Boris Johnson clings to his premiership after dozens of British lawmakers resign and urge him to quit
Johnson began the day vowing to fight on, despiteThat Pincher saga finally caused Johnson’s support base to cave in. Johnson narrowly survived a vote of no confidence in early June, but rebels have threatened to tweak party rules and allow another vote in the near future if Johnson doesn’t resign — and it would now be expected that he would lose.A sullen-faced Johnson struggled through Prime Minister’s Questions in Parliament and then fielded questions from MPs in a parliamentary committee meeting, during which even more of his allies pulled their support.Johnson’s efforts to cling to power were branded “pathetic” by the opposition leader Keir Starmer, who also turned his attack towards the few allies in his Cabinet still propping him up. “In the middle of a crisis doesn’t the country deserve better than a Z list cast of nodding dogs?” Starmer asked in Parliament.Should Johnson resign, a Conservative leadership campaign would begin and the winner would also take over as Prime Minister.That person would need to navigate domestic issues, such as a cost of living crisis that has hit British households, and inherit a wealth of foreign pressures. Johnson has developed a good relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and been a leading player in Europe’s response to Russia’s invasion.CNN’s Luke McGee contributed reporting.
