LONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was clinging to power on Wednesday, gravely wounded by the resignation of senior ministers who said he was not fit to govern and with a growing number of lawmakers calling for him to step down.
Below is a selection of statements from members of his party:
– “Values such as integrity, decency, respect and professionalism should matter to us all. I have watched with growing concern as those values have fractured under your leadership,” – Victoria Atkins, Minister of state at the Ministry of Justice, in a resignation letter on Instagram.
– “Trust in politics is – and must always be – of the utmost importance, but sadly in recent months this has been lost.” – Laura Trott, Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Department of Transport and an MP since December 2019, in a resignation letter on Facebook.
– “I have voted against government policy on a number of occasions. But I never have before come out against a party leader. Until now. Not only has there been a real loss of integrity, but a failure of policy.” – Robert Halfon, Conservative MP, in a letter on why he had lost confidence in the Prime Minister.
– “I foresee things descending to new depths and I do not think that under the Prime Minister’s leadership it will be possible to unite the Conservative Parliamentary Party and give us the best chance possible of winning the next general election.” – Tom Hunt, Conservative MP, on Facebook.
– “I cannot look myself in the mirror and accept this. It is my belief that our PM has got all the big decisions right and guided us through the most difficult time in my life time and I have always backed him to the hilt. That said, integrity should always come first and sadly this has not been the case over the past few days.” – Lee Anderson, Conservative MP, on Facebook.
– “Unfortunately, recent events have made it clear to me that our great party, for which I have campaigned all my adult life, has become distracted from its core missions by a relentless focus on questions over leadership.” – Robin Walker, minister of state for school standards, in a resignation letter on Twitter.
– “I believe passionately in Conservative values and want to ensure that we are implementing Conservative policies without distractions. That requires fresh leadership and it requires a new vision for the country.” – Felicity Buchan, Parliamentary Private Secretary in the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, in a resignation letter on Twitter.
(Reporting by Farouq Suleiman; Editing by David Goodman and Bernadette Baum)
