British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has been under a lot of pressure after the near-collapse of his government, has finally set to resign.
Since Tuesday, 40 ministers and aides, including three 3 cabinet ministers have resigned from the government, and more people have continued to leave. Yesterday many senior cabinet members gathered at Downing Street, demanding that Johnson resigns. It is believed that Johnson’s so-called staunch supporters Priti Patel and Nadhim Zahawi were also among these ministers.
Things started to sour for Johnson, when in June 2021, his party lost the Chesham and Amersham by-election to the Liberal Democrats. Later, his governance faced major backlash when he tried to change parliament’s disciplinary rules to save an ally, former Tory lawmaker Owen Paterson, from suspension.
The partygate scandal only worsened matters. Johnson came under fire after he and his staff were seen having alcohol-fuelled parties when Britain was under intense lockdown due to COVID-19. These fiestas were held near Downing Street, where the Prime Minister lives and works. The final report by Sue Gray brought forth all detailed information regarding the scandal. The report included open emails between lawmakers, which revealed details regarding the parties and also showed inside pictures from the events. Later, a no-confidence motion was raised against Johnson, which he won. Following the voting, 148 MPs voted against him, and 211 lawmakers supported Johnson and voted in his favor.
However, the ire against him did not die down and many lawmakers later claimed that they did not cast an honest vote. These lawmakers said that they should resign because they actually did not support Johnson. Matters went downhill from there and this week was the showdown.
