The prime minister is resigning today, and staying on as caretaker till the autumn, but that leaves very big decisions to be taken not only about who succeeds him but about the process for replacing him.
I am told Boris Johnson rang Sir Graham Brady – chair of the 1922 backbench committee and de facto shop steward for Tory MPs – this morning. Yesterday, Brady told him he’d lost the confidence of the party and that he should resign. Johnson refused and said he was determined to battle on.
This morning he telephoned Brady and said that, having reflected overnight, he would be quitting after all. Which was simply the triumph of cold political facts – namely that there has been an avalanche of resignations from his government – over his determination to remain at No. 10
So when will Johnson’s successor be chosen? That will be decided, probably on Monday, by the executive of the 1922 committee.
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