Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, and Sajid Javid, the secretary of state for health, both abruptly left Boris Johnson’s Cabinet this evening.
Mr. Johnson suffered the twin blow shortly after the Prime Minister apologized profusely for his appointment of disgraced MP Chris Pincher.
Mr. Sunak informed the PM in his resignation letter that “we cannot continue like this.”
The departing Chancellor continued, acknowledging that he could be saying farewell to his career as a minister for good: “The public correctly expects government to be done professionally, competently, and seriously.
‘I recognise this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning.’
Meanwhile, Mr Javid publicly questioned Mr Johnson’s integrity, competence and ability to act in the national interest.
He told the PM: ‘It is with enormous regret that I must tell you that I can no longer, in good conscience, continue serving in this Government.
‘I am instinctively a team player but the British people also rightly expect integrity from their Government.’
It appeared Mr Sunak and Mr Javid had heeded calls from Tory rebel MPs – who had been demanding action from Cabinet ministers over the latest sleaze scandal battering Mr Johnson’s Government.
Their double resignation sparked feverish speculation that other members of the Cabinet might soon follow suit in quitting Mr Johnson’s Government.
But Deputy PM Dominic Raab, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Home Secretary Priti Patel were all said to be staying in Cabinet.
Just moments before tonight’s drama unfolded, the PM 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.
Asked if that was an error, the PM said: ‘I think it was a mistake and I apologise for it. In hindsight it was the wrong thing to do.
‘I apologise to everybody who has been badly affected by it. I want to make absolutely clear that there’s no place in this Government for anybody who is predatory or who abuses their position of power.’