Has Boris Johnson resigned or is he still the prime minister of the UK?

An embattled Downing Street has been thrown into chaos with Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid announcing their resignations. Both called into question the leadership of Boris Johnson whose government has been mired in a series of scandals since taking over the job of Prime Minister.

The British PM saw off a vote of no confidence in early June after a damning report was issued about “Partygate”, a series of ‘gatherings’ that took place at 10 Downing Street during the covid-19 lockdowns that went against not only the restrictions in place for the pandemic but also potentially the law as well.

Johnson’s ministers question his leadership

In his statement, Javid said, “The tone you set as a leader, and the values you represent, reflect on your colleagues, your party and ultimately your country.” He said that conservatives, while not always popular, when at their best are viewed as “hard-head decision-makers, guided by strong values.”

However, the recent scandals that led to the vote of confidence in June show the Health Secretary that a large number of colleagues agree with the public that the government is neither competent nor acting in the national interest. Adding in his resignation letter “I regret to say... that it is clear to me that this situation will not change under your leadership - and you have therefore lost my confidence too.” Because of this Javid “can no longer, in good conscience, continue serving in this Government,” he said.