Since 2019, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (/ffl/; born June 19, 1964) has been a British politician. From 2016 to 2018, he served as London’s mayor. From 2008 to 2016, he served as secretary of state for foreign and Commonwealth affairs. In addition to serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Henley from 2001 to 2008, Johnson has served as the MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip since 2015.
Johnson went to Eton College and Balliol College in Oxford to study Classics. In 1986, he won the Oxford Union election for president. He joined The Daily Telegraph as a political columnist and Brussels reporter in 1989. From 1999 to 2005, he served as the magazine’s editor.
Controversy
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is clinging to power after two of his most senior Cabinet colleagues left, claiming they lost faith in Johnson’s leadership amid contradictory explanations for how he handled a sexual misconduct issue.
Two senior Cabinet ministers resigned on Tuesday evening, ending days of tension in Downing Street over how it handled accusations of sexual misconduct against a government official.
Sajid Javid, the health secretary, stated that he could not continue “with good conscience.” Also resigning was Finance Minister Rishi Sunak, who stated that the public “rightly expects the government to be handled correctly, competently, and seriously.”
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Chris Pincher’s resignation
The immediate source of the situation was the impact of deputy chief whip Chris Pincher‘s resignation last Thursday, which came under fire for allegations that he had grabbed two guests at a private dinner the previous evening. In a letter to Johnson, Pincher admitted that “last night I drank way too much” and “embarrassed myself and other people,” while he did not specifically deny the accusations.
But the gyrations that Downing Street press officials made in an effort to justify Pincher’s appointment to the government in the first place, in the face of a cascade of revelations about his prior behaviour, were what really got Johnson into trouble. Tuesday saw the publication of a letter from a senior former civil servant who basically charged Downing Street with lying when it claimed the Prime Minister was unaware of at least one of the historical claims.
It is important to go into depth regarding how Downing Street managed to get into such a mess. When fresh allegations of Pincher’s past behaviour first surfaced in the wake of his resignation, Downing Street at first denied that the Prime Minister was aware of the claims.
Johnson’s team said that
Although he was aware of the past charges, they had been “settled” once it became evident that this would not hold. When it became known that one of the previously undisclosed accusations made against Pincher had been proven true, Johnson’s spokesperson clarified that “resolved” may imply that it had.
Later on Tuesday morning, Simon McDonald, a former senior official at the Foreign Office, disclosed that Johnson had received a personal briefing on the findings of a probe into Pincher’s behaviour.
“Our friends and neighbours look on us with despair,” a journalist said of the controversies involving the UK government 17:14
The government’s poor handling of the aftermath of the original issue
It is a recurring theme in the slew of controversies involving him, from “Partygate,” in which Johnson was penalised by police for violating lockdown guidelines, to his attempts to shield an MP who had broken lobbying laws.
One senior government official remarked that “this government’s biggest threat is its own utter incompetence.” “All sense of discipline has vanished.” They continued, “The staff behind the prime minister appears to be unaware of how awful it is.” “Interviewing skills are nonexistent. We are unable to follow one path. We have no control at all.”
Johnson’s setting the tone for behaviour, according to a government minister, is one of the main issues.
They claimed that it would be challenging for him to correct incorrect behaviour given his colourful personal life. The growing feeling of disorder, together with the perception that the government has lost control of yet another issue, aren’t helping Conservatives, who believe Johnson has become his party’s worst political liability.
Since the Partygate scandal surfaced, both the prime minister’s personal approval ratings and the party’s polling numbers have declined. Johnson’s ability to command respect from the public and his own MPs appears to be eroding. Attempts to remove him from office by members of the Conservative Party last month were unsuccessful.
However, Conservative MPs are beginning to lose faith that, even if Johnson is forced from office, it will be impossible to restore the harm he has caused the party before the next scheduled election in 2024.
The fact that the PM appears eager to continue fighting is even more concerning for those who have lost faith in him.
This worries Conservative MPs, particularly those in marginal seats who have all but given up hope of keeping their seats. Few of them believe Johnson has a true understanding of how awful things have gotten, and they are unable to see a way to persuade the Prime Minister to act rationally.
The controversy is now connected to Johnson personally
Due to the way the administration handled Pincher’s resignation. In spite of being aware of the seriousness of the accusations made against Pincher and the fact that a complaint had been upheld, he made the decision to nominate Pincher to a high position in the government.
Johnson has made his ability to relate to voters on a personal level a key selling point for years. Conservative MPs believed that his style of upbeat populism was the driving factor behind the Brexit vote by the majority of British citizens in 2016 and the Tories’ 80-seat parliamentary majority in 2019.
However, Johnson’s MPs now worry that they are experiencing firsthand what happens when a populist loses support as his government veers from one problem to the next.
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What is the maximum tenure for a prime minister?
Until he or she resigns, passes away, or is removed by the Governor-General, a prime minister is in office. There have been two deaths of prime ministers while in office (Macdonald and Sir John Thompson). The remaining people have all left their positions, either because they retired or lost an election.
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