Boris Johnson stepped down as leader of the Conservative Party on Thursday, following an avalanche of resignations within his cabinet that eroded his authority and paralyzed the British government.

Johnson will continue to be in office as prime minister until his successor is chosen.

“I’ve appointed a cabinet to serve, as I will, until a new leader is in place,” he said. That process could take at least six weeks or longer. The timetable will be announced next week.

Johnson, though, blamed his party for his downfall, comparing his fellow lawmakers to stampeding animals, but his resignation was not unconnected with scandals leading to the declaration of vote of no confidence by over 50 government appointees including top aides and former allies.

“As we have seen at Westminster … when the herd moves, it moves. And my friends, in politics, no one is remotely indispensable,” Johnson said.

Johnson was involved in Chris Pincher scandal, amongst many other issues that got him out of office.

 

What is the Chris Pincher scandal?

In February, Johnson promoted Pincher, a Conservative lawmaker, to the position of deputy chief whip in the House of Commons, a leadership role that involves keeping Conservative Party members voting in line with the government’s legislative agenda.

But Pincher last week resigned from that post amid a scandal, as the British press widely reported that he had allegedly tried to grope several men while intoxicated at a bar. Pincher wrote in a letter to Johnson that he “drank far too much” and “embarrassed myself and other people” at a gathering.

Pincher had been accused of inappropriate behavior at least twice before.

He resigned from his post as government whip in 2017 after a Conservative Party activist accused him of making unwanted advances toward him. And in 2019, after Johnson brought Pincher back into government, Pincher was again accused of similar misbehavior.

But the key problem for Johnson centers on what he knew, and when. At first, Johnson’s official spokesman said the prime minister did not know of earlier incidents of Pincher’s alleged misconduct.

Several cabinet ministers also spoke out defending Johnson, saying they had been assured he did not know about the earlier allegations.

Then, Simon McDonald, the former head of Britain’s diplomatic service, published aletter on Twitter accusing the government of misleading the public — a highly unusual move for a British civil servant.

“Mr. Johnson was briefed in person about the initiation and outcome of the investigation,” McDonald said.

Johnson’s office was then forced to backtrack, saying the prime minister had been unable to recall the briefing earlier.

In a recent interview, Tuesday, Johnson admitted that he was told about the 2019 allegation against Pincher and said he made a “bad mistake” by promoting him despite the complaints. “I regret that,” he said.

 

What other scandals has Johnson faced?

Handling of Coronavirus pandemic

This is only the latest in a series of scandals he has faced — although it appears to pose one of the biggest challenges to his leadership so far.

Johnson was criticized for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. A public inquiry concluded in October 2021 that the pandemic was “one of the most important public health failures the United Kingdom has ever experienced.”

It was made worse by “Partygate” — a scandal stemming from a dozen boozy government gatherings at Downing Street when lockdowns and social distancing were in place during the worst of the pandemic.

In April, Johnson was fined by police — making him the first sitting British prime minister found to have broken the law — for his attendance at a birthday party during lockdown in June 2020.

 

Securing government job for girlfriend

Johnson has also faced allegations that he tried to secure a government job for his then grilfriend, Carrie Johnson (now his wife) when he was foreign secretary. And he has been criticized over a mounting cost-of-living crisis in the U.K.

Allies began withdrawing their support, with one condemning the “culture of casual lawbreaking” at Downing Street. Last month, he faced vote of no confidence from his party — and while he survived, more than 40 percent of his Conservative colleagues voted against him.

 

More details from The Washinton Post