‘Thank God he’s gone’- West Midlands MPs react to Johnson exit

“Thank God he’s gone,” was how one Tory MP in the West Midlands reacted to Boris Johnson standing down on Thursday as party leader.

The comments from Mark Garnier, member for Wyre Forest in Worcestershire, were among those of relief expressed by fellow Tories across the region.

Jack Brereton, MP for Stoke-on-Trent South, said Mr Johnson’s situation had become “untenable”.

Mr Johnson’s decision is set to end his tenure as prime minister.

It follows two cabinet ministers quitting on Tuesday, a raft of ministers quitting government on Wednesday, and more following on Thursday.

The exits came in the wake of questions asked of Mr Johnson’s judgement over – and his comments about – Tamworth MP Chris Pincher, who is the subject of complaints he groped two men. The row had quickly followed the so-called Partygate affair.

Elsewhere within the party, Aaron Bell, MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme, called for Mr Johnson to leave as prime minister now and not remain in office until a successor had been chosen as party leader.

Mr Bell had some months previously, amid Partygate, asked Mr Johnson in the Commons whether he thought he was a “fool” for not mixing with family at his grandmother’s funeral during lockdown. At the time, Mr Johnson was facing reports he had in lockdown attended Downing Street parties.

Jonathan Gullis, Tory MP for Stoke-on-Trent North, who resigned on Wednesday as a parliamentary private secretary (PPS), said the “shambolic handling” of the Chris Pincher affair showed him there needed to be a change in leadership.

Robin Walker, Worcester’s Conservative member, who resigned from his government post, said it was a “sad day for Boris Johnson” but the party had “lost trust”.

Andy Street, Conservative mayor for the West Midlands, had on Wednesday stopped short of calling for Mr Johnson’s departure, but on Thursday welcomed the developments.

He Tweeted earlier: “Yesterday I called for MPs to make their mind up once and for all to end the paralysis. They have done so.”

He added: “We need a strong and decisive government in place ASAP so we can address the critical issues affecting the [West Midlands].”

Tory MP for Lichfield, Michael Fabricant, said it was “inevitable” Mr Johnson would leave, but ahead of the PM’s afternoon announcement on his future, described him as a “visionary”, saying: “I don’t think we would have got Brexit done without him.”

But the tone of the speech in which Mr Johnson made his announcement bothered some opposition MPs in the region.

The Liberal Democrat member for North Shropshire, Helen Morgan, said the speech lacked “humility”.

She tweeted: “His government has literally collapsed under the weight of lies, sleaze and corruption, and he’s telling the nation what a great job he did. Shameful.”

Conservative MP for Ludlow, Phillip Dunne, said Mr Johnson was a “tenacious chap”, but he realised some time ago the prime minister was losing the confidence of many of his colleagues and it was time for a new leader.

“It’s right we bring this difficult period to an end,” he added.

Mark Pawsey, Tory MP for Rugby, said although he did not give his support to the prime minister at the time of the vote of confidence in June, the country “had a reason to be grateful” to him, he added, for making Brexit happen, and overseeing the Covid-19 vaccine programme and the government’s response to the invasion of Ukraine.

Of the forthcoming leadership vote to replace Mr Johnson, he said: “It is my hope that this process will be conducted swiftly, so that we may continue to address the challenges we face as a country and deliver on the mandate secured by the Conservative Party in the 2019 general election.”