Labor is planning a vote of no confidence in Boris Johnson to try to oust him from Downing Street immediately, amid fears he could abuse his role as caretaker prime minister.
Angela Rayner, deputy leader of the Labor Party, said Johnson was “absorbed by scum” and should not be allowed to continue in office.
Johnson announced on Thursday that he was stepping down as Conservative leader but wants to stay on as prime minister until a successor is appointed, likely in early September.
Some Conservative MPs have called for Johnson to step down immediately, saying his authority has been irreversibly tarnished by scandal.
However, most Tory MPs have accepted that Johnson will remain in office until his successor as party leader is chosen, and expect his newly appointed cabinet to keep him on a tight leash.
Johnson told the cabinet on Thursday that he was just taking care of business and that while the normal business of government must continue, there would be no “new” ideas or departure from existing policy.
Rayner said he did not trust Johnson and that if Tory MPs did not immediately remove him from Downing Street, then Labor would move a vote of no confidence next week in both the prime minister and his government.
Such a proposal would almost certainly be rejected in the House of Commons by Conservative MPs who would not want to hand Labor a political victory.
Labor said it would expect Johnson to resign as prime minister if he lost the confidence vote, but added that after the repeal of the Fixed Term Parliament Act, defeat would not lead to a general election.
James Cleverley, the new education secretary, told the BBC that Johnson and his new cabinet would respect decorum and not make any decisions “that would tie the hands of our successors”.
For example, Johnson’s hopes of making a big economic speech that follows big cuts in corporate tax and income tax have been dashed and will now not take place.
However, Cleverly said decisions on issues such as public sector pay could be made to ensure job security in professions such as teaching. Controversial legislation to overturn parts of Johnson’s Brexit deal covering Northern Ireland’s trade deals is expected to continue through the stages of parliament.
Other contentious legislation, including a financial services bill that would overhaul City of London regulations, is also expected to go ahead, but the pace of reform could be affected by the departures of chancellor Rishi Sunak and economy secretary John Glenn.
The main check on Johnson’s power will come from the cabinet, although Simon Keys, the cabinet secretary, will also play a role in ensuring that the new policy is not authorized by a lame-duck administration.
“He has to establish some rules, he has to draw some lines,” Sir David Normington, a former permanent secretary at the Home Office, told the BBC.
Asked if he thought Case would be able to handle Johnson, he said: “I doubt it a bit, he’s presided over a drop in standards.”
He added: “He had a very difficult prime minister to deal with, but at times he looked like a bystander at a car crash. This is the time for him to step up.”
Meanwhile, Johnson and his wife Carrie have decided not to go ahead with a much-criticized wedding reception at Checkers, the prime minister’s country retreat, on July 30.
Those close to the couple said they would move the event to another location. Johnson was accused by Rayner of trying to “hold on for the next few months” so he could host the Checkers party.
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Tory MPs will on Monday elect a new chief executive of the commission from the Conservative backbenchers since 1922, which will then finalize the rules for the party leadership contest.
They are expected to sign off on a two-stage process. In the first stage, Tory MPs will whittle down a long list of leadership candidates to a shortlist of two, which must be agreed before the summer recess of the House of Commons on July 21.
The two candidates will then tour the country to present their case to party members, who will have the final say.
The new Tory leader is expected to be elected before the House of Commons returns on September 5.
Video: Boris Johnson’s resignation speech to No 10 Downing Street
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