‘It is a bit like the death of Rasputin. He has been poisoned, stabbed, he has been shot, his body has been dumped in a freezing river and still he lives’: Tory ex-chief whip leads rebels taking to the airwaves with calls for Boris to go
- Andrew Mitchell likened Mr Johnson to Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin
- The infamous Russian monk was killed in 1916 by disgruntled noblemen
- Mr Mitchell said he has been ‘poisoned, stabbed’ and ‘shot’ but ‘still he lives’
Former Chief Whip Andrew Mitchell likened Boris Johnson’s political survival to the attempts to kill notorious Russian mystic Rasputin today, as he said he has been ‘poisoned, stabbed’ and ‘shot’ but ‘still he lives’.
The senior Conservative backbencher was speaking after the resignations of Health Secretary Sajid Javid and Chancellor Rishi Sunak last night.
Their departures plunged Boris Johnson’s Government into chaos, with the Prime Minister attempting to shore up his position by quickly replacing his former colleagues.
However, Mr Mitchell told Newsnight that the PM’s time in Downing Street ‘is over’ and said Mr Johnson has to think ‘very carefully’ about what is in the ‘best interests’ of the country and the Conservative Party.
He then drew a direct link between Mr Johnson’s insistence on clinging on and the famous account of the protracted assassination of Grigori Rasputin in 1916.
The infamous Russian monk was killed by disgruntled noblemen after gaining enormous influence over Russia’s last Tsar, Nicholas II, and his wife Alexandra.
‘It is a bit like the death of Rasputin. He has been poisoned, stabbed, he has been shot, his body has been dumped in a freezing river and still he lives,’ Mr Mitchell said.
Former Chief Whip Andrew Mitchell likened Boris Johnson’s political survival to the attempts to kill notorious Russian mystic Rasputin today, as he said he has been ‘poisoned, stabbed’ and ‘shot’ but ‘still he lives’
Mr Javid announced his resignation in an incendiary letter to the PM last night, with Mr Sunak following just minutes later with a similar broadside.
The PM appointed his chief of staff Steve Barclay to replace Mr Javid as Health Secretary, whilst Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi was promoted to become Chancellor.
It came after former top civil servant Lord McDonald of Salford released a letter which gave critics of the PM further ammunition over his appointment of alleged groper Chris Pincher to the whips’ office.
Mr Sunak warned in his resignation letter that ‘we cannot continue like this’ and said he was going despite accepting that his senior job might be the last position he holds in Government.
‘The public rightly expect Government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously,’ he wrote.
Meanwhile, Mr Javid questioned Mr Johnson’s integrity, competence and ability to act in the national interest.
Speaking shortly afterwards, Mr Mitchell said: ‘I’m afraid it is over and the question now is how much longer this is going to go on and what damage will be done to the country and indeed to the Conservative Party brand.
‘But it is over and tonight the Prime Minister must think very carefully about what is in the best interests of the country and the Conservative Party.’
He added: ‘This is an abnormal prime minister, a brilliantly charismatic, very funny, very amusing, big, big character but I am afraid he has neither the character nor the temperament to be our Prime Minister.’
The initial attempt on Rasputin’s life came in July 1916, when he was stabbed in the stomach by a Russian peasant woman.
Despite being seriously injured and needing an operation, he did survive.
The most famous account of his subsequent death, written by leading plotter Prince Felix Yussoupov, claimed that Rasputin was initially poisoned with cyanide-laced food and wine, but that he seemed to be unaffected.
Suspecting he was protected by supernatural powers, he was then shot.
But even then, Rasputin appeared to have miraculously come back to life and managed to escape.
He was shot again, but was alleged to still be alive and was found groaning the next morning.
The PM appointed his chief of staff Steve Barclay to replace Mr Javid as Health Secretary, whilst Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi (pictured) was promoted to become Chancellor
‘Turning his face up, he groaned and it seemed he rolled his right eye which fixed me, dazed but terrible,’ claimed Vladimir Purishkevich, a politician who was part of the plot.
By then, Rasputin is said to have been viciously beaten with a cudgel by Yussoupov.
His body was finally found two days later when the sleeve of his fur coat was seen protruding from the ice of a nearby river.
There was reputedly water in his lungs when his remains were found, indicating he had been alive when he entered the water.
However, Rasputin’s daughter later questioned Yussoupov’s account, and the autopsy reports do not mention poison or drowning.
Instead, it was recorded that he was shot at close range. A photograph of his dead body shows a bullet wound in his forehead.
The resignations of Mr Javid and Mr Sunak were followed last night by a swathe of junior members of the Government.
In his resignation letter (left), Mr Sunak told the PM that ‘we cannot continue like this’. Meanwhile, Mr Javid (right) publicly questioned Mr Johnson’s integrity, competence and ability to act in the national interest
Andrew Murrison, the UK trade envoy to Morocco, was the first to follow the pair, before Conservative Party vice-chairman Bim Afolami resigned on live television.
Red Wall Tory MP Jonathan Gullis then resigned as a Parliamentary Private Secretary in the Northern Ireland Office, launching an attack on Mr Johnson in the process.
This move was followed by MP Saqib Bhatti quitting as a PPS in the Department of Health and Social Care.
MP Nicola Roberts then resigned as a Department for Transport PPS, saying she did not recognise the current Conservative Party.
Later in the evening, Virginia Crosbie resigned as a PPS for the Welsh Office, before Theo Clarke stepped down as a trade envoy for Kenya.
The final resignation last night was solicitor general Alex Chalk.
Children’s minister Will Quince then joined the exodus this morning saying he had repeated ‘inaccurate’ information from Number 10 about the Chris Pincher allegations.
Mr Quince tweeted: ‘With great sadness and regret, I have this morning tendered my resignation to the Prime Minister after I accepted and repeated assurances on Monday to the media which have now been found to be inaccurate.’
Laura Trott also quit as a junior ministerial aide.
HOW THE CHAOS IN THE CABINET UNFOLDED
6.00pm – Mr Johnson releases pool clip taking responsibility for hiring alleged groper Chris Pincher as whip
6.02pm – Sajid Javid announces resignation as Health Secretary on his Twitter – saying he could not serve under Mr Johnson in ‘good conscience’.
6.11pm – Rishi Sunak announces his resignation as Chancellor of the Exchequer – saying that the public ‘expect government to be conducted properly’.
6.31pm – Former Johnson adviser and adversary Dominic Cummings tweets ‘#RegimeChange’ indicating a belief that Mr Johnson’s time as Prime Minister is up.
7.13pm – UK trade envoy to Morocco Andrew Murrison MP resigns his post.
7.29pm – Conservative Party vice-chair Bim Afolami announces his resignation live on TalkTV’s The News Desk
7.48pm – Red Wall Tory MP Jonathan Gullis resigns as a PPS in the Northern Ireland Office – launching an attack on Johnson
7.51pm – Saqib Bhatti MP quits as a PPS in the Department of Health and Social Care
8.27pm – Nicola Roberts MP resigns as a Department for Transport PPS – saying she did not recognise the current Conservative party.
8.47pm – Mr Johnson’s chief of staff Steve Barclay announced as Health Secretary
8.48pm – Nadhim Zahawi and Michelle Donelan are spotted entering No.10 Downing Street
8.55pm – Virginia Crosbie MP resigns as a PPS for the Welsh Office.
9.40pm – Nadhim Zahawi is announced as Chancellor of the Exchequer – with Michelle Donelan replacing him as Education Secretary
10.02pm – Theo Clarke resigns as UK trade envoy to Kenya.
10.47pm – Alex Chalk resigns as Solicitor General.
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