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Boris Johnson is to stand down as Prime Minister as resignations finally force him out as far north MP Jamie Stone slams Mr Johnson as a 'compulsive liar'


By Scott Maclennan

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Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to leave Downing Street.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to leave Downing Street.

Boris Johnson has said he will step down as Prime Minister after a wave of ministerial resignations, according to reports.

Pressure had been building since the resignations of former health secretary Sajid Javid and chancellor Rishi Sunak on Tuesday.

Yesterday, dozens more ministers and others followed, leaving his position essentially untenable but he chose to try and fight on.

Last night, he fired Michael Gove from the cabinet after a delegation of minister made their way to No 10 Downing Street in order to tell Mr Johnson it was time to go.

Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi was part of the group despite only being appointed on Tuesday, today he made his feelings clear that his boss had to resign.

Mr Johnson's handling of the scandal surrounding the appointment and later resignation of Chris Pincher as deputy chief whip proved to be one crisis too many for the Tories.

He is expected to remain in the job until a successor is chosen - probably by the autumn.

Highland MPs React to the News

The tone of the comments coming is indicative of how much the Prime Minister has lost almost all respect of other MPs, albeit from opposition parties.

Not just Mr Johnson's policies but his character were indicted with two directly calling him a "liar."

'They've only acted now... because they fear they'll lose their seats'

Skye, Ross and Lochaber MP and the SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford believes the Conservatives should have acted much sooner to get remove Mr Johnson.

"Tory MPs should have removed Boris Johnson months ago," he said. "It speaks volumes that they've only acted now, out of narrow self-interest, because they fear they'll lose their seats.

"There must now be a general election. The SNP will put independence front-and-centre of the election so people in Scotland can escape the damage of Westminster control for good.

"A change of Prime Minister alone will not provide the change that Scotland needs. All the Westminster parties want to impose Brexit and austerity cuts against Scotland's will.

"The only way to keep Scotland safe is to become an independent country, with the full powers needed to regain our place in Europe and build a fair and prosperous future."

'Lie after lie... his character was on full display at every turn'

Inverness and Nairn MP Drew Hendry said it was ultimately Mr Johnson's dishonesty that did for him.

He said: “Lie after lie, from partying whilst people were losing loved ones, uttering the words 'let the bodies pile high', to the illegal prorogation Parliament, his character was on full display at every turn.

“The Tories knew precisely who they were putting in power. When it came down to the choice of common decency, they put the Tory party ahead of the people they were elected to serve.

“How many times have we all thought enough should have been enough? Every time, the Tory party chose not to act, and we've all had to endure this Boris Johnson-led circus because of their inaction.

“It would have been nice to find a redeeming point, but the reality is that Westminster is broken and in constant crisis. That's not going to change, and it's clear that Scotland needs to become independent to protect our people and build a fairer future."

'British politics has been dragged through the mud'

Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross MP Jamie Stone labelled Mr Johnson a "compulsive liar."

"Make no mistake. There was no honour, no dignity, no pride to be taken in Boris Johnson’s resignation this morning," he said.

"The Prime Minister is, and has been since childhood, a compulsive liar. And though his cronies fell like dominoes over the past two days, each and every one of them who backed him as leader in 2019 must shoulder the blame for the absolute shambles that we, as a country, have had to endure.

"British politics has been dragged through the mud. Whoever and whatever comes next has a mammoth task in restoring our broken reputation."


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