Well, that was quite a night inside Downing Street, with four of Boris Johnson’s top aides resigning within the space of just a few hours.
The prime minister’s leadership is in further crisis after policy chief Munira Mirza quit, in protest at his “scurrilous” smear linking Sir Keir Starmer with the disgraced entertainer Jimmy Savile.
Mirza, who has worked with Johnson for 14 years, said that Johnson had resisted calls to apologise for the remark and said there was “no fair or reasonable basis” for the comments.
It was the first of the four resignations, with Downing Street director of communications, Jack Doyle, also announcing that he was leaving just three hours later.
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Doyle, who insisted his decision was not linked to Mirza’s exit, was followed by the departure of Mr Johnson’s principal private secretary, Martin Reynolds.
Reynolds, who wrote the email which invited No 10 staff to a “bring your own booze” party during lockdown, was also joined by the prime minister’s chief of staff, Dan Rosenfield.
It’s a hugely significant moment for Johnson’s tenure as prime minister, although the departures of Doyle and Reynolds appear to be part of a planned clear out of senior Downing Street staff.
Social media users have been given even more ammunition after the news broke – these are the funniest jokes after a remarkable night inside No 10.
Dominic Cummings also had a few words to say after the mass resignations, calling Mirza’s departure “an unmistakeable signal the bunker is collapsing and this PM is finished”.
It comes after Rishi Sunak distanced himself from the PM’s Savile comments on Thursday, telling reporters: “Being honest, I wouldn’t have said it.”
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