The U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer or finance minister, Rishi Sunak, and the U.K. Health Secretary, Sajid Javid, have both quit their Cabinet posts, the BBC reports.
Both ministers said in their resignation letters to U.K. Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, that they had lost confidence in the Prime Minister for various reasons.
Both cabinet ministers tweeted their resignations Tuesday.
“It was a privilege to have been asked to come back into government to serve as Secretary of State for Health & Social Care at such a critical time for our country,” Sajid Javid said.
But, he adds: “We [Conservative party] may not have always been popular, but we have been competent in acting in the national interest. Sadly, in the current circumstances, the public are concluding that we are now neither.
“The vote of confidence last month showed that a large number of our colleagues agree.
“I regret to say, however, that it is clear to me that this situation will not change under your leadership and you have therefore lost my confidence too.”
The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, said the public expect government to be conducted “properly, competently and seriously.”
In his letter he says “the public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously”.
He adds: “I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning”.
Sunak says “our country is facing immense challenges”.
“I publicly believe the public are ready to hear that truth. Our people know that if something is too good to be true then it’s not true. They need to know that whilst there is a path to a better future, it is not an easy one.
“In preparation for our proposed joint speech on the economy next week, it has become clear to me that our approaches are fundamentally too different.”
“I am sad to be leaving government but I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that we cannot continue like this”, he adds.
It comes after a string of scandals that have plagued UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s leadership over the last few months.
The latest scandal saw Johnson hit by allegations he failed to come clean about a lawmaker who was appointed to a senior position despite claims of sexual misconduct.
Johnson has faced pressure to explain what he knew about previous misconduct allegations against lawmaker Chris Pincher, who resigned as deputy chief whip Thursday amid complaints that he groped two men at a private club.
Minutes before the resignations of Javid and Sunak were announced, Johnson told reporters that Pincher should have been fired from the government after a previous 2019 incident.
Asked if it was an error to appoint Pincher to the government, Johnson said “I think it was a mistake and I apologize for it. In hindsight it was the wrong thing to do.”
