Boris Johnson: Welsh Conservatives respond as Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid resign

“He’s finished.” “It’s over.” “This is endgame territory.” Those are all variations of what senior Conservatives are saying tonight about the Prime Minister.

Boris Johnson’s apology for his handling of the Chris Pincher affair has come too late for many.

That and the devastating criticism from the former senior civil servant Lord Macdonald seems to have tipped waverers over the edge. 

Ynys Môn MP, Virginia Crosbie, quit her post as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Wales Office.

The MP quit her government role saying she fears that if Boris Johnson continues in post he risks “irrevocably harming this government and the Conservative party.”

There’s been no comment as yet from the most senior Welsh politician in the UK Government.  Simon Hart has previously said that he wanted Boris Johnson to stay on in post. 

The party’s leader in the Senedd, Andrew RT Davies, has been a vocal backer of Mr Johnson although even he has tempered his view in the light of recent allegations, saying the Prime Minister should “take a look in the mirror.” 

He said: “I’ve always said it was essential for the Prime Minister to hold the confidence of our country, party and parliament.

“It’s disappointing that in recent months the government has struggled to deliver on its important agenda and manifesto commitments that were overwhelmingly endorsed in 2019.  

“The Prime Minister must now prove that he can deliver on his mandate.”

With other resignations expected, the UK Government could be on the verge of collapsing.

Some Conservatives in Westminster have told me that they can’t see Boris Johnson ever changing.

“He’s toxic”, said one, pointing out that every scandal or controversy only reminds them how there’ll be another scandal and another.

Previous enthusiastic supporters of Boris Johnson in the wider party are also withdrawing their support. 

One told me that all the other members they’d spoken to “feel betrayed.”

“They expected so much and he’s been a massive disappointment to us,” they continued.

Other parties aren’t holding back. Labour’s shadow Welsh secretary Jo Stevens said: “The question everyone should be asking Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid is why they backed Boris Johnson for so long.

“They knew he was dishonest. They knew he lied to and mocked the public’s sacrifices during the pandemic. And they were complicit in all the sleaze, scandal and incompetence that is the hallmark of this disgraceful government.

“Boris Johnson has disgraced his office and the country. The public deserve a fresh start and a new government.”

Plaid Cymru’s Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts said the Prime Minister’s departure is "now an inevitability". 

She said: "Boris Johnson’s days are numbered. He’ll be dragged kicking and screaming out of Number 10 as Cabinet Ministers one-by-one find a backbone. But it is now an inevitability.

"The chaos that has consumed Westminster for years is utterly unsustainable. People are fed up of politicians who treat their lives as a game, who obsess about personalities and theatre rather than principles and vision.

"Wales have never given the Tories a majority in our country. But even if Johnson goes, the same arrogance will continue to control and command.

"We in Wales are taking steps to strengthen and modernise our democracy in stark contrast to the Westminster circus. It’s time to do better with independence."

Boris Johnson is due to face his weekly question session in the House of Commons on Wednesday. They’re not the only questions he’s facing.