Boris Johnson resignation: Hampshire and Isle of Wight reaction

Conservative politicians in the south of England have welcomed Boris Johnson's decision to stand down as Conservative leader.

Mr Johnson has stepped down as party leader but said he would continue to serve until a successor is chosen.

It follows a dramatic 48 hours which saw dozens of ministers resign in protest at his leadership.

Hampshire MPs Penny Mordaunt and Suella Braverman are among those considered likely leadership contenders.

On Wednesday, Suella Braverman, Fareham MP and current attorney general, called on Boris Johnston to resign as prime minister but did not step down from her post and added that she would be standing for the leadership.

During Attorney General's Questions in the House of Commons on Thursday, she was mocked by Labour's Emily Thornberry, who said: "What an honour it is to be at this dispatch box facing the next prime minister as she awaits her call from the palace."

Ms Braverman accused her opposite number of "degrading these question sessions to petty politics".

Speaking on BBC Radio Solent after news of the prime minister's impending resignation broke, Southampton Itchen MP Royston Smith said his downfall had been "inevitable".

"It's fair to say Boris held on longer than most - but once Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid had resigned and then ministers started to go, the writing was on the wall.

"There was a time when he could have rode it out - he's done many things people thought were impossible.

"Certainly in the last six months, the fact he has weathered the storm is something of a miracle. All these things damage the party, none of this has been particularly edifying."

He said Ms Braverman was a "great mate" but declined to say who he would support in the leadership election.

"The voters Boris brought to the party, they would want to see someone who mirrors what they think about Brexit," he said.

Labour MP for Southampton Test, Alan Whitehead, said Mr Johnson had been "unfit for office".

"Although it's good for the country that he's going, the Conservatives have overseen 12 years of economic stagnation, declining public services and empty promises.

"I have no faith that his replacement will be able to help with the cost of living crisis that they created," he added.

Portsmouth North MP Penny Mordaunt is also regarded as a possible future leader.

A YouGov poll showed the current trade minister with the support of 12% of party members, just behind defence secretary Ben Wallace on 13%.

In 2019, she became the UK's first female defence secretary - the naval reservist had already served as armed forces minister under David Cameron.

Ms Mordaunt is probably best known outside Westminster for her appearance on ITV's celebrity diving show Splash! to raise money for charity.

Leader of Fareham Borough Council, Sean Woodward, said the prime minister's departure was "unfortunate".

"Events catch up with people - who was to know that when Boris won that fantastic [2019 general election] victory, he appeared to be indestructible, impregnable, riding high," he said.

"Then the pandemic comes, then Dominic Cummings goes and everything that follows - you couldn't have predicted it."

Isle of Wight MP Bob Seeley, who previously supported Mr Johnston in last month's vote of no confidence, said a new leader was needed to "offer a renewed sense of purpose".

In a letter to Graham Brady on Wednesday, chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbenchers, Mr Seeley said: "Talking to islanders, it's clear that Boris, despite his past strengths, is becoming a distraction to governing Britain."

Meanwhile, Romsey and Southampton North MP Caroline Noakes, a longstanding critic of the prime minister, tweeted a meme of Gloria Gaynor, with the words of her 1970s hit, I will Survive with the text: "Go on now, go."

Mr Johnson resisted calls for him to step down until Thursday morning, when it became clear that he had lost the confidence of his MPs and that the government could no longer function.

Less than three years ago, Mr Johnson won an historic landslide victory in a general election but he has been dogged by controversy in recent months, including a fine for breaking his own lockdown laws.

The revolt this week was triggered by revelations about the prime minister's handling of sexual misconduct allegations against former Deputy Chief Whip Chris Pincher.

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