Boris Johnson's government has suffered a string of resignations from leading Cabinet ministers and Conservative MPs today, following a heated row of the conduct of Chris Pincher.
Mr Pincher quit as Deputy Chief Whip last week following claims that he groped two men at a private members’ club, but the Prime Minister was informed about allegations about him as far back as 2019.
In a statement earlier today, Mr Johnson said 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 went on to appoint him to other government roles.
Former Health Secretary Sajid Javid was the first to resign, outlining in his letter to the Prime Minister, how the British people “rightly expect integrity from their Government”.
Sajid Javid wrote: “The tone you set as leader, and the values you represent, reflect on your colleagues, your party and ultimately the country.
“Conservatives at their best are seen as hard-headed decision makers, guided by strong values. We may not have always been popular, but we have been competent in acting in the national interest.
Johnathan Gullis left his Government role
UK Parliament
“Sadly, in the current circumstances, the public are concluding that we are now neither.”
Moments after his announcement, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, released his letter to the Prime Minister via Twitter, indicating his resignation.
In a Tweet to his followers, Mr Sunak said: "The public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, 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."
Conservative MP and Boris Johnson ally Jonathan Gullis also resignined from a Government role, following the Chris Pincher scandal.
Bim Afolami
UK Parliament
He resigned from his role as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, saying the Conservative Party has been “more focused on dealing with our reputational damage rather than delivering for the people of this country”.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Gullis said he was resigning “with a heavy heart”.
Boris Johnson's trade envoy to Morocco Andrew Murrison MP announced his resignation earlier today, stating "the last straw in the rolling chaos of the past six months has been the unavoidable implications of Lord McDonald's letter".
The Conservative MP for South West Wiltshire has formally served as a minister for the Foreign Office and the now-defunct Department for International Development.
Former top civil servant in the Foreign Office, Lord McDonald, wrote to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Kathryn Stone, over No 10's statements on MP Chris Pincher, who last week resigned as a Conservative whip and was then suspended as a party MP over allegations he groped two men at a private members' club in London.
Nicola Richards announced her resignation following the ongoing Chris Pincher row
UK Parliament
Mr Murrison also called on the Prime Minister to resign.
Vice-Chair of the Conservative Party, Bim Afolami also resigned from his role.
MP for Meriden since 2019, Saqib Bhatti announced his resignation from his role as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Health Secretary, following the handling of the Chris Pincher allegations.
Mr Bhatti wrote in his letter of resignation his conscience would not allow him to continue in his government role.
The fourth junior government member quit her role as a a parliamentary private secretary in the Department of Transport, following the misconduct of Chris Pincher.
Nicola Richards MP, announced in her letter of resignation that the Conservative Party was "currently unrecognisable".
She said she quit her role as parliamentary private secretary to the Department for Transport, stating she cannot serve “under the current circumstances”.
Posting her resignation on Twitter, the West Bromwich East MP wrote: “At a time where my constituents are worried about the cost of living and I am doing 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.
“I am loyal to my constituents and will always put them first.
“I am also loyal to the Conservative Party, of which is currently unrecognisable to me. I believe something must change.”
A third PPS announced her resignation, following the ongoing row. Virginia Crosbie, the former Parliamentary aide in the Wales Office said in her letter, that if Boris Johnson continues as PM he risks "irrevocably harming this government, and the Conservative party and will hand the keys of Downing Street to a Labour Party unfit to govern".
Stafford MP Theo Clarke resigned as trade envoy to Kenya, telling Boris Johnson in a letter he showed a “severe lack of judgment” over appointing Chris Pincher deputy chief whip.