UK finance and health ministers quit in protest at Boris Johnson's leadership

British Finance Minister Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid resigned on Tuesday (July 5) in the aftermath of scandals associated with the government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The UK government announced their resignation, as Johnson came under fire for handling a sleaze scandal involving a senior colleague.

In his resignation letter, Sunak wrote, "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."

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In his resignation letter to Johnson, Javid said that "it is clear to me that this situation will not change under your leadership - and you have therefore lost my confidence too".

The shocking resignations have plunged Johnson's government into chaos. The UK Prime Minister is under fire after he apologised for appointing Chris Pincher to a government role. Pincher is accused of misconduct.

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The PM is facing criticism as he admitted he had been told about the complaint in 2019. He said that he made a "bad mistake" by not acting on it.

Whip Mark Harper tweeted: "Tonight we have seen leadership from Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid. Harper wrote: "Honourable decisions made by honourable men. The Conservative Party still has so much to offer to our country. It’s time for a fresh start."

Harper used to be in charge of Conservative Party discipline in the House of Commons.

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Notably, both had formerly publicly supported Johnson during months of scandal over his administration's conduct and a damning report into parties at his Downing Street office and residence that broke strict COVID-19 lockdown rules.

Senior Labour MP and Chair of the Commons Standards Committee Chris Bryant said: "All these people should have resigned months ago. They should never have put him in Downing Street in the first place. They have been complicit throughout."

'This government is now collapsing'

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: "It's clear that this government is now collapsing."

In a statement, Starmer further said: "After all the sleaze, the scandals and the failure, it's clear that this government is now collapsing. Tory Cabinet ministers have known all along who this prime minister is."

"They have been his cheerleaders throughout this sorry saga. The British public will not be fooled. The Tory party is corrupted and changing one man won't fix that. Only a real change of government can give Britain the fresh start it needs", Starmer added.

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