July 2022 United Kingdom government crisis

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July 2022 United Kingdom government crisis
Prime Minister Boris Johnson's statement in Downing Street 7 July 2022.png
Boris Johnson announcing his intention to resign as Conservative leader on 7 July 2022
Date5–7 July 2022 (2022-07-05 2022-07-07)
Cause
Motive
Participants
Outcome

In early July 2022, 62 of the United Kingdom's 179 government ministers, parliamentary private secretaries, trade envoys, and party vice-chairmen resigned from their positions in the second administration formed by Boris Johnson as Prime Minister, [1] culminating in Johnson's resignation on 7 July. [2] Johnson's premiership had been considered in danger for months after several scandals, but it was the Chris Pincher scandal that was identified to have spurred on the resignations. Considered the "last straw" for the Prime Minister, the scandal arose after it was revealed that Johnson had promoted his Deputy Chief Government Whip Chris Pincher, who was publicly facing multiple allegations of sexual assault, to the position despite knowing of the allegations beforehand. [3] [4]

Contents

Since mid-2021, Johnson's premiership had been impacted by controversies over his actions relating to Owen Paterson's lobbying and the Partygate scandal. These, combined with impacts on electoral performance, led to the governing Conservative Party holding a vote of confidence in Johnson's leadership in June 2022, which he won, although he was politically weakened. [5] On 5 July, following the Chris Pincher scandal, both Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid, respectively Chancellor of the Exchequer and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, resigned almost simultaneously. [6] A large number of other members of the government also resigned, [7] leading to speculation over whether Johnson would continue as prime minister. [8] [9] Conservative and opposition MPs, including some members of Johnson's Cabinet, called for Johnson himself to resign. Keir Starmer, Leader of the Opposition, criticised Johnson and Conservatives who remained in cabinet at Prime Minister's Questions. [10] During the crisis, sixty Members of Parliament (MPs) had resigned from government and party positions. Johnson also dismissed Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, who had refused to publicly affirm his support for him. [11]

After previously saying he would remain as Conservative Party leader to see through the party's manifesto pledges, Johnson announced on 7 July that he would resign as leader but remain as Prime Minister in a caretaker capacity until a new party leader was elected, with the results of the July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election being released on 5 September 2022. [12] [13] [14] After the opposition called for a motion of no confidence to the government with Johnson as PM, Johnson's government called a vote of confidence in itself with no reference to the PM, which they won. On 5 September, Liz Truss was elected leader of the Conservative Party and succeeded Johnson as prime minister on 6 September 2022. Truss would resign as leader of the Conservative Party on 20 October 2022 amid another government crisis, making her the shortest-serving prime minister in British history. Truss would be succeeded by Sunak, after he won the leadership contest to replace her.

Background

In June 2021, the Conservative Party unexpectedly lost the safe seat of Chesham and Amersham to the Liberal Democrats after a successful round of local elections. [15] This was the first big defeat for both Johnson and the Conservatives since the 2019 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, also a Liberal Democrats gain. [16] [17] The following month, despite the Conservatives being heavily favoured to win the Batley and Spen by-election, the seat was narrowly retained by the Labour Party, with the Conservatives' surprise loss blamed in part on a scandal that saw health secretary Matt Hancock forced to resign the weekend prior to the by-election, after admitting to breaching social distancing regulations during an extramarital affair. [18] [19] While the by-election defeats were generally seen as being embarrassing for the government, they were by and in large not regarded as a sign of imminent danger, as the Conservatives continued to command a strong lead in opinion polls, with press coverage primarily focusing on possible challenges to Labour leader Keir Starmer by allies of previous leader Jeremy Corbyn. [20]

In October 2021, it emerged that Conservative MP Owen Paterson had two second jobs, both based in Northern Ireland and gained through contacts gained while Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary, and both of which had involved him advocating for government contracts or changes in standards on behalf of the companies. The Commons Select Committee on Standards found that these breached paid advocacy rules and called for Paterson to be suspended from the House for thirty days, which would have triggered a recall petition. [21] When these recommendations were voted on in the Commons, Conservative MP Andrea Leadsom attached a controversial amendment to delay Paterson's suspension and instead launch a review into the Commons Standards Process itself; the amendment passed. When it emerged that other parties would refuse to take part, this idea was dropped and the government began to prepare for a vote on the suspension. Paterson resigned on 5 November, before such a vote could occur, triggering the 2021 North Shropshire by-election, which the Liberal Democrats unexpectedly won. [22]

In late 2021, the Partygate scandal began after details started to emerge about a number of parties held by government and Conservative Party staff in 10 Downing Street in 2020 and 2021, in violation of COVID-19 public health restrictions. [23] In January 2022, the Metropolitan Police announced that it would open an investigation into the gatherings, and the civil servant Sue Gray was announced to be leading a Cabinet Office inquiry. Gray's final report in May 2022 described multiple events, including excessive drinking and a lack of respect shown to cleaning and security staff. She concluded that senior political and civil service leadership "must bear responsibility for this culture". Public disquiet over the events led to a decline in public support for Boris Johnson, the government and the Conservatives. [24]

In May 2022, another round of local elections took place, resulting in big gains for the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats, and losses for the Conservatives, including the councils of Westminster and Wandsworth which had been Conservative since the premiership of James Callaghan. [25] In early June 2022, a vote of confidence in Johnson's leadership of the Conservative Party was held. The sudden rise in letters to Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee, which made this vote possible was partially as a result of an incident before the Platinum Jubilee National Service of Thanksgiving, where Johnson was booed by crowds outside St Paul's Cathedral. [26] Johnson won the vote with the support of 59% of the Conservative MPs (211–148). [27]

The Conservatives lost two seats in by-elections on 23 June 2022 in Wakefield and Tiverton & Honiton, with a 13% swing to Labour and 30% swing to the Liberal Democrats respectively. This led to the resignation of Oliver Dowden as Chairman of the Conservative Party, who said in his resignation letter that "we cannot carry on with business as usual". [28]

In late June 2022, the Chris Pincher scandal erupted after the Conservative MP Chris Pincher resigned from his position as Deputy Chief Whip due to allegations that he sexually assaulted two men. [29] A few days later, a number of new allegations against him emerged, including allegations that his behaviour had previously been reported to 10 Downing Street and that Johnson had ignored those allegations. [30] [31]

Collapse of the government

Sajid Javid (left) and Rishi Sunak (right) (the first two cabinet members to resign on 5 July) pictured with Boris Johnson (centre) Rishi Sunak, Sajid Javid and Boris Johnson (cropped).jpg
Sajid Javid (left) and Rishi Sunak (right) (the first two cabinet members to resign on 5 July) pictured with Boris Johnson (centre)
In a scathing Prime Minister's Questions quip, Leader of the Opposition Keir Starmer famously described the remaining cabinet ministers loyal to Boris Johnson as the "Charge of the Lightweight Brigade" Official portrait of Keir Starmer crop 2.jpg
In a scathing Prime Minister's Questions quip, Leader of the Opposition Keir Starmer famously described the remaining cabinet ministers loyal to Boris Johnson as the "Charge of the Lightweight Brigade"

On 5 July 2022, Health Secretary Sajid Javid and Chancellor Rishi Sunak resigned following Johnson's admission that it was a mistake to appoint Member of Parliament (MP) Chris Pincher to the role of Deputy Chief Whip following allegations of sexual harassment stretching back at least twelve years. The resignations of Javid and Sunak caused numerous junior ministers and among the Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to also resign, most of whom cited a lack of honesty and integrity on the part of Johnson. In the following 24 hours, 36 MPs resigned from their roles in government. This marked both the largest number of ministerial resignations in a 24-hour period since the British Empire Economic Conference in 1932, and the largest number of such resignations on record. [32] Despite the historic mass resignation of his ministers and his own later on, Johnson stated that he had a "colossal mandate" from the public, referencing the 2019 UK general election results where the Conservative Party won the highest percentage for any party since 1979, and would not stand down immediately. [33] [34]

Constituencies of MPs who resigned or were dismissed Resignations from government 5-7 July 2022.svg
Constituencies of MPs who resigned or were dismissed

The following day, Johnson faced attacks from both the Opposition and Government benches during Prime Minister's Questions, during which he ruled out resigning. Keir Starmer called Johnson a "pathetic spectacle" and criticised those who remained in his cabinet, saying; "As for those who are left – only in office because no one else is prepared to debase themselves any longer. The charge of the lightweight brigade." [10] After Tim Loughton asked Johnson the question "does the Prime Minister think there are any circumstances in which he should resign?", Johnson responded by saying "the job of a Prime Minister in difficult circumstances when he's been handed a colossal mandate is to keep going! And that's what I'm going to do!". [35] Following the conclusion of Prime Minister's Questions, Johnson faced further questions from more MPs during a meeting of the Liaison Committee, during which it was revealed that members of the Cabinet, including newly appointed Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi and Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, had gathered inside 10 Downing Street to call on Johnson to resign. Following this revelation, other members of Johnson's cabinet, such as Nadine Dorries (Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport), also gathered at Number 10 reportedly to support Johnson. [36] [37]

It was widely reported that the 1922 Committee could change their rules in order to allow Johnson to face a second motion of no confidence, though the Committee later ruled out doing so before previously scheduled elections on 11 July. [38] Several MPs reportedly submitted letters to the 1922 Committee expressing a loss in confidence in Johnson, and the committee's chairman Graham Brady was among those seen heading into Number 10, reportedly offering "wise counsel", which has been widely interpreted as advice to resign. [38]

On the evening of 6 July, despite further senior ministers, including formerly loyal allies like Patel, Michael Gove (Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities), and Grant Shapps (Secretary of State for Transport), reportedly urging the Prime Minister to resign, Number 10 released a statement reiterating that Johnson would not step down voluntarily. [39] That same day, Johnson sacked Gove for alleged "disloyalty" after he urged Johnson to resign. [40] [41] Later that evening, Simon Hart (Secretary of State for Wales) resigned from the cabinet, stating he had "no other option left". [42]

Suella Braverman, Attorney General for England and Wales, joined calls for Johnson to resign but refused to resign from her position in government, citing her sense of duty, and the government's need for an attorney. She also stated she would stand in any upcoming Conservative leadership contest. [43] Fay Jones, MP for Brecon and Radnorshire, announced that if Johnson did not step down by 7 July, she would resign from her role as PPS to the Leader of the House of Commons. [44] Two of the parliamentary private secretaries who resigned that evening, Mike Freer (Finchley and Golders Green) and Peter Gibson (Darlington), both gay men, mentioned government policy on LGBT+ rights in their resignation letters. [45] [46]

Brandon Lewis, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, resigned on the morning of 7 July. [a] His resignation letter stated that "honesty, integrity and mutual respect" were not "being upheld" in government. [48] Nadhim Zahawi, the newly appointed Chancellor, called for Johnson's resignation the same morning. [49] Michelle Donelan also resigned, two days after being appointed Secretary of State for Education, making her the shortest-serving cabinet member in British history. [50] [51]

The resignations led to many government departments losing nearly all of their responsible Ministers. The Department of Education only had Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Baroness Barran remaining, with all other responsible ministers having resigned. [52]

Support for Johnson

Conservative MPs who publicly expressed support for Johnson include Nadine Dorries (Culture Secretary), [53] Jacob Rees-Mogg (Minister of State for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency), [54] Alister Jack (Secretary of State for Scotland), [55] Conor Burns (Minister of State for Northern Ireland), [56] Lia Nici (Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister), [57] Justin Tomlinson (Deputy Chair of the Conservative Party), [58] Peter Bone (Wellingborough MP), [59] and Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury & Atcham MP). [60]

Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss made no statements either in support of or in condemnation of the Prime Minister. [61]

Resignation of Boris Johnson

Late at night on 6 July, having previously said that he would "keep going" despite the resignations, Johnson made the decision that he would stand down the following morning. [62]

On 7 July, it was announced that Johnson would make a statement, in which he would resign as Leader of the Conservative Party, with suggestions that he would also announce his intention to stay in-post as Prime Minister until the Conservative Party Conference in October. [14] It was reported that Johnson had phoned the Queen in the morning, to tell her of his intention to resign. [63]

In a July 2022 cabinet reshuffle, Greg Clark was appointed as Gove's replacement as Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and Kit Malthouse was appointed as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. James Cleverly was appointed Secretary of State for Education, replacing Michelle Donelan. Robert Buckland replaced Simon Hart as Secretary of State for Wales, and Shailesh Vara took Lewis' role as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Andrew Stephenson was made Minister without Portfolio. Johnson publicly announced his resignation as party leader and Prime Minister at 12:30 on 7 July, and stated he would remain as Prime Minister until a new party leader is elected. [64]

At Prime Minister's Questions on 13 July 2022, Johnson said that he would leave office "with my head held high". [65] After the opposition called for a motion of no confidence to the government with Boris Johnson as PM, Johnson's government called a vote of confidence in itself with no reference to the PM, which they won.

Reactions

Domestic

Liz Truss, Foreign Secretary, made a statement following the Prime Minister's departure, calling it "the right decision" and calling for "calmness and unity". [66] Kwasi Kwarteng, Business Secretary, described the situation as "depressing", and called for a new leader "as soon as practicable". [67] In the 2010s, Theresa May and David Cameron also each announced their resignation as prime minister with the promise to act on it after the election of a new Conservative Party leader, with May acting on the resignation two months after the announcement. [68]

Keir Starmer, Leader of the Opposition, criticised Johnson and Conservatives who remained in Cabinet, saying that remaining loyal to the Prime Minister meant that they did not have "a shred of integrity". He also mockingly called Johnson's new frontbench the "Charge of the Lightweight Brigade". [10] He also said he would bring a motion of no confidence in the Conservative government if Johnson did not leave office immediately. Nicola Sturgeon and Mark Drakeford, respectively First Minister of Scotland and First Minister of Wales, called for Johnson to resign. [69] [70] Starmer confirmed he would table a motion of no confidence on 12 July. [71] This was blocked by the government, as the motion also expressed no confidence in Johnson specifically, in addition to the government. [72] A no-confidence motion in the Johnson ministry that did not mention the PM was announced on 13 July, and was debated on 18 July. [73] The government won the vote with 347 ayes and 238 noes, with 50 MPs abstaining.

There were calls from former Conservative ministers and senior Conservative members for Johnson to step down immediately, with a proposal for Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab to take over until a new leader is elected. [74] This included former Conservative Prime Minister John Major. [75] [76] [77] Former Deputy Prime Minister Lord Heseltine echoed Major's opinion. [78] Some members of the party supporting Johnson's immediate removal from office proposed that former Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May, as well as Raab, or more unlikely former Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson, [79] could be reappointed in a caretaker capacity. [80] [81] [82] Some Conservative MPs feared that Johnson's behaviour was similar to Donald Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 U.S. presidential election and his refusal to concede to Joe Biden, the 46th President of the United States. [83] Lord Sumption, a former UK Supreme Court justice, described the crisis as a "failed constitutional coup" in which important constitutional conventions had been knowingly broken by the Prime Minister. [84]

International

Micheál Martin, Ireland's Taoiseach, sent his best wishes to Johnson but urged a "pulling back" from the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill's unilateral action, stating that Ireland–United Kingdom relations had been "strained and challenged in recent times". [85] Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said Johnson "will not be missed", describing Johnson's interactions with Ireland as "wholly negative", adding that "under his leadership, we've seen an attack on the Good Friday Agreement, threat after threat to break international law". [86]

Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary for Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, reacted positively to the news by stating that Johnson "doesn't like us. We don't like him either." [87] Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that the "moral of the story" was to "not seek to destroy Russia", adding that Johnson had been "hit by a boomerang launched by himself". [88] [87] Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, expressed his sadness upon learning the news and commented: "Not only me, but also all of the Ukrainian society sympathises with you a lot." Zelenskyy thanked Johnson for his support during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. [88]

Joe Biden, President of the United States, stated that the US and the UK would remain "the closest of friends and allies" and that "the special relationship" between the two countries "remains strong and enduring". Biden also expressed hope that Johnson's successor will remain dedicated to supporting Ukraine. White House officials refused to comment further on Johnson's departure, stating that they were "not going to comment on another government's democratic process". [89]

List of departures

Key:

Cabinet ministers and ministers that attend cabinet are listed in bold
PPS: Parliamentary Private Secretary
No. [b] ImageMPConstituencyOfficeResignation
5 July
1 Official portrait of Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP crop 2.jpg Sajid Javid Bromsgrove Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Letter
2 Official Portrait of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (cropped).jpg Rishi Sunak Richmond (Yorks) Chancellor of the Exchequer Letter
3 Andrew Murrison - 2019 (47788064862) (cropped).jpg Andrew Murrison South West Wiltshire Prime Ministerial Trade Envoy to Morocco Letter
4 Official portrait of Bim Afolami MP crop 2.jpg Bim Afolami Hitchin and Harpenden Vice Chair of the Conservative Party for Youth Statement
5 Official portrait of Saqib Bhatti MP crop 2.jpg Saqib Bhatti Meriden PPS to the Department of Health and Social Care Letter
6 Official portrait of Jonathan Gullis MP crop 2.jpg Jonathan Gullis Stoke-on-Trent North PPS to the Northern Ireland Office Letter
7 Official portrait of Nicola Richards MP crop 2.jpg Nicola Richards West Bromwich East PPS to the Department for Transport Letter
8 Official portrait of Virginia Crosbie MP 2020 crop 2.jpg Virginia Crosbie Ynys Môn PPS to the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales Letter Archived 16 July 2022 at the Wayback Machine
9 Official portrait of Theo Clarke MP crop 2.jpg Theo Clarke Stafford Prime Ministerial Trade Envoy to Kenya Letter
10 Official portrait of Alex Chalk MP crop 2.jpg Alex Chalk Cheltenham Solicitor General for England and Wales Letter
6 July
11 Official portrait of Will Quince MP crop 2.jpg Will Quince [c] Colchester Parliamentary Under-Secretary of Statefor Children and Families Letter
12 Official portrait of Laura Trott MP crop 2.jpg Laura Trott Sevenoaks PPS to the Department for Transport Statement
13 Official portrait of Mr Robin Walker MP crop 2.jpg Robin Walker Worcester Minister of State for School Standards Letter
14 Official portrait of John Glen MP crop 2.jpg John Glen Salisbury Economic Secretary to the Treasury Letter
15 Official portrait of Victoria Atkins MP crop 2.jpg Victoria Atkins Louth and Horncastle Minister of State for Prisons and Probation Letter
16 Official portrait of Jo Churchill MP crop 2.jpg Jo Churchill Bury St Edmunds Parliamentary Under-Secretary of Statefor Agri-Innovation and Climate Adaptation Letter
17 Official portrait of Stuart Andrew crop 2, 2021.jpg Stuart Andrew [c] Pudsey Minister of State for Housing Letter
18 Official portrait of Felicity Buchan MP crop 2.jpg Felicity Buchan Kensington PPS to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Letter
19 Official portrait of Selaine Saxby MP crop 2.jpg Selaine Saxby North Devon PPS to HM Treasury Letter
20 Official portrait of Claire Coutinho MP crop 2.jpg Claire Coutinho East Surrey PPS to HM Treasury Statement
21 Official portrait of David Johnston MP crop 2.jpg David Johnston Wantage PPS to the Department for Education Statement
22 Official portrait of Mrs Kemi Badenoch crop 2.jpg Kemi Badenoch Saffron Walden [[Minister of State for Levelling Up Communities|Minister of State for Local Government, Faith and Communities]]and Minister of State for Equalities Letter
23 Official portrait of Neil O'Brien MP crop 2.jpg Neil O'Brien Harborough Parliamentary Under-Secretary of Statefor Levelling Up, The Union and Constitution
24 Official portrait of Alex Burghart crop 2.jpg Alex Burghart Brentwood and Ongar Parliamentary Under-Secretary of Statefor Apprenticeships and Skills
25 Official portrait of Lee Rowley MP crop 2.jpg Lee Rowley North East Derbyshire Parliamentary Under-Secretary of Statefor Business and Industry
26 Official portrait of Julia Lopez MP crop 2.jpg Julia Lopez Hornchurch and Upminster Minister of State for Media, Data, and Digital Infrastructure
27 Mims Davies.jpg Mims Davies Mid Sussex Parliamentary Under-Secretary of Statefor Employment Letter
28 Official portrait of Duncan Baker MP crop 2.jpg Duncan Baker North Norfolk PPS to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Statement
29 Official portrait of Craig Williams MP crop 2.jpg Craig Williams Montgomeryshire PPS to HM Treasury Letter
30 Official portrait of Rachel Maclean MP crop 2.jpg Rachel Maclean Redditch Minister for Safeguarding Letter
31 Official portrait of Mark Logan MP crop 2.jpg Mark Logan Bolton North East PPS to the Northern Ireland Office Letter
32 Mike Freer 2021.jpg Mike Freer Finchley and Golders Green Parliamentary Under-Secretary of Statefor Exports Letter
33 Official portrait of Mark Fletcher MP crop 2.jpg Mark Fletcher Bolsover PPS to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Letter
34 Official portrait of Sara Britcliffe MP crop 2.jpg Sara Britcliffe Hyndburn PPS to the Department for Education Letter
35 Official portrait of Peter Gibson MP crop 2.jpg Peter Gibson Darlington PPS to the Department for International Trade Letter
36 Official portrait of Ruth Edwards MP crop 2.jpg Ruth Edwards Rushcliffe PPS to the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland Letter
37 Official portrait of David Duguid MP crop 2.jpg David Duguid Banff and Buchan Prime Ministerial Trade Envoy to Angola and Zambia Statement
38 Official portrait of James Sunderland MP crop 2.jpg James Sunderland Bracknell PPS to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Statement
39 Official portrait of Jacob Young MP crop 2.jpg Jacob Young Redcar PPS to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Letter
40 Official portrait of Rt Hon Michael Gove MP crop 2.jpg Michael Gove Surrey Heath Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Dismissed [90]
41 Official portrait of Rt Hon David Mundell MP crop 2.jpg David Mundell Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale Prime Ministerial Trade Envoy to New Zealand Statement
42 Official portrait of James Daly MP crop 2.jpg James Daly Bury North PPS to the Department for Work and Pensions Letter
43 Official portrait of Danny Kruger MP crop 2.jpg Danny Kruger Devizes PPS to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Statement
44 Simon Hart.jpg Simon Hart Carmarthen Westand South Pembrokeshire Secretary of State for Wales Letter
45 Official portrait of Edward Argar MP crop 2.jpg Edward Argar Charnwood Minister of State for Health Letter
46 Official portrait of Gareth Davies MP crop 2.jpg Gareth Davies Grantham and Stamford PPS to the Department of Health and Social Care Statement
47 Official portrait of Dr James Davies MP crop 2.jpg James Davies Vale of Clwyd PPS to the Department of Health and Social Care Letter
7 July
48 Official portrait of Rt Hon Brandon Lewis MP crop 2.jpg Brandon Lewis Great Yarmouth Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Letter
49 Official portrait of Helen Whately MP crop 2.jpg Helen Whately Faversham and Mid Kent Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury Letter
50 Official portrait of Damian Hinds MP crop 2.jpg Damian Hinds East Hampshire Minister of State for Security and Borders Letter
51 Official portrait of George Freeman MP crop 2.jpg George Freeman Mid Norfolk Parliamentary Under-Secretary of Statefor Science, Research and Innovation Letter
52 Official portrait of Guy Opperman crop 2.jpg Guy Opperman [c] Hexham Parliamentary Under-Secretary of Statefor Pensions and Financial Inclusion Letter
53 Official portrait of Chris Philp MP crop 2.jpg Chris Philp Croydon South Parliamentary Under-Secretary of Statefor Tech and the Digital Economy Letter
54 Official portrait of James Cartlidge MP crop 2.jpg James Cartlidge South Suffolk Parliamentary Under-Secretary of Statefor Justice Letter
55 Official portrait of Michelle Donelan MP crop 2.jpg Michelle Donelan Chippenham Secretary of State for Education Letter
56 Official portrait of Dr Caroline Johnson MP crop 2.jpg Caroline Johnson Sleaford and North Hykeham Vice Chair of the Conservative Party for Women Letter
57 Official portrait of Luke Hall MP crop 2.jpg Luke Hall Thornbury and Yate Deputy Chair of the Conservative Party Letter
58 Official portrait of Rob Butler crop 2.jpg Rob Butler Aylesbury PPS to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Letter
59 Official portrait of Rebecca Pow MP crop 2.jpg Rebecca Pow [d] Taunton Deane Parliamentary Under-Secretary of Statefor Nature Recovery and the Domestic Environment Letter
60 Official portrait of Jack Brereton MP crop 2.jpg Jack Brereton Stoke-on-Trent South PPS to the Secretary of State for International Trade Letter
61 Official portrait of Richard Graham MP crop 2.jpg Richard Graham Gloucester Prime Ministerial Trade Envoy to Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines Letter
62 Official portrait of Fay Jones MP crop 2.jpg Fay Jones Brecon and Radnorshire PPS to the Leader of the House of Commons Statement

See also

Notes

  1. Some news outlets incorrectly reported him resigning on the evening of 6 July. [47]
  2. Numbers assigned do not necessarily strictly correspond to the actual order of resignation but are an approximation of the order.
  3. 1 2 3 He was later re-appointed by Johnson.
  4. Pow's resignation letter was officially submitted after Johnson had announced his resignation. Pow later tweeted that, while she had informed the Prime Minister of her intention to resign prior to his announcement, she had been unable to submit her letter in person due to her self-isolating with coronavirus. [91]

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A list of events relating to politics and government in the United Kingdom during 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election</span> British leadership election to replace Boris Johnson

The July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election was triggered by Boris Johnson's announcement on 7 July 2022 that he would resign as Leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, following a series of political controversies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">July 2022 British cabinet reshuffle</span> Last cabinet reshuffle undertaken by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson carried out the third significant reshuffle of his majority government from 5 to 8 July 2022, having last done so in September 2021. This was a direct result of the July 2022 United Kingdom government crisis in which more than a third of ministers and parliamentary private secretaries resigned from their positions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 vote of confidence in the Conservative Party leadership of Boris Johnson</span> 2022 vote of confidence in Boris Johnson

On 6 June 2022, a vote of confidence was held amongst Conservative Party MPs on the prime minister, Boris Johnson's, leadership of their party. Johnson won the vote with the support of 211 Conservative members of Parliament, 58.8% of the total. Out of 359 MPs, 148 (41.2%) voted against him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Pincher scandal</span> 2022 political controversy in the United Kingdom

The Chris Pincher scandal was a political controversy in the United Kingdom related to allegations of sexual misconduct by the former Conservative Party Deputy Chief Whip, Chris Pincher. In early July 2022, allegations of Pincher's misconduct emerged, including allegations that pre-dated his appointment as Deputy Chief Whip.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Truss ministry</span> Government of the United Kingdom in 2022

The Truss ministry began on 6 September 2022 when Liz Truss was invited by Queen Elizabeth II—two days before the monarch's death—to succeed Boris Johnson as prime minister of the United Kingdom. Johnson resigned as leader of the Conservative Party the previous day after Truss was elected as his successor. The Truss ministry was formed from the 2019 Parliament of the United Kingdom, as a Conservative majority government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">October 2022 Conservative Party leadership election</span> British leadership election to replace Liz Truss

The October 2022 Conservative Party leadership election was triggered by Liz Truss's announcement that she would resign as Leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, amid an economic and political crisis.

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