Boris Johnson quotes The Lion King as fifth aide resigns and lawmaker submits letter of no confidence
- ‘Change is good’, said PM, seeking to keep staff onside with a pep talk after being rocked by five resignations; admitting he ‘didn’t know’ if he’d seen the film
- The resignations have piled fresh pressure on the prime minister, with 13 Conservative MPs publicly calling for his resignation over partygate
Aaron Bell, a British lawmaker in the ruling Conservatives, said on Friday he had submitted a letter of no confidence in Boris Johnson, saying the prime minister’s handling of Downing Street lockdown parties had made his position untenable.
Johnson could face a vote of no confidence in his leadership if 54 of his 360 Conservative lawmakers submit a letter to the chairman of the party’s 1922 Committee.
Bell said he was profoundly disappointed in the situation after he backed Johnson to become leader. “However the breach of trust that the events in No. 10 Downing Street represent, and the manner in which they have been handled, makes his position untenable,” he said in a statement on Twitter.
Boris Johnson’s top aides quit as UK prime minister battles growing crisis
Johnson had earlier quoted from The Lion King, insisting “change is good,” as he sought to keep staff onside after Downing Street was rocked by five resignations.
The prime minister channelled the philosopher monkey Rafiki in the Disney film as he tried to boost morale in a speech to aides on Friday. Downing Street said Mr Johnson acknowledges the “challenging” situation after the resignation of one of his longest-serving advisers, Munira Mirza.
Mirza quit in anger over Johnson’s use of a false smear against Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer regarding the failure to prosecute notorious paedophile Jimmy Saville, while under pressure over allegations of lockdown breaches in No 10.
Chief of staff Dan Rosenfield followed Mirza, as did principal private secretary Martin Reynolds and communications director Jack Doyle, who were all implicated in the ‘partygate’ scandal.
The exodus continued on Friday when policy adviser Elena Narozanski quit, further adding to the turmoil as Johnson clings onto power. Speaking to staff in the Cabinet Room as others tuned in on Zoom, the prime minister said: “As Rafiki in The Lion King says, change is good, and change is necessary even though it’s tough.”
Asked if Johnson had seen the film, the prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “I don’t know.”
UK’s Boris Johnson’s push to get back to work swamped by more party reports
Johnson was also said to have given his familiar “half-time pep talk” in which he talks about spitting out the “orange peel” and getting back on the “pitch.” He delivered that same message to his Cabinet in September last year after carrying out a ruthless cull of his top team.
Speaking to journalists, his official spokesperson said: “The prime minister has acknowledged it’s a challenging time as we go through a period of change but as he reiterated to the whole team today, there is an important job to do, the public expects us to be focused on it, whether it is the situation in Ukraine, recovering from the pandemic or, as the Chancellor was setting out yesterday, on issues such as cost of living.”
The resignations have piled fresh pressure on the prime minister as he battles to remain in charge, with 13 Conservative MPs publicly calling for his resignation over partygate.
The rush of departures has sparked fresh unease within the ruling Conservative party. One former minister talked about Johnson’s premiership with a hint of melancholy, as if it was already effectively over.
The pressure for Johnson to step down has been increasing among members of his Conservative party after a series of missteps and allegations that he and his team held rule-breaking parties during the pandemic.
Johnson is also grappling with escalating tensions over a Russian troop build-up near Ukraine, and a growing cost-of-living squeeze on households.
