‘Absolutely defiant’ Boris Johnson will fight to stay as UK PM amid cabinet revolt

PTI

London, July 7

Boris Johnson is in a "buoyant mood" and "will fight on" to stay as the British Prime Minister, one of his top aides has said, despite some of the embattled premier's most loyal cabinet ministers, including Home Secretary Priti Patel, joining the mutiny and demanding his resignation.

Amid ongoing speculation over his leadership, Johnson's parliamentary private secretary James Duddridge said on Wednesday that he expects the prime minister to make senior cabinet appointments soon.

He said Johnson was in a “buoyant mood" and "will fight on", moments before it emerged that he had sacked a senior Cabinet minister known to be critical of him staying in Downing Street.

Michael Gove, UK Secretary of State for Levelling Up, had reportedly told Johnson earlier in the day that it was time for him to quit. Johnson is believed to have called him up from Downing Street to inform him that he is fired from his ministerial post.

Duddridge told ‘Sky News' there will be a joint plan for the economy laid out by Johnson and Nadhim Zahawi, the new UK Chancellor, on Thursday.

“He has a 14 million mandate and so much to do for the country," said Duddridge. "I expect him to make senior Cabinet appointments this evening and am looking forward to hearing what the PM and his chancellor Nadhim Zahawi have to say tomorrow,” he said.

Other media reports also confirmed that Johnson, 58, has no plans of resigning, with a No. 10 Downing Street source saying the UK premier remains “absolutely defiant”.

Graham Brady, the chair of the influential 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs, has reportedly told its leader that the committee's executive election on Monday "could result in another confidence vote", which Johnson is likely to lose.