# Who wants to be Prime Minister? Resignations in Tory cabinet and Boris Johnson has resigned **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [July 5, 2022, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-be-prime-minister-resignations-in-tory-cabinet-and-boris-johnson-has-resigned/967464 "2022-07-05T17:39:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Bootb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19b73/32.png) [@Bootb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootb)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2022, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-be-prime-minister-resignations-in-tory-cabinet-and-boris-johnson-has-resigned/967464/61 "2022-07-06T23:31:40Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > It is all fun and games from here on in, thanks in no small part to having an unwritten constitution and relying on precedent and the perceived will of the party. And interesting enough, “Party Games” is the title of the episode of “Yes Minister” in which Hacker becomes Prime Minister. Since some people feel that “Yes Minister” is a documentary disguised as comedy, I thought that this might be worth mentioning. ---
**Author:** ![Chad\_Sudan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chad_sudan/32/4509_2.png) [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2022, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-be-prime-minister-resignations-in-tory-cabinet-and-boris-johnson-has-resigned/967464/62 "2022-07-07T06:42:03Z")
I’d love to know – which of these resignations, if any, are with immediate effect? ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2022, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-be-prime-minister-resignations-in-tory-cabinet-and-boris-johnson-has-resigned/967464/63 "2022-07-07T06:48:25Z")
all of them. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2022, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-be-prime-minister-resignations-in-tory-cabinet-and-boris-johnson-has-resigned/967464/64 "2022-07-07T06:49:30Z")
> [@Bootb](#): > > And interesting enough, “Party Games” is the title of the episode of “Yes Minister” in which Hacker becomes Prime Minister. Since some people feel that “Yes Minister” is a documentary disguised as comedy, I thought that this might be worth mentioning. I’m rewatching “the thick of it” at the moment, it seems like the right time. ---
**Author:** ![Chad\_Sudan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chad_sudan/32/4509_2.png) [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2022, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-be-prime-minister-resignations-in-tory-cabinet-and-boris-johnson-has-resigned/967464/65 "2022-07-07T06:59:01Z")
It seems strange that the default move would be resigning with immediate effect, since 1) resigning effective two weeks from now would have the same impact on the prime minister’s future, and 2) ministers in the most sensitive positions, like the secretary of state for defense or the home secretary, might not be able to abandon their posts with immediate effect without compromising the UK’s security. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2022, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-be-prime-minister-resignations-in-tory-cabinet-and-boris-johnson-has-resigned/967464/66 "2022-07-07T07:27:17Z")
The attorney general is saying something similar: She wants Johnson to resign, and she would resign herself but she considers the functions of her position to be too critical to abandon. > **[Braverman says she will continue as Attorney General despite call for PM to quit](https://www.stirlingnews.co.uk/news/national/20261467.braverman-says-will-continue-attorney-general-despite-call-pm-quit/)** > > The Cabinet minister has previously been a staunch supporter of Boris Johnson. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2022, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-be-prime-minister-resignations-in-tory-cabinet-and-boris-johnson-has-resigned/967464/67 "2022-07-07T08:09:53Z")
Rumors a-flyin’ > ---
**Author:** ![filmstar-en](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/50afbb/32.png) [@filmstar-en](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmstar-en)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2022, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-be-prime-minister-resignations-in-tory-cabinet-and-boris-johnson-has-resigned/967464/68 "2022-07-07T08:10:01Z")
Boris Johnson has agreed to step down and resign as Prime Minister. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2022, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-be-prime-minister-resignations-in-tory-cabinet-and-boris-johnson-has-resigned/967464/69 "2022-07-07T08:11:04Z")
There we go. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2022, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-be-prime-minister-resignations-in-tory-cabinet-and-boris-johnson-has-resigned/967464/70 "2022-07-07T08:14:30Z")
I guess I picked a ‘good’ time to be up late sick in the USA. Gotta say, this one has been even more fascinating than the fall of Thatcher. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2022, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-be-prime-minister-resignations-in-tory-cabinet-and-boris-johnson-has-resigned/967464/71 "2022-07-07T08:18:36Z")
Apparently he has agreed to resign (the writing on the wall finally in large enough print, it seems) but wants to stay on as caretaker PM until the new leader is chosen in autumn (not that large, though). [Boris Johnson to resign Conservative leader today - BBC News](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-politics-62072419) ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2022, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-be-prime-minister-resignations-in-tory-cabinet-and-boris-johnson-has-resigned/967464/72 "2022-07-07T08:21:36Z")
Place your bets on a likely successor. I say they default back to Sunak, despite the tax-and-national-loyalty scandals of just a couple months ago. It’s not that he’s particularly inspiring, it’s that they need somebody, anybody, to plug into the office, and he’s marginally the least bad option out of a catastrophically awful cohort of candidates. ---
**Author:** ![filmstar-en](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/50afbb/32.png) [@filmstar-en](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmstar-en)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2022, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-be-prime-minister-resignations-in-tory-cabinet-and-boris-johnson-has-resigned/967464/73 "2022-07-07T08:26:12Z")
Boris seems to want to hang around as a ‘caretaker’ until the autumn when there is the Conservative Party conference. Somehow I don’t think that is realistic. Usually when Prime Ministers leave, it is sudden and dramatic. There will be quick leadership election. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2022, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-be-prime-minister-resignations-in-tory-cabinet-and-boris-johnson-has-resigned/967464/74 "2022-07-07T08:28:50Z")
Yeah, that seemed especially delusional. “I know it’ll take time to choose a worthy successor to my greatness, so I will make the personal sacrifice to hold down the functions of the office for the several months of your search.” Uh huh. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2022, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-be-prime-minister-resignations-in-tory-cabinet-and-boris-johnson-has-resigned/967464/75 "2022-07-07T08:32:56Z")
> [@filmstar-en](#): > > Boris seems to want to hang around as a ‘caretaker’ until the autumn when there is the Conservative Party conference. > > Somehow I don’t think that is realistic. Usually when Prime Ministers leave, it is sudden and dramatic. There will be quick leadership election. It seems mad to imagine that a) he’d want to stay in post or b) the Tory party would want him to hang around stinking up the joint for that long. But he wants to leave under some semblance of his own control, and they want him gone without anymore destructive nonsense so unless they show more decisiveness than they have done previously, I can see some ludicrous ill-favoured compromise being agreed to. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2022, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-be-prime-minister-resignations-in-tory-cabinet-and-boris-johnson-has-resigned/967464/76 "2022-07-07T08:37:50Z")
He won’t stay as caretaker. That ship has sailed, it was possible had he initiated all this himself but not now. Plus he is not in a position now to dictate the terms of his own removal so I’d expect a transfer of PM duties to a safe pair of hands (non-obvious-Boris aligned and unlikely to run for leadership) and for the leadership race to be accelerated. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2022, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-be-prime-minister-resignations-in-tory-cabinet-and-boris-johnson-has-resigned/967464/77 "2022-07-07T08:44:34Z")
Oh I agree that’s the most likely outcome. But “Boris and the Tory party do the rational thing” hasn’t so far been a great yardstick to go by so far, so I’m leaving room for something ridiculous to happen. I mean, we haven’t had the actual resignation statement yet. It’ll probably go as planned, but it just takes one rush of blood to the head for something to go pear-shaped. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2022, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-be-prime-minister-resignations-in-tory-cabinet-and-boris-johnson-has-resigned/967464/78 "2022-07-07T09:03:32Z")
Other points of note: Michelle Donelan accepted the post of Minister for Education on Tuesday night and resigned from it this morning, thus enshrining her in the dubious glory of pub quiz answer for the ages. Some time back Kier Starmer announced that if the police investigation into “Pizzagate” led to him receiving a Fixed Penalty Notice for breach of lockdown rules he would resign. This investigation is now complete, meaning a police officer now in effect has their finger hovering over a button marked “Unleash chaos”. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2022, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-be-prime-minister-resignations-in-tory-cabinet-and-boris-johnson-has-resigned/967464/79 "2022-07-07T09:09:35Z")
wow I wonder what Liz thinks of all this… if I was her id be reading some of those rules about stepping in " just in case" ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2022, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-be-prime-minister-resignations-in-tory-cabinet-and-boris-johnson-has-resigned/967464/80 "2022-07-07T09:12:05Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > I mean, we haven’t had the actual resignation statement yet. It’ll probably go as planned, but it just takes one rush of blood to the head for something to go pear-shaped. I don’t think so, as I say he just hasn’t got any leverage any more. It is pretty much out of his hands. He may try something but I don’t know what it could be that would have any effect now. He won’t call an election (labour will demand one when the PM changes but that doesn’t need to be granted until 2024) he can be forced out by a variety of tools and no-one is going to sign off on any major policy decisions of his given the current status. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-be-prime-minister-resignations-in-tory-cabinet-and-boris-johnson-has-resigned/967464.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-be-prime-minister-resignations-in-tory-cabinet-and-boris-johnson-has-resigned/967464.md?page=5)