Govt 'paralysed' as Boris vows to remain in No10 until new PM chosen

8 July 2022, 00:36 | Updated: 8 July 2022, 00:39

Senior Tories have warned the government will be in a state of paralysis if Boris Johnson is true to his word and stays in No10 until his successor is chosen.

Mr Johnson succumbed to pressure from his party to resign as leader, but has pledged to remain Prime Minister until a new one is chosen.

He has now said he will not make any big policy changes before departing, prompting fears the government will be 'paralysed' until the Tory leadership contest concludes.

He is now facing calls to leave his post immediately, after gaps in his front bench team already had an impact on government business on Thursday.

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Among those urging him to step down now are former Prime Minister Sir John Major and reportedly the former communities secretary Michael Gove, who was dramatically sacked from his post by Mr Johnson last night.

"The proposal for the Prime Minister to remain in office - for up to three months - having lost the support of his Cabinet, his government and his parliamentary party is unwise and may be unsustainable," said Sir John in a letter to Tory 1922 Committee chairman Sir Graham Brady.

Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng also said there should be a "new leader as soon as practicable", and ex science minister George Freeman said a caretaker PM should be appointed.

Labour have also threatened a vote of no confidence to oust Mr Johnson if he does not leave of his own accord.

A poll released on Thursday afternoon found the public wants Boris Johnson out sooner rather than later.

Over half (56%) of people polled by YouGov said they wanted a caretaker PM to replace Mr Johnson until a successor can be named.

Under a third (32%) of Brits said Johnson should remain in position while a successor is elected, rising to over half (55%) of 2019 Conservative voters.

Mr Johnson officially announced his resignation outside No10 just after midday on Thursday, following a morning of widespread speculation he was about to throw in the towel.

The nail in the coffin of his premiership was his appointment of Chris Pincher - an MP Mr Johnson knew was the subject of sexual assault allegations - to deputy chief whip.

The scandal, which followed a string of incidents including Partygate and two crushing by-elections, prompted the resignation of over 50 of Mr Johnson's ministers including former chancellor Rishi Sunak and former health secretary Sajid Javid.

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Two Tory MPs have so far announced their wish to be the next party leader.

Tom Tugendhat, the foreign affairs committee chairman, announced in the Telegraph that he would throw his hat into the ring.

And on Wednesday night - before Mr Johnson even stepped down - the attorney general Suella Braverman confirmed that she too would be a candidate.

More declarations are expected in the coming days, with Mr Javid, transport secretary Grant Shapps, foreign secretary Liz Truss, Mr Sunak and former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt among those tipped to be considering it.

Some, including Mr Gove and Deputy PM Dominic Raab, have already said they do not intend to stand.

Mr Johnson finally caved to pressure from all parties on Thursday.

In a speech outside No10, watched by wife Carrie and a crowd of MPs and staffers, he said: "It is clearly now the will of the parliamentary Conservative Party that there should be a new leader of the party and therefore a new prime minister."

Mr Johnson went on: "The reason I have fought so hard over the last few days to continue to deliver that mandate in person was not just because I wanted to do so, but because I felt it was my job, my duty, my obligation to you.

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"I'm immensely proud of the achievements of this government in getting Brexit done, to settling our relations with the Continent... reclaiming the power for this country to make its own laws in Parliament.

"Getting this country through the pandemic, getting the fastest vaccine roll-out in Europe, the fastest exit from lockdown and in the last few months leading the West in standing up to Putin's aggression in Ukraine."

He added: "In the last few days I have tried to convince my colleagues it would be eccentric to change leader when we are delivering so much, when we have such a vast mandate and when we're only a couple of points behind in the polls."

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"It's painful not to be able to see through so many projects myself," Mr Johnson adds.

"But as we've seen at Westminster the herd instinct is powerful. When the herd moves, it moves."