Five hours after praising the NHS as the “greatest national institution” in a tweet, health secretary Sajid Javid published his resignation letter, prompting many other MPs to follow suit. He delivered a statement on 6 July saying the problem with government “starts from the top” and he believes that is not going to change.

On 7 July, Boris Johnson quit as Conservative leader but said he would continue to serve as prime minister until the party chose his successor, saying it is “clearly now the will” of Conservative MPs that there should be a new leader. He will remain in post as prime minister over the summer. A new Tory leader is expected to be in place by the time of the Conservative Party conference in October, with Johnson predicted to serve as a caretaker prime minister until then. 

At Prime Minister’s Questions, Javid said that maintaining integrity under Johnson’s leadership was “impossible”.

“I do fear that the reset button can only work so many times. There’s only so many times you can turn that machine on and off before realising that something is fundamentally wrong.”

“It is a choice,” he added. “I know just how difficult that choice is. But let’s be clear – not doing something is an active decision,” he told ministers on the front benches.

New health secretary Steve Barclay

Downing Street’s previous chief of staff and chief secretary of the treasury Steve Barclay, who served as a health and social care department minister in 2018, has been appointed to replace Javid. Barclay was also appointed as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 5 July, making him the most senior minister in the cabinet after the prime minister,

“It is an honour to take up the position of Health and Social Care secretary,” said Barclay. “Our NHS and social care staff have showed us time and again – throughout the pandemic and beyond – what it means to work with compassion and dedication to transform lives.

“This government is investing more than ever before in our NHS and care services to beat the Covid-19 backlogs, recruit 50,000 more nurses, reform social care and ensure patients across the country can access the care they need.”

Javid’s letter of resignation

Javid’s resignation letter to prime minister Boris Johnson said that it was a privilege to have been asked to come back to government and he is “incredibly proud” of what has been achieved.

“Given the unprecedented scale of the challenges in health and social care, it has been my instinct to continue focusing on this important work,” the letter said. “So it is with enormous regret that I must tell you that I can no longer, in good conscience, continue serving in this government.

“I am instinctively a team player but the British people also rightly expect integrity from their government. The tone you set as a leader, and the values you represent, reflect on your colleagues, your party and ultimately the country.

“Conservatives at their best are seen as hard-headed decision-makers, guided by strong values. We may not have always been popular, but we have been competent in acting in the national interest.

“Sadly, in the current circumstances, the public are concluding that we are now neither. The vote of confidence last month showed that a large number of our colleagues agree. It was a moment for humility, grip and new direction. I regret to say, however, that it is clear to me that this situation will not change under your leadership – and you have therefore lost my confidence too.”

Javid concluded by putting on record his thanks to ministerial and departmental colleagues and admiration for NHS and social care staff.

The previous evening (4 July), Javid delivered a humorous speech at Jewish Care’s fundraising ball, where he reminisced about Johnson asking him to re-join the government as health secretary. He also discussed the vital role that social care providers like Jewish Care play each and every day, and paid tribute to the critical care given to older and vulnerable people throughout the pandemic: “I have the ambition to make this country the best place to grow up and grow old, no matter what your culture or religion.”

Other significant resignations

Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Department of Health and Social Care parliamentary private secretary Saqib Bhatti also resigned, along with several other MPs and parliamentary private secretaries. Greg Clark has been appointed as the new Levelling Up secretary following the sacking of Michael Gove by Johnson.