RISHI Sunak has said he is resigning as Chancellor, writing on Twitter: “I recognise this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning.”

It comes after Sajid Javid stepped down from his role, saying he had lost confidence in Johnson.

What Sunak said

In his dramatic resignation letter, timed to take place during the 6pm news, Sunak said “the public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously”.

Sunak, who had been due to make a joint economic speech with Johnson next week, said “it has become clear to me that our approaches are fundamentally too different”.

“I firmly believe the public are ready to hear that truth,” he said.

“Our people know that if something is too good to be true then it’s not true. They need to know that whilst there is a path to a better future, it is not an easy one.”

What led to this?

The resignations came as Johnson was forced into a humiliating apology over his handling of the Chris Pincher row after it emerged he had forgotten about being told of previous allegations of “inappropriate” conduct.

Pincher quit as deputy chief whip last week following claims that he groped two men at a private members’ club, but Johnson was told about allegations against him as far back as 2019.

The Prime Minister acknowledged he should have sacked Pincher when he was told about the claims against him when he was a Foreign Office minister in 2019, but instead Johnson went on to appoint him to other government roles.

READ MORE: Justice Secretary Keith Brown's anger over 'snub' by UK ministers

The resignations came as Johnson faces a mounting Tory backlash over his handling of the row after he apparently forgot being told about an official complaint about the former minister’s “inappropriate” behaviour.

The Prime Minister’s spokesman confirmed that despite previous Number 10 lines, Johnson was briefed on the complaint by officials at the Foreign Office in 2019, a “number of months” after it took place.

The spokesman said the complaint against Pincher – who was Europe minister at the time – was upheld although it did not lead to formal disciplinary action.

The admission that Johnson forgot about the earlier complaint came after the former top civil servant at the Foreign Office, Lord McDonald, said the original No 10 account was “not true” and the Prime Minister had been briefed “in person”.

For Labour, deputy leader Angela Rayner said the latest disclosures revealed an “ethical vacuum” at the heart of Downing Street.

Will there be more resignations?

Tory vice-chair MP Bim Afolami resigned live on air, saying the PM should step down.

The MP for Hitchin and Harpenden, said: “(After) recent allegations about the former deputy chief whip and other things that have happened over recent weeks, I just don’t think the Prime Minister any longer has, not just my support, but he doesn’t have, I don’t think, the support of the party, or indeed the country any more.

“I think for that reason he should step down.”

Mr Afolami said he was “probably not” the party’s vice chairman “after having said that”.

Confirming he would be resigning, he continued: “I think you have to resign because I can’t serve under the Prime Minister – but I say that with regret because I think this Government has done some great things.”

An ally of Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, viewed as a potential leadership candidate, said she was “100% behind the PM”.

It was reported that Scottish Secretary Alister Jack, deputy prime minister Dominic Raab, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove and Home Secretary Priti Patel would not be leaving their roles.

A source close to Ben Wallace (below), who has been tipped as a potential successor to Johnson, said: “The Defence Secretary is not resigning.”

Unsurprisingly, Johnson loyalist Nadine Dorries tweeted: "I’m not sure anyone actually doubted this, however, I am [100%] behind @BorisJohnson the PM who consistently gets all the big decisions right."

The National:

But it is still possible further resignations could occur as Government sources suggested Sunak and Javid’s announcements were not co-ordinated.

ITV’s political editor Robert Peston said Treasury insiders said the Chancellor made his announcement before he knew his colleague would resign.

He tweeted: “Treasury source tells me that first [Sunak] knew that [Javid] was resigning was AFTER he put out his own resignation statement.

“The claim is these resignations were not coordinated. Which makes them 1) more damaging for the prime minister and 2) raises possibility other ministers may resign. If Boris Johnson can survive the resignations of two of the five most important members of his cabinet, including the most important, he can survive anything.”

The 1922 committee, the powerful backbench committee with the power to hold confidence votes in the Prime Minister, holds its elections soon.

It presents Conservative opponents the opportunity to oust Johnson by changing the committee’s rules to allow another no confidence vote, after a failed attempt earlier this year.

How are people reacting?

There has been praise from fellow Conservatives who are more critical of the PM. Tory former chief whip Mark Harper, a consistent critic of Boris Johnson in recent months, tweeted: “Tonight we have seen leadership from (Rishi Sunak) and (Sajid Javid).

“Honourable decisions made by honourable men. The Conservative Party still has so much to offer to our country. It’s time for a fresh start.”

Meanwhile SNP Westminster chief Ian Blackford says this "has to be the end" for Johnson.

"We have no confidence in him and nor does his Health Secretary or Chancellor. Surely it is now just a matter of time, perhaps hours before @BorisJohnson leaves office. It has to be over," he wrote.

The National:

And the Leader of the Opposition, Keir Starmer, said other Cabinet members should resign too.

The Labour leader said those remain in the Cabinet would be “nodding dogs” if they did not quit. Starmer spoke to journalists shortly before news of Rishi Sunak’s resignation broke. Asked if Johnson was a “pathological liar,” he said: “Yes, he’s a liar.

The National:

“What we’re seeing this week is a repeat of what we’ve seen so many times, which is Government ministers going out onto the airwaves, giving answers to questions, and no sooner have they finished the media round that the answers they’ve given aren’t accurate because the Prime Minister and Number 10 haven’t been straight with them.

“That is not this week’s story, although it is this week’s story, it’s every week’s story. It’s on repeat, which is why you see the Conservative Party tearing itself apart today. Should his Cabinet members make sure he leaves office, yes they should. It’s their responsibility, in the national interest, to remove him from office.

“They know what he’s like, he’s said that he’s psychologically incapable of changing, and therefore they have to do what’s in the national interest and remove him.”

He continued: “They should resign, or force him to resign. They have to step up in the national interest now, otherwise they are nodding dogs in this. I would say to them directly: act in the national interest and resign.”