when, riven by Brexit and the failure to implement the result of the referendum, the country seemed utterly ungovernable. On the way up, Boris was a mocking, disdainful jester able to poke fun at the British political class, which had been failing for years even as it patted itself on the back. The U.K. today is a country without direction, without an idea, and without a government capable of governing. What Britain has is a prime minister with instincts, sometimes good, sometimes bad, who almost as a point of principle refuses ever to temper or abrogate them in any way.

UK media react to the resignations of Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid, and where that leaves the PM.

His will to win is his greatest weapon, and he will relish the challenge of defying those who think him finished. Mr Johnson is nothing if not a fighter and may try to dig in and recast his top team, although who would want to join it at the moment is anyone’s guess. Facing them requires not just the ability to talk about a vision but the determination and steeliness to establish a credible pathway to it. He has lost the confidence of his party and the country. Less than three years ago, Boris Johnson led the Conservative Party to a landslide victory on a message of hope and One-Nation optimism. A string of sleaze scandals and regicidal plots in recent months had already destabilised Mr Johnson and the country at the worst possible time.

The resignations of Sunak and Javid would have knocked out any other prime minister. This one's still standing.

The result is a barrel-scraped cabinet and a prime minister clinging on by his fingertips. But the old adage that “he who wields the knife never wears the crown” — and the knowledge that many lightweight loyalists around Johnson are unlikely to see high office under another Tory prime minister — ensured that ranks remained unbroken. Remembering the cabinet revolt that heralded the downfall of Margaret Thatcher — Britain’s toughest, most successful prime minister — Tory dissidents have recently been begging senior ministers in public and private to send Johnson packing. Another sucker punch came from Javid the health secretary, who told Johnson in his farewell missive that “you have lost my confidence too” and boldly questioned the prime minister’s integrity. In other words, the prime minister wants to buy off voters’ enraged by tax rises and inflation while the chancellor has nightmares about the mounting deficit. But the chancellor was frustrated by the air of permanent crisis hanging over government and contradictory policy-making: his resignation letter declared he had been prepared to compromise and accept collective responsibility for decisions he didn’t agree with, but his differences with the prime minister were now too great to continue in office.

The British prime minister has been dogged with political scandals for months amid calls for his resignation.

Mr Johnson offered a “full apology” as opposition parties characterised him as the first prime minister to have been found to be in breach of the law. June 24th, 2022: Defeat in two crunch by-elections and the subsequent surprise resignation of the Conservative Party co-chairman pitched Mr Johnson’s leadership into a fresh crisis. John Penrose, Conservative MP for Weston-super-Mare, said Mr Johnson had failed to address the Sue Gray report’s “very serious criticisms” of the leadership at 10 Downing Street. The prime minister said he took “full responsibility” for the scandal as calls for his resignation grew louder. He became the second ministerial interests adviser to resign during Mr Johnson’s three years in office. She resigned a day later and Mr Johnson apologised at prime minister’s questions, saying he was “furious” about the video and appointed cabinet Sscretary Simon Case to investigate the allegations. But those remarks prompted the resignation of long-time aide Munira Mirza and a public rebuke from Mr Sunak. Mr Johnson later “clarified” his remarks, saying he was referring to Mr Starmer’s responsibility as head of the CPS rather than any decision he had personally made. May 17th, 2022: An unnamed Conservative MP was arrested on suspicion of rape and sexual assault offences spanning seven years. News reports described the speech as “bizarre”, while other critics called it “shambolic”, “a mess” and “embarrassing”. November 30th, 2021: The first story of what would become “partygate” broke on November 30th, with reports that Downing Street staff had held three gatherings almost a year earlier, when London was under lockdown restrictions. Cracks within the party widened as Bury South MP Christian Wakeford defected to Labour on January 19th.

Boris Johnson has remained defiant in the face of by-election defeats and cabinet resignations, but could a ballot for seats on a Conservative backbench ...

The election of an executive committee of an obscure backbench organisation may seem like uninteresting internal admin, but it could have big implications for the leadership of the Conservative Party and, in turn, the leadership of the country. However, it never got to that stage. In recent weeks, existing members of the executive have been lukewarm on the idea of changing the rules - fearful of the precedent it would set for future leaders.

The prime minister's sense of entitlement will mean he has to be dragged kicking and screaming from Downing Street, says Guardian columnist Martin Kettle.

This is why there is a second and even larger question lurking behind the visceral drama of Johnson’s attempt to stay in power. Their aim will be to rekindle a form of low-tax, low-regulation Conservatism that most of those who grew up in the Thatcher era, or in its shadow, see as the route to prosperity and government. It will be as though the pandemic, the cost of living squeeze, the climate crisis and the war in Europe can be forgotten along with Johnson himself. This sense of limitless entitlement is what unifies all the successes, failures and the sheer chaos of Johnson’s career. This is a code for spending cuts and choices that Johnson, concerned more with popularity, seems unwilling to endorse. It has little connection with the low tax, small state, globally liberal Toryism that preceded it and which the party cast aside when it rushed to embrace Johnson as the answer to its problems. If and when Johnson goes, his form of Toryism may go too. The cabinet refused to move against Johnson in June when it should have done, and the departures of Sunak and Javid have not yet been followed by significant other senior ministers. The loss of a couple of ministers will not have dented his narcissism one bit. Westminster will be in turmoil today, and it will not take much for fresh momentum to build against Johnson’s attempt to continue with business as usual. The revolt of MPs in the confidence vote last month, meanwhile, was botched by being both badly timed and unsuccessful. The other would be a revolt of the parliamentary party of the kind that eventually did for Theresa May three summers ago.

Boris Johnson has remained defiant in the face of by-election defeats and cabinet resignations, but could a ballot for seats on a Conservative backbench ...

However, it never got to that stage. And it will meet to discuss the prospect at 5pm tonight (Wednesday). In recent weeks, existing members of the executive have been lukewarm on the idea of changing the rules - fearful of the precedent it would set for future leaders.

'Anyone quitting now after defending all that hasn't got a shred of integrity' Keir Starmer says as ministers continue to submit resignations.

“I know that boards around the world, when they make investment decisions, they’re long term, and the one tax they can compare globally is corporation tax. There’s nothing off the table. I have said that before, but it is now a subject of an independent investigation, and that is the right thing.” “I will look at everything. I greatly regret that he continued in office, and I have said that. At prime minister’s questions, opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer said: “Anyone quitting now after defending all that hasn’t got a shred of integrity. “I think if he chooses not to, I think the 1922 Committee should act and I certainly would support that approach in the forthcoming 1922 elections.” I have said that before. He added: “I have always believed it is the job of our party to strike the right balance between efficiency and compassion, but the image being projected from the struggles of the last few months is that we risk achieving neither.” Mr Quince said he had received a “sincere apology” from Mr Johnson for being sent out with an “inaccurate” briefing about the prime minister’s knowledge of events. “But, frankly Mr Speaker, the job of a prime minister in difficult circumstances when he has been handed a colossal mandate is to keep going and that is what I am going to do.” The prime minister added: “I want to say to him that I abhor bullying and abuse of power anywhere in parliament, in this party or in any other party.”

A month ago, battered by a previous wave of controversies over Downing Street parties, Tory MPs called a confidence vote in the prime minister, which he won, ...

This would, in some ways, be the most straightforward solution, even if it would require an interim PM to keep the seat warm while a new Conservative leader is selected. For many leaders as embattled as Johnson, this would be the obvious way out. This would see Johnson, like May, offered a deal by leading backbenchers: announce an imminent date for your departure, or we will change the party rules and get rid of you anyway. Losing a confidence vote closes the argument for a Tory leader – they are out. A month ago, battered by a previous wave of controversies over Downing Street parties, Tory MPs called a confidence vote in the prime minister, which he won, albeit with 41% of parliamentary Tories wanting him out. By any normal metric it is fair to say Boris Johnson is doomed, given the scale of ministerial resignations and the number of backbench MPs publicly withdrawing their support.

From Jaws to The Thick of It, a roundup of some of the best satire as the prime minister fights for survival.

Footage of Tuesday morning’s grim cabinet meeting – why did Johnson let in the cameras? This isn’t a meme really, but it probably meets the definition of satire. The latest iteration of a popular meme format of the comedy gameshow.