Boris Johnson’s situation seems increasingly hopeless. Even the new finance minister, Nadhim Zahawi, has publicly opposed the prime minister.

The government crisis in London worsened on Thursday. Prime Minister Boris Johnson increasingly lost support. Even Finance Minister Nadhim Zahawi, who was appointed to his post on Tuesday, publicly called on Johnson to resign. ‘Prime Minister, in your heart you know what is right. Go now,” Zahawi wrote in a letter to Johnson published on Twitter.

With Education Secretary Michelle Donelan and Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis taking the number of cabinet members who have resigned to five. Other Tory MPs resigned from government posts. Johnson had shown himself combative on Wednesday and refused to resign – but his early departure from the top government is increasingly considered inevitable. British media, citing government insiders, reported that a resignation was expected on Thursday.

The total number of resignations from government offices on Thursday morning was over 50. The previously ultra-loyal chief legal officer Suella Braverman had asked Johnson to resign on live television the night before and brought herself into play as his successor. However, she did not want to resign at first.

urged to resign

According to media reports, a number of incumbent ministers visited the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street in the evening and urged him to resign. In addition to Chancellor of the Exchequer Zahawi, Transport Minister Grant Shapps is said to have been among them. Home Secretary Priti Patel, who has been ultra-loyal to date, and Economics Minister Kwasi Kwarteng are also said to have opposed Johnson. It was expected that there would be further dismissals or resignations from this group.

Building and Housing Minister Michael Gove, who is considered a long-time companion and political heavyweight, was dismissed on Wednesday evening. He is said to have recommended the prime minister to resign in the morning.

There was initially radio silence in the government seat at 10 Downing Street on Thursday morning. The evening before, a close Johnson confidant had announced that the prime minister would not give up. “The Prime Minister is in an optimistic mood and will fight on,” Johnson’s parliamentary assistant James Duddridge told Sky News. Johnson got the mandate of 14 million voters in the last general election and “so much to do for the country”.

Tory MP: Government is ‘in freefall’

But his situation seems increasingly hopeless. Tory MP and Johnson critic Steve Baker told the BBC on Thursday the government was “in free fall”. Even Johnson’s former employer, the conservative newspaper The Daily Telegraph, described Johnson as “mortally wounded” on its front page. The left-liberal “Guardian” headlined: “Desperate, deluded Prime Minister clinging to power”.

For Johnson, who has already endured a number of crises and always retained his power, the end of the road should be reached by next Tuesday at the latest. Until then, an influential committee that sets the rules for voting out the Tory party leader wants to clear the way for a second no-confidence vote.

Johnson narrowly survived a no-confidence vote in his group just a month ago. Under Tory party rules, no new attempt to overthrow the leader can be made for 12 months after the vote. However, a rule change could mean a new vote of no confidence as early as next week. It is considered likely that Johnson will lose this time.

The most recent government crisis in Westminster was triggered by an affair involving Johnson’s party colleague Chris Pincher, who is accused of sexual harassment. It was previously revealed that Johnson knew about the allegations against Pincher before he promoted him to a key faction position. His spokesman had previously denied this several times.