Written by Sharmita Kar | Edited by Sohini Goswami
Amid a string of resignations, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday told a parliamentary committee that he was not going to resign, and that an election is ‘the last thing the country needs’.
Johnson, whose government has been hit by several scandals, including the partygate controversy during the Covid-19 pandemic, made the statement after more than a dozen MPs resigned over a span of two days.
“I am not going to step down and the last thing this country needs, frankly, is an election,” the UK Prime Minister said, when asked to confirm he would not seek to call an election rather than resign if he lost a vote of confidence.
Senior ministers of Johnson’s government were reportedly geared up to ask Johnson to quit as prime minister, British media said, over the latest developments. Were Johnson to go, the process to replace him may take a couple of months.
Here’s the full list of UK ministers who have resigned so far:
| Name of UK MP | Designation |
| Rishi Sunak | Chancellor, Cabinet |
| Sajid Javid | Health Secretary, Cabinet |
| Will Quince | Education minister |
| Alex Chalk | Solicitor General |
| Robin Walker | Education minister |
| John Glen | Treasury minister |
| Victoria Atkins | Justice minister |
| Jo Churchill | Environment minister |
| Stuart Andrew | Housing minister |
| Kemi Badenoch | Levelling up minister |
| Neil O’Brien | Levelling up minister |
| Alex Burghart | Education minister |
| Lee Rowley | Business minister |
| Julia Lopez | Culture minister |
| Mims Davies | Work and pensions minister |
| Rachel Maclean | Home Office minister |
| Mike Freer | Equalities minister |
Apart from these, several other parliamentary private secretaries, trade envoys and other members of the UK government have also put in their papers – the total number rising to more than 30.
This comes just a month after Johnson survived a confidence vote of Conservative lawmakers. The current party rules in the United Kingdom mean he cannot face another such challenge for a year, however, some lawmakers are seeking to change those rules.
(With agency inputs)
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