Boris Johnson loses ‘distressed and disappointed’ ally Oliver Dowden from cabinet

‘We cannot carry on with business as usual’, senior MP says in pointed letter to Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson was dealt a second body blow within hours of his crushing by-election defeats in Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton, as close ally Oliver Dowden quit as Conservative chairman.

In a letter released early on Friday, Mr Dowden appeared to point to the Partygate scandal as a key factor in the double setback, saying that he shared the feelings of Tory supporters who were “distressed and disappointed by recent events”.

In a message calling for at the least a change in direction, if not a change of leadership, for the Conservative government, Mr Dowden said: “We cannot carry on with business as usual.”

He is the first cabinet minister to quit since the scandal over lockdown-breaking parties in 10 Downing Street during the Covid pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

There was furious speculation in Westminster about whether his departure presaged a string of further high-ranking resignations that could destabilise Mr Johnson and hasten the end of his premiership.

But the departing cabinet minister stopped short of criticising the PM, calling his decision “deeply personal” and suggesting he himself bore some responsibility for a “very poor run” of results.

“Yesterday’s parliamentary by-elections are the latest in a run of very poor results for our party,” Mr Dowden wrote. “Our supporters are distressed and disappointed by recent events, and I share their feelings.”

The senior MP added: “We cannot carry on with business as usual. Somebody must take responsibility and I have concluded that, in these circumstances, it would not be right for me to remain in office.”

Mr Dowden’s departure will be a significant loss to the prime minister, who had included the Hertsmere MP in his administration since he first arrived in office, first as paymaster general, then culture secretary and latterly chair of the Conservative Party and minister without portfolio.

It appears to have caught Downing Street off guard. Only days ago Mr Dowden was briefing the PM on the likely loss of the red-wall seat Wakefield and the traditionally true-blue Devon constituency of Tiverton and Honiton without indicating that it would be a trigger for him to go.

He was an early supporter of Johnson’s bid for the premiership, writing a joint article with Rishi Sunak and Robert Jenrick in 2019 that cast the former foreign secretary and Brexit figurehead as the answer to the “existential threat” faced by the Tories under Theresa May’s leadership.

Their intervention was seen at the time as an indication that the younger generation of talented Tories was swinging behind Johnson, and all three were rewarded with cabinet jobs.

Dowden’s closeness to Sunak will inevitably lead to speculation over whether his resignation is a foretaste of action by the chancellor.

And Mr Sunak was one of the first to pay tribute to the outgoing party chair, tweeting: “I’m sad that my colleague and friend Oliver Dowden took the decision to resign this morning. We all take responsibility for the results and I’m determined to continue working to tackle the cost of living, including delivering NIC changes saving 30 million people on average £330.”

In a letter responding to his resignation, Mr Johnson told Mr Dowden he was “sad” to see him leave.

“While I completely understand your disappointment with the by-election results, this government was elected with a historic mandate just over two years ago to unite and level up,” said the PM.

Asked about his departure later at a press conference at the Commonwealth summit in Rwanda, Mr Johnson said: “I think he did a lot of good work, particularly as chairman but also as secretary of state for DCMS [the department for culture] on broadband rollout, veterans affairs and other things. I thank him for his service.

“But I genuinely, genuinely don’t think that the way forward in British politics is to focus on issues of personalities, whether they are mine or others’.”

Senior Tory MP Simon Hoare – who voted against Mr Johnson at the recent confidence vote – said Mr Dowden was “not to blame” for the losses. Fellow Tory rebel Andrew Bowie said he was “really sorry” to see the “thoroughly decent man” depart the role.

Gavin Barwell, former No 10 chief of staff under Ms May, said the by-election results in Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton should show the Conservatives it was “time to wake up before it is too late”.

“Finally someone in the cabinet says ‘enough is enough’,” he tweeted on Mr Dowden’s exit. “These by-elections – particularly Tiverton – show the Conservative Party is sleepwalking to defeat at the next election.”