No hard feelings then? Brazen Boris breaks silence following shock resignation letters as he praises Rishi’s ‘outstanding service’ – and says he looks forward to ‘backbench contribution’ from his ‘Dear Saj’
- Boris broke his silence after Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid both quit Cabinet
- The PM responded to their withering resignation letters to thank the rebels
- Mr Johnson responded to Sunak’s departure praising his ‘outstanding service’
- Boris told Sajid Javid he will be continuing his work on cutting NHS backlogs
Boris Johnson has broken his silence after Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid both dramatically quit his Cabinet in a seemingly coordinated attack – leaving him clinging onto his job.
The first communications from the embattled Prime Minister after the double resignation came in his response to the pair’s letters announcing that they were quitting their Government roles.
Mr Johnson responded to Rishi Sunak’s departure as chancellor, saying he was ‘sorry’ to have received Mr Sunak’s resignation letter and praising his ‘outstanding service’.
In a letter, the Prime Minister wrote: ‘Dear Rishi, I was sorry to receive your letter resigning from the Government.
‘You have provided outstanding service to the country through the most challenging period for our economy in peacetime history”.
The first communications from the embattled Prime Minister after the double resignation came in his response to the Sunak and Javid’s letters announcing that they were quitting their roles
He noted the furlough scheme, Mr Sunak’s work on post-pandemic economic recovery and to repair public finances, as well as tax cuts.
Johnson told Sajid Javid he was ‘sorry’ to receive his resignation letter as health secretary and suggested his Government would ‘continue to deliver’ plans for the NHS.
In a brief letter, the Prime Minister wrote: ‘Dear Saj, Thank you for your letter this evening tendering your resignation. I was very sorry to receive it.
‘You have served this Government, and the people of the United Kingdom, with distinction.’
Both Sunak and Javid launched full-throated attacks on Mr Johnson’s character in their resignation letters.
Boris was quick to replace Javid and Sunak with his chief of staff Steve Barclay taking the Health Secretary job and Nadhim Zahawi moving to the Treasury.
The full text of the letters can be found below:
Boris’s response to Rishi Sunak’s resignation as Chancellor of the Exchequer:
Dear Rishi,
I was sorry to receive your letter resigning from the Government.
You have provided outstanding service to the country through the most challenging period for our economy in peacetime history.
In March 2020, weeks after your appointment as Chancellor, we introduced a national lockdown to protect people from the pandemic. You acted to safeguard the economy with the pace, creativity and commitment which has been the hallmark of your tenure.
The furlough scheme – conceived and implemented in a matter of weeks -supported 11.7 million jobs from 1.3 million employers. Through business loans and grants, you helped thousands of businesses to avoid insolvency. Emergency funding worth more than £140 billion, enabled the NHS and other critical public services to meet the enormous challenges we faced.
Mr Johnson responded to Sunak’s departure praising his ‘outstanding service’
These efforts primed the economy for a rapid recovery once the immediate dangers of the pandemic receded. At the Spending Review last year, you put us on track to deliver our promises to the British people, including 20,000 police officers and 40 new hospitals. We also set a clear plan to rebuild our economy and public services, including an historic funding settlement for the NHS and delivering six million tutoring courses to help pupils catch up lost learning.
Through all of this, you have not shied from the tough decisions needed to repair our public finances whilst protecting public services and boosting economic growth. This has enabled us to provide support to households worth £37 billion, as we have faced global inflation pressures arising from Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine.
And we have begun to deliver tax cuts to families – including this week, a cut to National Insurance saving the average worker £330 a year.
I have enormously valued your advice and deep commitment to public service and will miss working with you in government.
Yours ever,
Boris Johnson
Boris’s response to Sajid Javid’s resignation as Health Secretary:
Dear Saj,
Thank you for your letter this evening tendering your resignation. I was very sorry to receive it.
You have served this Government, and the people of the United Kingdom, with distinction. Most recently, you have led the Department of Health and Social Care as we learn to live with Covid, forging ahead with plans to beat the Covid backlogs, recruit 50,000 nurses, build 40 new hospitals, and reform social care. These are the issues that matter to the people of this country, and the Government will continue to deliver on them.
Johnson told Sajid Javid he was ‘sorry’ to receive his resignation letter as health secretary
You have held significant positions in Government for the past decade, and have served myself and former Prime Ministers admirably. You have used your personal experience to bring about change in government, from fixing the injustices of Windrush to setting out recently a plan to address suicide.
You will be greatly missed, and I look forward to your contribution from the backbenches.
Yours ever,
Boris Johnson
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