Sir Keir Starmer has said that Boris Johnson's government "is now collapsing” following the resignation of two Cabinet ministers.
The Labour Leader said that Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid who resigned on Tuesday have been “complicit” as the Prime Minister “disgraced his office”.
The resignations came as the Prime Minister has been forced into a humiliating apology over his handling of the Chris Pincher row after it emerged he had forgotten about being told of previous allegations of “inappropriate” conduct.
Mr Pincher quit as deputy chief whip last week following claims that he groped two men at a private members’ club
"The Tory party is corrupted and changing one man won’t fix that," Sir Keir Starmer says
The Tory party is corrupted and changing one man won’t fix that.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 5, 2022
Only a real change of government can give Britain the fresh start it needs. pic.twitter.com/qx3k9jQLZw
Sir Keir said in a statement: “After all the sleaze, the scandals and the failure, it’s clear that this Government is now collapsing. Tory cabinet ministers have known all along who this Prime Minister is.
“They have been his cheerleaders throughout this sorry saga:
– backing him when he broke the law
– backing him when he lied repeatedly
– backing him when he mocked the sacrifices of the British people.
“In doing so, they have been complicit every step of the way as he has disgraced his office and let down his country. If they had a shred of integrity they would have gone months ago.
“The British public will not be fooled. The Tory party is corrupted and changing one man won’t fix that.
“Only a real change of government can give Britain the fresh start it needs.”
Following the resignations, the Labour former shadows of Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid have both said that the “problem isn’t just Boris Johnson” but the whole Conservative Party.
READ MORE: Has Boris Johnson resigned? What we know as Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid resign
READ MORE: All MPs who have resigned under Boris Johnson as Sajid Javid and Rishi Sunak leave
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Boris Johnson is unfit to be Prime Minister and the resignation of top ministers “means nothing” after months of complicity.
Sir Keir told broadcasters: “He is unfit to be Prime Minister. He is not fit to govern the country.
“That is dawning on many people across the Conservative party, but they have to reflect on that, that they have backed him for months and months and months.
“Resigning today means nothing against their complicity for all those months when they should have seen him for what he was, they knew who he was.
“We need a change of government.”
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves tweeted: “Rishi Sunak, Sajid Javid and every Tory MP who propped up this corrupt PM are responsible for his failures.
“They should’ve resigned months ago. Changing one man won’t fix this debased party. The truth is the Tory party is incapable of fixing the challenges our country faces.”
While Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting posted: “Javid and every Conservative MP knew who Boris Johnson was when they backed him only weeks ago.
“The problem isn’t just Boris Johnson. It’s the whole Conservative Party. They are out of ideas, out of steam and out of touch. They are unfit to govern.”
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