Boris Johnson’s key aides quit, leaving premier on the brink

Bloomberg

The crisis engulfing Boris Johnson’s government deepened as four top aides quit, with one unleashing a devastating attack on his judgment.
The UK prime minister’s chief of staff, Dan Rosenfield, and his principal private secretary, Martin Reynolds both resigned on Thursday, as did his director of communications, Jack Doyle. Chancellor Rishi Sunak also gave a subtle rebuke to the prime minister over an attack on opposition leader Keir Starmer that he suggested went too far.
Most damaging was the exit of Munira Mirza, one of Johnson’s longest-standing allies, who quit as head of the policy unit in protest over the “scurrilous” remark in which the prime minister blamed Starmer for allowing an infamous abuser to escape justice.
One former minister talked about Johnson’s premiership with a hint of melancholy, as if it was already effectively over. Another Tory MP said that Mirza’s resignation was a huge blow to Johnson. A third said that her letter made it clear that there is now an organized plot against the premier and it may well succeed in bringing him down.
“Very clear that Munira Mirza thinks that the PM should go and, by resigning and publishing this letter, she is trying to facilitate that,” former Conservative minister David Gauke, who was removed from the parliamentary party by Johnson during the wrangling over Brexit in 2019, said on Twitter. “Nearly everyone draws a line at some point.”
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.
The energy regulator Ofgem on Thursday announced a 54% hike in domestic energy bills that will be only partially offset by a 9 billion-pound ($12 billion) package of measures that Sunak unveiled in response. Meanwhile the Bank of England increased its key interest rate by 25 basis points to 0.5% in a bid to contain the fastest inflation in three decades.

‘Last Days of Rome’
Asked by Channel 4 News if Thursday’s developments felt like “the last days of Rome,” Chief Secretary to the Treasury Simon Clarke, a member of Johnson’s cabinet, replied: “The last days of Rome, I think, were more fun.”
Johnson’s supporters argued that the departures of Rosenfield, Reynolds and Doyle were a sign of the prime minister cleaning up his Downing Street operation, as he’d pledged to do earlier this week.
“This is the prime minister taking charge,” business minister Greg Hands told Sky News on Friday.
Hands said Mirza’s resignation was “a little bit different” and Johnson had “made clear” he disagreed with her reasons for quitting.