Boris Johnson: Kensington MP Felicity Buchan QUITS government job amid Chris Pincher crisis

The Conservative MP for Kensington Felicity Buchan has quit her job as a government minister amid a crisis for prime minister Boris Johnson’s leadership.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak and health secretary Sajid Javid both dramatically resigned their key cabinet posts yesterday afternoon, plunging No10 into chaos, in a major hit to Johnson.

Seven other ministers and the solicitor general have since left roles in education, justice, housing, the environment and the Treasury, while five private secretaries have also quit.

Now Felicity Buchan, who was elected MP for the central London constituency in 2019, is the sixth parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to resign, branding the situation “untenable”.

She said: “It is with great sadness that I tender my resignation as a Parliamentary Private Secretary in the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

“It has been a huge honour to have served in the Department at a time when energy security and the transition to net zero are so critical.

“However, I am afraid that you have lost the confidence of my constituents and me. The current situation is untenable.”

Ms Buchan, who was appointed into her post in September 2021, and also serves as the UK’s trade envoy to Iceland and Norway, added: “I believe passionately in Conservative values and want to ensure that we are implementing Conservative policies without distractions.

“That requires fresh leadership and it requires a new vision for the country. That vision must be a country of low taxes and high growth; we must be the party of aspiration.

“I will continue to devote my efforts to serving the people of Kensington.”

It comes after fellow London Tories David Simmonds, Robert Neill and Stephen Hammond all called for the prime minister to quit during the reaction to the Sue Gray report into parties taking place in Downing Street and Whitehall during the coronavirus lockdown.