Boris Johnson has resigned as the leader of the Conservative Party and plans to stay on as prime minister until a new party leader is elected by the autumn. Mr Johnson has appointed a new cabinet after a wave of resignations from his government led to his resignation. Our political correspondent David Wallace Lockhart answers some of your questions about the tumultuous events at Westminster:
“Boris Johnson has just resigned and is forming a new government. How exactly does this work?’ (John Fitzsimmons)
Boris Johnson is still prime minister and it looks like that will be the case until we have a new leader of the Conservative party. He has the right – and the obligation – to carry on the business of government. That means he needs new ministers (remember, many of them resigned recently). Some of them may well be in place for a few weeks as a new party leader will want to appoint his own top team.
“Are these interims going to get ministerial severance pay when they have to step down as a new leader is elected?” (Mark Bolney)
For this we go to the Ministerial and other Pensions and Wages Act 1991. If a minister ceases to hold office – and is not reappointed to the government within three weeks – they are entitled to severance pay. The act states that they should take a quarter of their annual ministerial salary upon leaving. It does not set a minimum amount of time they must spend on the job to receive payment.
“Isn’t Dominic Raab our deputy prime minister and therefore there to step in and cover now?” (Shelley Duck)
The simple answer is that he is, but he won’t step in because there is no vacancy – Boris Johnson is still prime minister. As Deputy Prime Minister, Dominic Raab has supported Mr Johnson in the past – for example by doing Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) when Johnson is out of the country – but that did not automatically make him prime minister when Boris Johnson announced he was stepping down as leader of the Conservatives. This is not unusual. David Cameron and Theresa May continued to serve as prime ministers after announcing they would step down. Image source: Reuters
“Will Boris Johnson answer questions at PMQs next week?” (John Q)
Unless there is a new prime minister, yes. Some voices (such as former prime minister Sir John Major) are calling for Mr Johnson to step down and a short-term replacement installed. Under his proposals, they would remain in place while the leadership contest is held. But that doesn’t seem likely right now. Barring any major developments, Boris Johnson will be taking questions at PMQs next week.
“Why accept a leader appointed by the gray suits of 1922?” (Barry Tuck)
The 1922 Committee is the group representing Tory MPs. They will set the rules for the leadership contest, but the new leader will ultimately be appointed by Conservative party members (believed to be around 180,000 people). Their vote is likely to come after Tory MPs have whittled the numbers down to two candidates. The wider public will have their say at the next general election, which will be held by January 2025 at the latest.
“Could Mr Johnson be re-nominated as leader?” (Colin Fuller, Cheltenham)
This would be a very controversial move and does not seem feasible. Under current Conservative leadership rules, a leader who resigns is not eligible to stand in the next leadership contest. Image credit: British Parliament/Jessica Taylor
Can someone like Theresa May be Prime Minister again? (John Starbuck)
He should run to be leader of the Conservative Party again and win the upcoming contest. It would be an unusual move, and highly unlikely, but there is no rule preventing her from having another go at the top. If you have a question after Boris Johnson resigned, email us at: [email protected]. Include a contact number if you would like to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways: If you’re reading this page and can’t see the form, you’ll need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment, or you can email us at [email protected] Please include your name, age and location in any submission.
