Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, was sacked by Boris Johnson late on Wednesday night.
This comes hours after Gove and Home Secretary Priti Patel called for Johnson to resign amid the ongoing Chris Pincher scandal that has seen nearly 40 MPs tender their resignation.
According to the BBC, Johnson is said to have remarked:
“You can’t have a snake who is not with you on any of the big arguments who then gleefully tells the press the leader has to go.”
Gove – along with Johnson – was in the midst of a wide review of mortgage finance and the housing market. The impact that this decision will have on housing policies such as the return of right to buy, the building of new houses, leasehold reform and cladding remediation remains to be seen.
This is a significant blow given Gove’s long-standing presence beside Johnson and steadfast support until Wednesday. It follows the resignation of Housing Minister Stuart Andrew earlier on Wednesday.
What has caused the scandal surrounding Chris Pincher?
Pincher was accused of groping two men at an event in London on 29th June and has since resigned. However, in the aftermath of this, a string of other allegations have emerged, with the Independent reporting a degree of “notoriety” among Conservative colleagues.
In 2017, Pincher quit the whips’ office after sexual assault allegations from Alex Story. Despite this, Boris Johnson brought him back into the government in 2019, making him housing minister, before making him deputy chief earlier this year. The Sunday Times report that during this period, a male Conservative reported further unwanted passes, and other Conservatives also raised concerns.
Johnson knew of this at the time, but failed to act on the allegations.
On 1st July 2022, Johnson’s government claimed that the Prime Minister was not in fact aware of the misconduct. On Monday, this stance changed: the PM now knew of the charges, but they were “either resolved or did not progress to a formal complaint”.
This has since changed again, with the PM saying he did not immediately recall being briefed about the misconduct in 2019.
On Tuesday, the PM’s bluff was called by Simon McDonald, the most senior civil servant in the Foreign Office 2015-2020, who said the PM was indeed briefed about Pincher’s allegations. Writing in a letter to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, McDonald said:
“Mr Johnson was briefed in person about the initiation and outcome of the investigation. There was a ‘formal complaint.’ Allegations were ‘resolved’ only in the sense that the investigation was completed; Mr Pincher was not exonerated. To characterise the allegations as ‘unsubstantiated’ is therefore wrong.”
Johnson then apologised for the whole scandal on Tuesday, saying:
“I apologise to everybody who has been badly affected by it. I want to make it absolutely clear that there’s no place in this government for anybody who is predatory or who abuses their position of power.”
Who has quit the government following the scandal?
Sajid Javid, the Minister for Health & Social Care, wasted no time following Johnson’s apology. He resigned over the scandal, claiming that he “can no longer continue in good conscience”:
I have spoken to the Prime Minister to tender my resignation as Secretary of State for Health & Social Care.
It has been an enormous privilege to serve in this role, but I regret that I can no longer continue in good conscience. pic.twitter.com/d5RBFGPqXp
— Sajid Javid (@sajidjavid) July 5, 2022
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak followed minutes later:
The public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously.
I recognise this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning.
My letter to the Prime Minister below. pic.twitter.com/vZ1APB1ik1
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) July 5, 2022
Several other junior ministers and aides have also resigned, including Treasury Minister John Glen. Key appointments thus far include Nadhim Zahawi as Chancellor and Steve Barclay as Health Secretary.
