Bury St Edmunds MP Jo Churchill resigns from government

The MP for Bury St Edmunds has resigned from government saying "the country and party deserve better".

In a letter to the prime minister, junior minister Jo Churchill said she had "resigned with a heavy heart."

She joined a growing list of ministers who have quit, or who have issued statements opposing Boris Johnson.

The PM is facing criticism over sexual allegations made against deputy chief whip Chris Pincher and he said it had been a "bad mistake" to appoint him.

Mr Johnson had said he was not aware of any accusations against Mr Pincher before appointing him to the Conservative Party's whips' office.

The PM later said he had been informed of a formal complaint against Mr Pincher in 2019.

Ms Churchill has resigned as Minister for Agri-Innovation and Climate Adaptation at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

In her letter to the prime minister, she said: "Recent events have shown integrity, competence, and judgement are all essential to the role of prime minister, while a jocular, self-serving approach is bound to have its limitations.

"Our beloved country is facing an uncertain future and strong headwinds - a clear, selfless vision is needed."

Earlier, her fellow Conservative MP in Suffolk, Tom Hunt, issued a statement in which he said he no longer had confidence in the PM.

In a Facebook post, the Ipswich MP said there was much that Mr Johnson had got right during his time as prime minister, but the events of the past week were "the straw that has broken the camel's back".

"I personally find it hard to believe that the prime minister wasn't aware of the extent of concerns about the former deputy chief whip," he said.

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