Pressure grows on UK's Boris Johnson as chief of staff resigns, private secretary also going

Dan Rosenfield offered his resignation to the Prime Minister

By Reuters

Published: Fri 4 Feb 2022, 12:04 AM

Last updated: Fri 4 Feb 2022, 1:21 AM

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Chief of Staff Dan Rosenfield has resigned and his Principal Private Secretary is also standing down, his office said on Thursday.

“Dan Rosenfield offered his resignation to the Prime Minister earlier today, which has been accepted,” a Downing Street spokesperson said.

“Martin Reynolds also informed the Prime Minister of his intention to stand down from his role as Principal Private Secretary and the Prime Minister has agreed to this.”

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Controversy erupted

Two of Boris Johnson’s closest aides quit on Thursday and his finance minister criticised him over a barb he made about the main opposition leader, heaping more pressure on the British prime minister amid growing calls for him to resign.

Johnson’s premiership is facing a growing crisis in the wake of anger over a series of alcohol-fuelled parties held at his Downing Street office and residence during coronavirus lockdowns, a scandal which followed a series of other missteps

The latest controversy erupted when during angry exchanges in parliament on Monday, Johnson accused Labour Party leader Keir Starmer of failing to prosecute Jimmy Savile, one of Britain’s worst sex offenders, during his time as Director of Public Prosecutions.

The false claim, which Starmer said amounted to Johnson “parroting the conspiracy theories of violent fascists”, has angered not only opponents but also some within his own party.

Johnson has declined to apologise but did back down from the comments on Thursday. However, it was not enough to stop Munir Mirza, his head of policy who had worked with him for 14 years, to quit her job and also provoked criticism from finance minister Rishi Sunak.

Asked whether the prime minister should have apologised, Sunak, considered the leading contender to replace Johnson should he be forced out, said: “Being honest, I wouldn’t have said it, and I am glad the prime minister clarified what he said.”

Savile, a celebrated TV and radio host, was never prosecuted despite a number of police investigations and warnings about his conduct. After his death in 2011 at age 84, it was revealed Savile had abused hundreds of victims, the youngest of whom was just eight.

Starmer, who headed the Crown Prosecution Service at a time when Savile was being investigated, had no direct involvement in the case, but did later apologise for the failings.

In interviews on Thursday, Johnson tried to back down from his original comments which provoked scorn not just from opponents but some in his own Conservative party.

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