Gary Neville calls Boris Johnson "mad and dangerous" as PM refuses to resign
Boris Johnson has refused to resign despite a vast number of Conservative MPs withdrawing their support for his premiership on Wednesday in the wake of the Chris Pincher scandal
Gary Neville branded Boris Johnson "mad and dangerous" after the Prime Minister refused to resign in midweek.
The end appears to be near for Johnson's premiership after a number of cabinet ministers visited 10 Downing Street - including Michael Gove, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and the newly-appointed Chancellor Nadhim Zawahi - and advised him to stand down on Wednesday evening.
That came just one day after ex-Chancellor Rishi Sunak and former Health Secretary Sajid Javid resigned in the wake of the Chris Pincher scandal. More than 40 Tory MPs have quit the government after Johnson admitted his regret at appointing Pincher to a government role.
Pincher has been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple men and the PM was aware of an allegation against him before appointing him as deputy chief whip in February. No.10 initially denied any knowledge of allegations against the Tamworth MP.
The Pincher scandal appears to be the final blow to Johnson's time as leader, which has been overshadowed by various scandals. The 'Partygate' affair was the biggest of these as several Tories were fined by police for attending gatherings during Covid lockdowns.
Johnson was among those to be fined and trust in his premiership subsequently evaporated. He narrowly survived a vote of no confidence among his own MPs before overseeing humiliating by-election defeats in Tiverton & Honiton and Wakefield last month.
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Johnson has attempted to shore up his job by sacking Michael Gove as the Levelling Up Secretary. The PM has countless positions to fill following the dozens of resignations that have been made in the last 48 hours - and more are expected to follow yet.
Labour member Neville has been a vocal critic of Johnson during recent months and tweeted his latest feelings on Wednesday evening. "He's f****** mad and dangerous!" wrote Neville. "The whole of them [the government] want booting out forever."
Neville's Sky Sports colleague Jamie Carragher has also criticised Johnson and took aim at Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries on Wednesday evening. Dorries is one of Johnson's most-loyal supporters and is refusing to lose faith in the PM.
Accompanied by a picture of Dorries, Carragher tweeted: "They've still got to go to the 1922 Committee and get something, and honestly, I will love it if we beat them."
It was a clear reference to the famous remarks made by then- Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan shortly before his side finished second to Manchester United in the 1995/96 Premier League title race. The 1922 Committee of Tory MPs are set to hold a vote of no confidence against Johnson.
Although Johnson is stubbornly fighting on, he is likely to be kicked out by his own MPs in the coming weeks if he doesn't resign. "We have a patriotic duty to conclude this," tweeted Tory MP Tobias Ellwood on Wednesday evening. "It’s not just damaging the Conservative brand and diminishing our own electoral prospects it is also undermining the nation’s standing internationally. Britain is better than this."