Keir Starmer and MPs react as Boris Johnson to stand down after Tory coup

Labour leader Keir Starmer said it was ‘good news’ that Boris Johnson will resign and called for a change of government

Politicians in the UK have been reacting to the sudden annoucement that Boris Johnson is to resign as prime minister.

Mr Johnson faced a deluge of ministerial resignations and a cabinet rebellion that prompted him to speak to Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the Conservative 1922 Committee, to inform him of his decision to stand down.

The prime minister is expected to say he wants to remain in place until a successor is in place, which will reportedly be by the time of the Conservative Party conference in October.

Labour leader Keir Starmer said it was “good news” that Mr Johnson had resigned but that it “should have happened long ago” and called for a “proper change of government”.

He said: “He was always unfit for office. He has been responsible for lies, scandal and fraud on an industrial scale. And all those who have been complicit should be utterly ashamed.

“The Tory party have inflicted chaos upon the country during the worst cost-of-living crisis in decades. And they cannot now pretend they are the ones to sort it out.”

“They have been in power for 12 years. The damage they have done is profound.

“Twelve years of economic stagnation. Twelve years of declining public services. Twelve years of empty promises.

“Enough is enough. We don’t need to change the Tory at the top - we need a proper change of government.”

Labour MP Chris Bryant, a frequent critic of Mr Johnson, greeted the news with a simple, “He’s toast. He’s going”.

He added on Twitter: “He can’t stay on for three more months. That’s preposterous. And dangerous.”

Mr Bryant’s party colleague Ian Lavery was also concerned about Mr Johnson’s reported decision to stay in post for a further few months.

He said on Twitter: “I seriously worry about @BorisJohnson departure date. What decisions he could make between now and then could hugely impact on the the nation. If he resigns today he should be gone today.

Meanwhile, George Freeman, who announced he was resigning as science minister on Thursday morning, said the prime minister must apologise to the Queen and advise her to call for a caretaker prime minister.

He tweeted: “Boris Johnson needs to hand in the seals of office, apologise to Her Majesty and advise her to call for a caretaker prime minister.

“To take over today so that ministers can get back to work and we can choose a new Conservative leader to try and repair the damage and rebuild trust.”

Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon also questioned whether it was “sustainable” for him to remain in the role until the autumn and said there was a “widespread relief” he was quitting.

She tweeted: “There will be a widespread sense of relief that the chaos of the last few days (indeed months) will come to an end, though notion of Boris Johnson staying on as PM until autumn seems far from ideal, and surely not sustainable?

“Boris Johnson was always manifestly unfit to be PM and the Tories should never have elected him leader or sustained him in office for as long as they have.

“But the problems run much deeper than one individual. The Westminster system is broken.”

However, offering a contrasting view, veteran Tory MP David Davis has said he is “not too bothered” about Mr Johnson remaining in power until later this year.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The simple truth, this is going to take a month or two.

“We’re hearing from people who were happy to be in Cabinet one week ago that we have now got to do this in five minutes flat.

“I’m not too bothered about the idea of Boris staying in place until we’ve got a new leadership.”

Wales first minister Mark Drakeford said he was “pleased” Mr Johnson will be resigning and called for a general election to determine the next prime minister.

He said on Twitter: “I’m pleased the prime minister has now done the right thing and agreed to resign. All four nations need a stable UK government.

“The way to achieve that is by a general election so the decision about the next prime minister is made by the people and not by the narrow membership of the Conservative party.”

And David Lammy, Labour’s shadow foreign secretary, did not mince his words about the soon-to-be former Tory leader.

He said on Twitter: “Good riddance to the most dishonest, incompetent and amoral Prime Minister in modern British history. He should never have been allowed to dishonour Number 10.

“Now it’s time to boot his Party of acolytes and sycophants out of power and give Britain a fresh start.”

Labour MP Zarah Sultana was similarly unequivocal in her condemnation of the prime minister.

She said on Twitter: “Today I’m thinking about the time Boris Johnson mocked Muslim women as ‘bank robbers’ & ‘letterboxes’ — sparking a 375% rise in Islamophobic incidents — & much of the political class shrugged their shoulders & let him off. Good riddance to Boris. Shame on those who enabled him.”