Bloomberg
UK Prime Minister Theresa May is being urged to shake up her Cabinet and fire Boris Johnson to show she’s in charge, according to people familiar with the situation, as Tories demand an end to the government infighting that threatens to bring chaos to Brexit.
Officials in May’s party, speaking on condition of anonymity, say she should act now to assert her authority in the face of plots from former Cabinet colleagues and rebellious behaviour by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. The foreign office and May’s office declined to comment. Johnson has angered colleagues by forging his own path on Brexit in the run up to what proved a disastrous party conference for the prime minister, according to three senior Tories. Johnson sent supportive messages to a private WhatsApp group of Tory members of Parliament urging them to support the premier, two of them said.
May faced calls to quit following a chaotic speech at the conference that she almost failed to finish due to a coughing fit. Grant Shapps, a former Conservative party chairman, announced he was orchestrating a campaign to persuade her to step down—to which May responded by saying she’s providing the “calm leadership†the country needs. Lawmakers called on Tories to unite behind the premier or watch as Labour’s socialist leader Jeremy Corbyn reaps the benefit.