Michelle Donelan has quit the Cabinet after less than 48 hours in order to “to force the hand” of Boris Johnson.
Minutes later, Mr Johnson agreed to resign as Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister as he finally caved to pressure to leave No 10 following a coup from his own MPs.
The Prime Minister told Tory 1922 Committee chairman Sir Graham Brady this morning that he had agreed to stand down, with a new Tory leader set to be in place by the Conservative Party conference in October following a leadership contest this summer.
He is due to make a statement to the nation later today.
Ms Donelan, 38, was appointed Education Secretary after Nadhim Zahawi was promoted to Chancellor following Rishi Sunak’s resignation on Tuesday night.
It came as another deluge of resignations rocked the Prime Minister this morning, with more than 50 MPs resigning from Government this week in the wake of Mr Johnson’s handling of alllegatoins of sexual assault against the former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher as the overwhelming pressure finally forced Mr Johnson’s hand.
In her resignation letter to the Prime Minister, Ms Donelan wrote: “I see no way you can continue in post, but without a formal mechanism to remove you it seems that the only way this is possible is for those of us who remain in Cabinet to force your hand.
“You have put us in an impossible situation. I am deeply saddened that it has come to this, but as someone who values integrity I have no choice.”
Ms Donelan told Mr Johnson she was “very worried” about the prospect of no ministers in the Department of Education in the run-up to students’ result day, and called on the PM to quit “for the sake of the country”.
It comes as Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi called for Boris Johnson to resign, less than 48 hours after taking on his new role.
In a statement, Mr Zahawi warned that the Prime Minister was “undermining the incredible achievements of this Government at this late hour.”
“The country deserves a Government that is not only stable but which acts with integrity.”
Mr Zahawi added that he had previously “made clear” to the Prime Minister that he “should leave with dignity”, but had chosen to keep the advice private out of respect.
This morning’s round of resignations saw eight ministers have join growing mutiny against the Prime Minister, with Brandon Lewis quitting as Northern Ireland Secretary, followed by Helen Whately, exchequer secretary to the Treasury.
More than 40 members of the Government had resigned by last night force the Prime Minister out as Cabinet ministers warn Mr Johnson that MPs had lost confidence in his leadership.
A defiant Mr Johnson sacked Michael Gove from the Cabinet after he told the Prime Minister he should quit.
Mr Johnson’s resignation this morning will trigger the fourth Conservative leadership election in six years.
This story is being updated
Read More:Michelle Donelan quits cabinet after less than 48 hours ‘to force hand’ of Boris Johnson
2022-07-07 08:00:00
